{"id":2972,"date":"2020-06-10T23:50:48","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T23:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=2972"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:52:19","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:52:19","slug":"qa-with-mayor-centers-on-police-funding-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/06\/10\/qa-with-mayor-centers-on-police-funding-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A with mayor centers on police funding, COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

Durham Mayor Steve Schewel’s virtual Q&A with faculty and staff of Duke University’s public policy school on Wednesday<\/span>\u00a0offered a glimpse into how the city is handling<\/span>\u00a0police violence protests and the coronavirus pandemic.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had last week in Durham, verelly powerful forceful protests, eloquent protests . . . about, not just the murder, the heinous inhuman and cold murder of George Floyd,\u201d Schewel said, \u201cbut also the racism in our system that persists.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly 100 people attended the\u00a0hour-long online event. Duke\u00a0faculty and staff, as well as the public, submitted questions via Zoom for Sanford School of Public Policy Dean Judith Kelley to ask the mayor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Much of the conversation revolved around policing, including the department\u2019s funding and potential reforms. The mayor said that last week, he <\/span>signed a pledge<\/span><\/a> to review and reform policies around police officers\u2019 use-of-force within the next 90 days.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to say that our police chief has already responded to the eight particular tactics that were highlighted in that [pledge],\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many Durham residents are calling on city officials, including the mayor, to defund the police department. But Schewel said the police budget will instead be increasing by just over $1 million dollars. In 2019, the police department asked for an estimated $69 million and <\/span>spent $67 million<\/span><\/a>; this year, the city has a proposed police budget of $70 million.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat million dollars is not adding any police officers,\u201d he said, assuring attendees that the money will pay for state-mandated pensions and mandatory raises for officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kelley asked Schewel if he felt Durham police were where they needed to be in the community. Schewel responded that Durham has spent years \u201creforming the way our police operate.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He added that police have and will continue to respect demonstrators\u2019 right to protest, adopt non-confrontational tactics and monitor if traffic stops are made because of racial profiling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have racial equity training for all our officers, we have de-escalation training for all of our officers, we have crisis intervention training,\u201d he said. \u201cOur police department is far from perfect . . . but we are putting in a lot of effort and have put in a lot of effort over the last few years to reform our police force.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The city also plans to establish alternatives to policing, he said, so officers are not called in for something better handled by medical services, mental health services or social workers.<\/span><\/p>\n

He did not offer any details about how specific programs would work or be funded, or say if the city will reduce the number of police officers over time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Durham Mayor Steve Schewel. Credit: Wikimedia photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Q&A also covered voting during the coronavirus pandemic. Schewel said it was up to the Board of Elections and the state to decide how to handle voting processes in November\u2019s general election.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, there isn\u2019t quite a strategy,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are a lot of people who are thinking about it, and I have a lot of confidence. But we\u2019re going to need good guidance from the state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, the North Carolina legislature <\/span>passed a law<\/span><\/a> making it harder to request absentee ballots, which is <\/span>being challenged in court<\/span><\/a>. Schewel said he\u2019s worried about residents having easy absentee voting options and safe, quick in-person polling stations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVoter suppression is real, and I think that our legislature, unless they agree to have mailed to every voter an application for an absentee ballot, I think that that will be suppressing the vote,\u201d Schewel said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other attendees asked about the city\u2019s COVID-19 response and the reopening of Durham schools. Schewel said he wasn\u2019t sure what would happen in the fall, but is concerned the continued increase of cases in Durham could lead to a resurgence of the virus.<\/span><\/p>\n

One program he emphasized was an effort to address unequal access to remote learning during the pandemic. Durham Public Schools will spend $8 million providing Chromebooks to students and installing wireless hotspots around the city to help ensure every child has access to digital learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the conversation, Schewel responded to many questions with \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d He reiterated that some decisions \u2014 especially those about the pandemic \u2014 depend on state lawmakers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs we all know we\u2019re in an incredibly difficult time in our nation,\u201d he said, \u201cIt\u2019s a hard time to be mayor, I\u2019ll tell you that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Durham Mayor Steve Schewel’s virtual Q&A with faculty and staff of Duke University’s public policy school on Wednesday\u00a0offered a glimpse into how the city is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-government","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nQ&A with mayor centers on police funding, COVID-19 - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/06\/10\/qa-with-mayor-centers-on-police-funding-covid-19\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Q&A with mayor centers on police funding, COVID-19 - 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