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Community activist interrupts Cleveland committee meeting demanding to ask questions on consent decree progress report

The consent decree was outlined in 2015.

CLEVELAND — “Excuse me! Excuse me! When do we, family members get to ask some questions since we’re out in the audience? We are a part of this issue.”

That question came from community activist Brenda Pickerstaff as she attended Wednesday morning's safety committee meeting. She wanted to ask her own questions regarding an updated progress report on the city's consent decree agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the city of Cleveland.

Pickerstaff was seated just a few feet away from Samaria Rice, whose 12-year-old son, Tamir, was shot and killed by police during an incident outside the Cudell Recreation Center in November 2014.

The committee chairman quickly replied to Pickerstaff's request to ask questions.

“This is an annual check in with the administration, and then we’re going to hear from the community police commission after," the chairman said. "We can create an opportunity at a later date to do something like that, but it’s not going to happen today. ... It was noticed for over a week in the committee calendar."

The conversation continued...

Pickerstaff: "So you're saying it's not for us to ask questions?"

Chairman: "Not today."

Pickerstaff: "But we're a part of this, though. We're part of the commission. We participate in the meetings, we got to the meetings and we participate in the workshops within the meetings, so why can't we be a part of these questions?"

Chairman: "I'm going to have the community police commission come up next and then they're going to share perspective of what they've heard, and I'm sure your voice is going to be represented in their comments."

Before that moment, several city leaders explained the progress that has been made regarding compliance with the consent decree.

“In the three years since the monitor came on and we started the implementation of the consent decree, we have tackled some very major things,” Director of Law Barbara Langhenry said.

The consent decree was outlined in 2015 to make Cleveland authorities more accountable, better trained and engaged to use less force.

Judge Greg White agreed there has been great progress made so far, but there's still some work ahead.

“I would say we would not be in total, effective and substantial compliance by the end of this year in all categories, but we’re going to be close," White said.

From a statistical standpoint, White said there were 15,615 arrests made in 2018 with only 338 incidents with reported use of force. Of that number, 229 were classified as level one, which he said is the lowest use of force procedures the department exercises.

“That’s pretty significantly important, I think, for the kind of progress that has been made here.”

White also revealed that injuries to subjects in use-of-force incidents is down 17 percent.

Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams added that there hasn't been an officer-involved shooting in the city for almost two years.

“I think it goes to not just the training and the consent decree process itself, but it goes to the men and women of this division and how they see our community and how they want to interact with our community and make sure we’re safe," Williams said.

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