1. If elected or re-elected to the city council, will you propose programs and/or initiatives to limit the number of arrests for minor offenses in the city?
MARINDA ALEXANDRIA-WILLIAMS: DID NOT RESPOND
C. JOHNSON: DID NOT RESPOND
F.W. JOHNSON:
I am Completely against the school to prision pipeline. Memphis has issues with lead poisioning and contamination and this is a generational problem that no one is addressing whic is leading to many of the problems that we are seeing about crime. Also, the prision industrial complex needs to be fought. We cant allow out children, and in particular, out black children to be victimized by a system that will arrest them for profit and offer no help to their situations.
LITTLES:
Truly understanding that incarceration only addresses the consequences of crime, but not the causes, it will be highly important to promote and advance prevention and intervention strategies that cut crime and incarceration.
SAULSBERRY: DID NOT RESPOND
2. If elected or re-elected to the city council, will you support a pre-booking diversion program for drug-related offenses and for those suffering from mental health issues?
MARINDA ALEXANDRIA-WILLIAMS: DID NOT RESPOND
C. JOHNSON: DID NOT RESPOND
F.W. JOHNSON:
Years ago, i was working at a local college and I had a student that had a felony on her record. I got an attorney friend to look over her record and it turned out that she had recieved this charge after a fight that she had with another girl when she was only 18. She was not offered diversion, as she should have, and she felt that her whole life was ruin by this one event. I will be in full support of diversion programs not only for drug-related offenses but for other first time charges as well
LITTLES:
Diversion programs create an alternative path for people who are at risk of arrest or incarceration. Instead of going to jail, people are diverted to a broad range of coordinated services, from housing supports to counseling to treatment for mental illness and substance use. In contrast to post-trial programs like drug courts, diverting people earlier helps them avoid criminal records that can cause lasting harm, such as inability to obtain jobs, housing and stable family relationships.
Pre-booking diversion: enrollment in a pre-booking diversion program occurs after an arrest but before a person has been officially “booked,” or processed, for the arrest. The most prominent pre-booking diversion model is Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD).
Pre-arrest diversion: referral to diversion programs through community outreach before a person gets into trouble. Proactive community outreach is an approach already used by many health and social service organizations, but these programs are often narrowly focused. In a pre-arrest diversion program outreach may be done by front line police officers or by outreach workers who connect individuals with the full range of services they need to avoid arrest
1. Successfully develop infrastructure and services aimed at diverting individuals with behavioral health needs away from jail to appropriate community-based treatment.
2. Implement effective community strategies to better serve individuals in psychiatric crisis, safely reduce the prevalence of individuals with behavioral health needs in local jails, and reduce costs related prosecution and incarceration.
3. Demonstrate a collaborative and coordinated system-wide approach among local behavioral health providers, law enforcement, and the judicial system within the community to pre-arrest diversion. Participating cities and counties each have it’s own LEAD agency accordingly.
Shelby County Lead Agency: Alliance Healthcare Services
Key Partners:
Memphis Police Department including the CIT Officers
Shelby County Government including the Mental Health Court and Public Defenders Office
Memphis Fire Department
Western District of TN Probation Office
Local hospitals
SAULSBERRY: DID NOT RESPOND
3.If elected or re-elected to the city council, will you support a policy to require transparency and democratic accountability before city agencies acquire new surveillance tools?
MARINDA ALEXANDRIA-WILLIAMS: DID NOT RESPOND
C. JOHNSON: DID NOT RESPOND
F.W. JOHNSON:
LITTLES:
SAULSBERRY: DID NOT RESPOND
4. If elected or re-elected to the city council will you work to make stop and arrest data, including race and ethnicity data, available to the public quarterly?
MARINDA ALEXANDRIA-WILLIAMS: DID NOT RESPOND
C. JOHNSON: DID NOT RESPOND
F.W. JOHNSON:
LITTLES:
SAULSBERRY: DID NOT RESPOND
5. If elected or re-elected to the city council what will you do to ensure a timely, transparent and independent investigation whenever an officer uses deadly force?
