NORTHAMPTON — Along with other elected prosecutors from across the country, Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan signed a letter in the wake of George Floyd’s killing that denounced police violence and called on law enforcement leaders to embrace comprehensive reform to the justice system.
Sullivan was one of 40 prosecutors, including Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, to sign on to the letter. The letter was posted on Sullivan’s office’s Facebook page Monday.
“The murder of Mr. Floyd is only one of many episodes of police brutality and excessive force that have plagued our communities for decades. These violent, sickening and despicable acts threaten the safety of our streets and erode critical bonds of trust in our justice system,” the letter reads. “Every episode of police violence against people of color lays bare the unbroken link between slavery and modern racially-biased policing and demonstrates the moral imperative for all law enforcement leaders and every member of our justice system to do better.”
Floyd was a black man from Minneapolis who died after a white police officer pinned him to the ground by kneeling on his neck for nearly 9 minutes on Memorial Day. Protests have erupted across the country since Floyd’s death, with some turning to destruction and looting. A protest against racial violence and police brutality in front of the Northampton police station Monday drew at least 1,000 people; some participants vandalized the building and others were pepper-sprayed.
Sullivan said Tuesday that the majority of police officers “do a great job, (but) it’s that 1 percent, or maybe more, that you gotta just call out.”
“People are angry and they want solutions,” Sullivan said about the protests.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni also released a statement on Floyd’s slaying.
“Racism and injustice are very real in America, and yet another illustration of this occurred on May 25 with the murder of George Floyd,” read part of Gulluni’s message. “I am deeply saddened by his death and I pray for his family and all those affected by this tragedy.”
The lengthy letter Sullivan signed features a laundry list of recommendations to police and prosecutors meant to hold both accountable. It recommends prosecutors work together with law enforcement to amend policies and procedures, create databases to track fired officers and allegations of misconduct, and repeal laws shielding police records, among other avenues.
It also calls for greater transparency — such as body cameras on all police officers — as well as changes to police training and hiring of more minority personnel, to attempt to address racially disparate policing. Prosecutors, the letter says, should not take donations from police unions, should implement prosecutorial training to combat racial biases, and analyze racial disparities made in decision-making, among other objectives.
Near the end of the letter, the signing prosecutors note that police violence is but one “facet of mass incarceration” and call for policy changes “at every stage — from arrest to sentencing.”
“Law enforcement leaders must partner with the community to reimagine what justice means, examine the ways that the justice system intersects with racism, classism, and other societal inequities, and chart a new path predicated on community well-being,” the letter stated.
One of the recommendations the letter makes is the creation of “independent oversight structures” supported and empowered by elected prosecutors with a goal to hold police accountable.
Sullivan said that if he believed his office couldn’t independently investigate officer use of force, he would refer the matter to state or federal authorities. But, he said, it’s “up to each individual community” to decide whether to put together a civilian review panel. He said individual departments can refer cases out if they can’t investigate independently.
“It’s about making sure that if something serious happens, that if there’s a police-involved shooting or a police involved death, that somebody other than that police department is the sole agency or entity that goes forward,” he said.
Raechel Parent, 17, is a Northampton High School junior who was a co-organizer of Monday’s protest in Northampton. She said people are sometimes wrongfully convicted because of their race, adding that many can’t afford anything other than a court-appointed attorney who may be swamped with other work.
She said prosecutors should keep “mindful of how many people of color you’re prosecuting for the same things that you’re not prosecuting white people for.”
“If they tried to have better community relations, that could also help do more … within the community of people of color in Northampton and in western Mass.,” Parent said.
Sullivan said he still sees recruitment of people of color to law enforcement in the area as a challenge. He said his office has assessed how they hold people on bail.
“We want to make sure we mete out justice in a fair and equal way,” he said.
Sullivan said his office has community outreach for elders and children, but that “there’s always more we can do.”
Asked about protesters’ call for defunding the city’s police department, Sullivan said law enforcement must first listen to protesters’ concerns so they can work together.
“The conversation about defunding police departments comes out of frustration,” he said. “And I think the more realistic conversation is to say, ‘How do we fund other things to make our communities better?’”
Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.