Mother’s Day is a national time to celebrate mothers. We recognize there are too many mothers who will grieve that day  because their unarmed sons and daughters were assaulted or killed by accidental and intentional police brutality.

We stand in solidarity with them. We feel their pain. We understand that we could be next. We stand beside those who work in this area including, Mothers Against Police Brutality, Not My Son, Reform Now, Faith Forward Dallas, and many other groups.   We designate Sunday, May 9, 2021 as  Police Reform  Day.

What: Moms For Reforming Policing  on Mother’s Day is an online petition uniting  moms to change policing in Dallas County. We acknowledge Dallas’ numerous past police killings of unarmed African Americans, and now join the work of others to stop this by changing policing.

Who: Moms are women in Dallas county who are 18 years or older, of all races, nationalities, and faiths. They are biological moms, foster moms, adopted moms, god moms, moms in law, aunts, cousins, sisters, and women (cisgender and transgender) who never gave birth.

Why: We are beyond exhausted, mad, and frustrated by the unrelenting harassment  and killing of unarmed African American women and men. We are uniting to ignite our power to change policing.  On Mother’s Day we say, no more in our backyard. We’d like to change the nation, and we will start in our community.

How: We will submit the online petition of Moms For Reforming Policing on Mother’s Day May 9, 2021 

We are calling for Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia to:

1. Root out systemic racism in the Dallas Police Department.  Tackle the growing problem of white supremacy by adding clear policy and extensive background checks. Mandate education of officers on the systemic roots of racism.

2. Rethink deadly force by reducing the number of officers who shoot unarmed people. Train your officers not to shoot when there is no life-threatening cause. Focus on de-escalation, not confrontation.

3. Decrease the points of contact between the police and the public. Employ social workers to assist with the mentally ill and unsheltered persons. Utilize unarmed traffic officers for traffic stops. Limit the use of militarized weapons. Identify new curriculum and implement a culturally responsive training program that incorporates de-escalation and mental health components.

4. Put into immediate action and policy the recommendations laid out in the “DOJ’s 21st Century Policing Guide.“ The research- based answers from the nation’s experts are all there for us to utilize and save lives.

 

We are calling call on Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson  and the City Council to:

1. Invest in low-income communities with affordable housing and living wages with an awareness of the stressors of poverty. Increase “community services” and funding for more mental health, rehabilitation, social workers, and job programs in these areas.

2. Expand existing community oversight of policing and police reforms to hold the department and the city accountable. Set up a public task force to reimagine public safety in our city, guided by the “Center for Policing Equity’s” research, data, and recommendations. Center People of Color, and those directly impacted by police brutality in both of these discussions.

3. Implement an alternative to law enforcement for CRISIS Intervention  with wraparound health and human services delivery, including unarmed first responders for non-violent calls.

4. Collect and evaluate the results of officer-initiated traffic stop enforcement. Create an unarmed traffic enforcement unit.

5. End Qualified Immunity.

6. Be transparent with excessive force complaints.