Historical November–December 2017 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
My first term at the Board of Aldermen started off like most others, I imagine.
After being sworn in, I received my committee assignments, met with department heads and commissioners, and started making the rounds in the 28th Ward.
However, I did not anticipate that a verdict in a shooting from 2011 would shape so drastically my first few months in office.
The verdict in the Jason Stockley case was announced in the morning shortly before my second board meeting was to begin.
The meeting was concluded early and aldermen and staff were invited to pray together in the rotunda at City Hall. Shortly thereafter, standing on the sidewalk outside City Hall, I got my first taste of pepper spray; that night the streets of the 28th Ward became protest grounds.
In addition to meeting with neighborhood groups and consulting with my colleagues at the Board, I have spent time marching with protesters because for too long, black citizens of our community have been denied justice. Our city bears the scars of racial and criminal injustice, both recently and historically, and our actions following the Stockley verdict present an opportunity for us to state clearly and unequivocally that black lives matter.
I am grateful to serve at such an important time. Mayor Krewson’s appointment of Judge Jimmie Edwards as the new Director of Public Safety and her commitment to strengthening the Civilian Oversight Board give me hope for healing and transformation, as do the conversations and actions by many taking place throughout our city.
We cannot shy away from difficult truths and uncomfortable emotions if we want to be a unified community.
As a new member of the Board of Aldermen, I pledge my support to those individuals and organizations who are both transforming systems which perpetuate racial injustice and creating opportunities for healing and reconciliation. Furthermore, I pledge to examine and dismantle my own racism and bias.
I invite others in our city, especially those of us who are white, to heed the experience of our communities of color, to examine the effects of our privilege on our black brothers and sisters, and to practice solidarity.
The 28th Ward is composed of some of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city.
The work starts right here on our front porches and in our neighborhood associations, hearing each other’s stories, walking side by side, and advocating for change.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November–December 2017.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2017_11.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
