Some activists expressed doubt over the usefulness of the Chicago Police Department’s efforts to recruit minorities.
Various activists doubted whether minority recruitment efforts would solve the issues facing the Chicago Police Department, reports The Columbia Chronicle.
Rev. Christopher Griffin, a Community Renewal Society member, said he’s not sure if recruiting minorities will properly address all of the police department’s issues. He added that having more diversity in the department could help officers be more empathetic.
The Chicago Police Department is increasing its efforts to hire more minorities in an attempt to make the department more diverse. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson urged minorities to apply if they wanted to make a difference in their communities.
“I have people in minority communities always asking, ‘Can we have more officers in our community that look like us? If you want to be part of the change, take the [entrance exam], come on to the department and I will put you in that neighborhood,” Johnson said when discussing the department’s new Use of Force policy.
The city is also dealing with rising homicide counts. For the first time in almost twenty years, the homicide count for the city reached 700. (RELATED: Chicago Homicide Rate Reaches Levels Not Seen In Almost 20 Years)
Damon Williams, the co-founder of #LetUsBreathe Collective, said he appreciated the department’s efforts, but suggested that the city instead invest in education and job creation.
“It is difficult and frustrating when the conversation of policing shifts away from the structural problems and violence that police have upheld,” Williams said.
Williams also claimed that having a more diverse police force could make it difficult to keep the force accountable.
“Putting black and brown faces into a violent and racist system is a method to validate and protect [those in power],” Williams claimed.
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