Team 12’s Niala Charles speaks to some of the community leaders and protesters to find out if they think the country and our state have come any closer to equity.

PHOENIX — Valley activists took to the streets last year demanding change after George Floyd was seen dying on camera. Now, almost a year later, they said not much has changed.

Protestors in the Valley marched in record-breaking heat. In the evenings, frustration sometimes boiled over when looters disrupted the cause.

Throughout it all, protest leaders said their goals remained the same as they called for an end to police brutality and systemic racism.

“When you sit right here as a Black man, do you feel like you’re any less likely to be assaulted by an officer or killed by an officer?” 12 News reporter Niala Charles asked.

“No. I believe the only thing that has really changed is time,” Pastor Andre Miller said.

Jadyn Ferguson protested for the first time last summer.

“Permanent change happens with permanent changes and I think that’s what we need to get to,” said Ferguson.

“Do you feel like anything has changed?”

Nissa Vibe is a core member of Black Lives Matter Phoenix.

“I do not feel like change is happening fast enough,” said Vibe.

Miller said that he doesn’t feel like much has changed either.

“It’s absolutely frustrating but we can’t stop. Small victories are still good although they’re not what we really want,” said Miller.

In the past year, some Valley police departments updated use of force tactics and increased transparency with body-worn cameras. But activists say the real catalyst for change is in the policy.

In a historic move, the city of Phoenix voted to approve its first civilian review board in February 2020.

Separate from the police department, the plan includes a unit dedicated to investigating police complaints. However, it’s not a done deal. The city council would still have to vote to adopt an official ordinance to create the department. Most departments still don’t have a civilian review with that much power.

These activists look to the trial of Derek Chauvin as symbolic for the rest of the nation.

“It’s everyone’s problem because if one person is treated unfairly then anyone can be treated unfairly,” said Vibe.

I’m not very hopeful that the full weight of the law will be applied to this officer [Chauvin],” said Miller.

“What I would hope for is a justified prison sentence for him and his rights taken away to ever become a cop again,” said Vibe.

“We’re still not seeing justice for what we’re seeing on camera,” said Miller.

Their calls for change will continue for however long it takes.

“I found out why I was loud. This is why I’m loud for these things right here,” said Ferguson.

We reached out to police chiefs across the Valley for this story, but all of them declined interviews.

Glendale Police Chief Chris Briggs gave us this statement:

“The Glendale Police Department has continuously evaluated our mission, values and vision for the department. We are committed to making the community feel safe and we strive to maintain the trust and confidence within our community not only through transparency of our actions but by listening to the needs of the community we serve.. We reflect on National and local events and work to ensure that our citizens are represented with not only the most efficient and effective police department but a department that represents the community and the values they hold and want upheld by others.

“As a department we strive to adjust our policies and procedures to not only meet the demands of the current time, but we hope to better educate and train our officers to be sensitive to the community we serve. We strive each day to serve the community without bias and we understand that as a department we must continue to learn and reflect positively on the citizens we represent.

“Our core values are integrity, courage, excellence, respect, dedication and compassion. These are not just words to us, but they are there for us to live by on a daily basis and are there so we can build on the trust and confidence of our community.”

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Arizona Police Shoot Black Man in Front of Fiancee and Kids (Video) – Blackchronicle

Posted on July 20, 2020April 15, 2021 by The Community Armor Project

Police officers in Arizona shot three beanbag rounds at a 26-year-old Black construction worker in front of his fiancée and their children late last week, according to ABC15 Arizona.

The incident, which took place in Mesa, Arizona, was captured on video by a neighbor. In the video clip, the man, Lorenzo Jones, can be seen emptying his pockets and giving his keys to his fiancée, Tenisha Gaston, while several young children were standing beside him. Despite putting his hands up and complying with the officer’s orders, Arizona police officers shot bean bags directly at Jones. As the young lady and children are screaming, they continue to shoot him three more times.

A video, caught on a mobile phone by a neighbor, Shampall Williams, was posted on Facebook.

“This is not right, said Gaston. “What’s going on in the world, and now I am dealing with this.“

Gaston witnessed the shooting as she and her children were standing with him as he was being shot.

“He is a good man,” Gaston said, “My kids were scared.”

Gaston met with a local pastor and a lawyer last Friday.

“There was no need for this,” said civil right attorney Benjamin Taylor. “Under the law, he was complying. He had his shirt off, no weapons on him. He wasn’t a threat.“

“In policing, we see a lot of excuses when we talk about force and excessive force and what was justified and what was not,” said Pastor Andre Miller. “Nobody reasonable is saying ‘Yeah, I would have shot this guy.’”

Jones has been charged with aggravated assault on an officer, three counts of aggravated assault on a minor, resisting arrest, marijuana possession, assault causing fear of physical injury.

In a statement, Mesa police chief Ken Cost said, “They [the officers] felt that he was armed and dangerous.” “It would be premature for me to comment on the split-second the officer made the decision.”

He stated that a use-of-force review should take about a week and he is not “going to jump to a conclusion on that until I have all the information.”

“We understand that any time force is used it raises a lot of questions. Less-lethal tools are exactly that, less lethal, and were developed to prevent violent actions, protect the public, save the lives of suspects as well as officers,” Mesa police said in Friday’s statement.