MARINDA ALEXANDRIA-WILLIAMS: DID NOT RESPOND
C. JOHNSON: DID NOT RESPOND
F.W. JOHNSON:
Yes, i will also fight to strengthen CLERB and allow for the recording of interrogations of witness by police
LITTLES:
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation currently investigates all cases of officers using deadly force, As City Councilman, I will advocate for transparency from TBI.
SAULSBERRY: DID NOT RESPOND
6. Name 3 steps you would take as a council member to make the Community Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) more effective.
MARINDA ALEXANDRIA-WILLIAMS: DID NOT RESPOND
C. JOHNSON: DID NOT RESPOND
F.W. JOHNSON:
I will give the board supeona power to the board
Allowing them a place in policy creating procedures
Allow the board access to police reports, dash and body cam footage
LITTLES:
The Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) is an independent 12-member civilian agency with the authority to investigate allegations of misconduct filed by citizens of the public against the Memphis Police Department (MPD). CLERB has the power to receive, investigate, hear cases, make findings and recommend action on complaints regarding excessive and deadly force, injuries occurred while in police custody, harassment by police, improper arrests, inadequate investigations, or any other improper conduct by a member MPD. All complaints are thoroughly investigated and findings are reported to the Memphis Police Department.
1) Set goals
2) Ensure there is a true representation via a thorough vetting process
3) Experience and/or exposure to the training as to have a clear perspective of what Officers (ride alongs)
SAULSBERRY: DID NOT RESPOND
7. Would you support policies, programs or initiatives to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline?
MARINDA ALEXANDRIA-WILLIAMS: DID NOT RESPOND
C. JOHNSON: DID NOT RESPOND
F.W. JOHNSON:
I will start with increasing funding to schools and push to change education laws that allow for teachers and schools to be more creative in their approaches to education. Right now, we are pushing for the passing of tests and this is destryoing the creativity of our children. Also, i will push for more psychological testing and councelling while testing our kids of lead and other contaminates. I will not push a war on poor people. Poverty is a problem and not the people. I will push for investments in GED, trade and job training programs centers in poorer communities.Also, i will push for an ending of redlining policies which have destroyed entire communities.
LITTLES:
The motivation behind the start of my non-profit community work was the mere fact that I wasn’t supposed to be here. The environment and the various negative factors that I encountered growing up could have led to me being anywhere but where I am right now. Current policies have increased the risk of students being suspended, expelled, and/or arrested at school. Youth of color in particular are at increased risk for being pushed out of schools—pushed out into the streets, into the juvenile justice system, and/or into adult prisons and jails.
Our non-profit currently works with SCS in an intervention initiative to reduce and/or eliminate in-school suspension and expulsions thus acting as a prevention of the school-to-prison pipeline via positive engagement and character development education.
Also the PAL initiative that we have brought to the communities bridges the gap between the cop, kids & communities.
SAULSBERRY: DID NOT RESPOND
8. What does criminal justice reform mean to you?
MARINDA ALEXANDRIA-WILLIAMS: DID NOT RESPOND
C. JOHNSON: DID NOT RESPOND
F.W. JOHNSON:
I am an African American male and i have been arrested and detained by police. Reform should mean change but we see that it does. I want criminal justice transformation. We should not be arresting for profit. Incarceration should not be for profit. For me, reform means to do away with the monetized system and we need to go back to true reform. Allow people to finish GED and get degrees while serving time.
LITTLES:
Decreasing the prison population, reducing prison sentences that are perceived to be too harsh and long, alternative sentencing policies, policing reform, reducing overcriminalization, and juvenile justice reform.
Criminal justice reform is aimed at fixing perceived errors in the criminal justice system. Goals of organizations spearheading the movement for criminal justice reform include decreasing the United States' prison population, reducing prison sentences that are perceived to be too harsh and long, altering drug sentencing policy, policing reform, reducing over criminalization, and juvenile justice reform. Criminal justice reform also targets reforming policies for those with criminal convictions that are receiving other consequences from food assistance programs, outside of serving their time in prison.
SAULSBERRY: DID NOT RESPOND
