Born Black with Beauty Within
“Is it too much to ask for the breath of Black children not to be stolen?” Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, a CRS member congregation, shares his lament in his sermonic film Letter to My Son. “The vision for the film is to be a learning tool to help families, teachers, and institutions discuss issues of race, responsibility, compassion and faithful living.” States Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III.
Despite significant media coverage this summer, incidents of police brutality continue to occur. Cities are starting to address police accountability only after their actions, or lack thereof, are exposed and consequences, including financial settlements such as the one paid to Breonna Taylor’s family this week, are put into place.
The city of Louisville, Kentucky awarded the family of Breonna Taylor $12 million as a result of a wrongful death lawsuit. In March, Breonna was shot and killed by Louisville police in her home when they mistakenly attempted to serve a no-knock warrant at her address. In June, no-knock warrants were outlawed but this was little consolation for Breonna’s family. Pressure from social media over the summer pushed Louisville police to fire one of the officers involved and to place the other two on administrative leave. At this time, none of the officers face criminal charges.
Lawsuits resulting from police misconduct cost taxpayers more than $300 million in fiscal year 2019, according to an ABC 7 news report. This is money that could be better spent addressing community needs before police intervention becomes necessary. Reimaging how these funds could be used, along with reallocating a portion of the annual Chicago Police Department budget of $1.76 billion, is the focus of the Defund the Police movement.
Since 2016, Community Renewal Society and our network of churches have worked for increased police accountability and citizen oversight of the Chicago Police Department. A recent report from the Public Safety Section of the Office of the Inspector General found that the Civilian Office of Police Accountability is not in compliance with the Video Release Policy.
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