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Broad Mesa Police reforms don’t satisfy critics

Posted on June 28, 2020April 15, 2021 by The Community Armor Project

Tribune – MESA – Mesa Police will launch a new Critical Incident Review Board in about 30 days to more thoroughly critique a wider variety of use-of-force incidents as part of a series of reforms.

“I really think that’s like smoke and mirrors. That’s really nothing,’’ – Pastor Andre Miller – New Beginnings Christian Church

Full Article – https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/broad-mesa-police-reforms-don-t-satisfy-critics/article_67ae018a-b800-11ea-84c4-5ffc1fdb7e4a.html

Mesa protest, prayer gathering focus on police | News | eastvalleytribune.com – East Valley Tribune

Posted on June 14, 2020April 15, 2021 by The Community Armor Project

Mesa protest, prayer gathering focus on police | News | eastvalleytribune.com – East Valley Tribune

The tone of two events in Mesa aimed at addressing systemic racism was remarkably different, with one a prayerful rally for change and the other the first protest over the slaying of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

But in the end, the goal of the protest last Tuesday and the prayer gathering on Wednesday was the same: to work towards more equality in the way people of color are treated by police.

The prayer vigil sponsored by Rev. Andre Miller at New Beginnings Christian Church in Mesa was focused on unity, while the march sponsored by Rev. Reginald Trotter of Phoenix was aimed at reigning in excessive force and racial profiling.

“God has brought us here for such a time as this. Change is here. Change is knocking at the door,’’ said Rev. Tyronne Stowe, a former National Football League linebacker with the Arizona Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins.

“If we don’t get it right here, don’t expect to make the trip,’’ he said, alluding to heaven. “There ain’t going to be no segregated heaven.’’

Miller, who said he has served on a Mesa police use of force advisory committee, said his goal in sponsoring the prayer event was to bring people together.

It drew Mesa Mayor John Giles, Councilwoman Jen Duff, Tempe Mayor-elect Corey Woods and Tempe Police Chief

Sylvia Mohr.

Giles and Duff knelt on the asphalt in the church parking lot in prayer, joined by at least 200 others, including some Scottsdale Police officers.

“The message is, ‘it takes all of us to fix all of this,’’’ Miller said. “We have to get together to do the hard work to make America better.’’

John Goodie of Gilbert, a retired Mesa park ranger and a longtime Mesa civil rights advocate who helped establish Mesa’s Martin Luther King Day celebration, said he has been victimized by structural racism his whole life as a large black man.

Recently, Goodie said, he was standing behind an elderly white couple at an ATM in Gilbert. The woman noticed him and quickly became so nervous that they bolted toward their car, leaving their debit card behind.

Goodie said he followed them to the car. At first, the woman refused to roll down her window, but when she noticed Goodie holding her ATM card, she gladly accepted it and apologized for her reaction.

“Together, we are all better,’’ Goodie said. “That’s what I have been about my whole life, to celebrate our differences and our likenesses.’’

Pastor Palmer Chinchen, of The Grove Christian Church in Chandler, spoke at the event and encouraged church members to attend.

“We wanted to come as an act of solidarity with our African American brothers and sisters. We want to make changes to end racism,’’ he said.

Alluding to Floyd’s death, Mohr said, “the shield can be tarnished by the acts like we saw,’’ but tragedy can spawn “true transformative, systemic change.’’

She added, “There is no one who despises bad cops more than good cops.’’

By all accounts, the protest march a day earlier through downtown Mesa was peaceful, starting at Mesa City Hall and heading down Main Street before ending at Mesa Police headquarters.

Trotter said the focus was on improving Mesa police interaction with blacks, who he said have suffered excessive force and racial profiling.

“Nothing was happening in Mesa,’’ despite a series of protests in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Trotter said. “What really motivated me is that Mesa has a lot of problems, a lot of issues.’’

“Mesa has a history, a tendency, to be very aggressive,’’ he said, with relatively small violations turned into major problems because of racial profiling.

“I would say they need more training on de-escalation rather than using excessive force,’’ he said. “The racial profiling has to stop.’’

He said he has invited Chief Ken Cost to address the protesters at a follow-up protest, after Cost declined to do so at the first protest, citing scheduling conflicts.

Trotter said Mesa also needs a civilian police review board similar to the one recently established in Phoenix. Phoenix City Council last week voted to provide more than $3 million to fund the panel’s operation.

Trotter’s son, also Reginald Trotter, alleges he was the victim of excessive force by Mesa Police in November 2018 when he fought with police while they were arresting him for cutting through a park after hours and cocaine possession. A notice of claim is pending against the city.

Rev. Trotter said there were similarities in police tactics used against his son and against Floyd by Minneapolis police, but Assistant Ed Wessing said he cannot comment because of pending litigation.

“As you know, Mr. Trotter has filed a notice of claim with the City of Mesa related to this incident. It would be inappropriate for the Mesa Police Department to provide any further statements related to this incident due to pending litigation,’’ Wessing wrote in a response to an inquiry by a TV station.

“The Mesa Police Department continues to be progressive and is committed to process improvement,’’ he added.