BURLINGTON — Seeking strategies to improve interracial understanding, members of a city task force are first confronting a stark reality: Burlington's predominant whiteness.
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The shooting deaths of Philando Castile, Daunte Wright and most recently Patrick Lyoya at the hands of police all started the same way. And those deaths have opened the door to a major police reform trend in some parts of the country. Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and several other cities are banning minor traffic stops by police arguing they overwhelmingly impact Black motorists, aren't especially helpful in stopping crime and can have fatal consequences. One of the first cities to give this a try was Lansing, Michigan. In July 2020 the Lansing PD implemented new guidelines for its officers to not pull drivers over for so-called 'secondary violations' that means cracked windshield, broken taillights and tinted windows. But two years in, no one really knows if the policy change is working because the Lansing PD isn't following it. Councilman Brian T. Jackson, who was born and raised in Lansing, worked on this initiative with the former police chief and current mayor. "The problem with the policy that Lansing has of not pulling people over, unless it's for a safety related reason, is that it's just a policy and the police can and apparently still do it," he said. As a public defender, Jackson says he knows the community impact of these pretextual stops. "The stops, they break down the relationship with the community and the police. Because if a certain portion of the community is stopped, even if they're not sighted, that still leaves a bad taste in people's mouth," he continued.According to the Lansing State Journal, since 2020 local police have made more than 300 stops for equipment violations and about 1,000 stops for registration issues two categories of stops that were supposed to end under the new policy. Robert Stevenson is the Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police."It's short sighted. And it's ill-advised and it does not serve their community members," he said. Stevenson says these supposedly minor stops are not meaningless. "The federal government spent millions of dollars to figure out, we need a third light in the middle of a car. Why? Because it avoids crashes. And it avoids injuries, and it saves lives. And you're much more likely to be the victim of a traffic crash and injury, then you are the victim of a violent crime and such."In Lansing, and across the country, Black motorists are disproportionately pulled over and searched compared to White drivers. And according to the New York Times, between 2016 and 2021 police have killed more than 400 motorists who were "not wielding a gun or a knife, or under pursuit for a violent crime a rate of more than one a week."Mike Lynn, a civil rights activist in Lansing, says his close friend was killed by the Lansing police Department when they were both teenagers. "At the time, it wasn't really Lansing Police Department focus," he said. "I really felt like it was like, a reckoning kind of that police kill people."While Lynn disputes the circumstances of his death, police say he was killed after a foot chase and exchanging gun fire with officers. "The more of those interactions that happen, the more people are going to be killed. So, we have to slow down those interactions that aren't necessary," Lynn continued.Stevenson says it's not the officers' actions that lead to these on-duty fatal shootings. "They aren't killed because the person had a headlight out," Stevenson said. "They're killed because they're bad people. Where they ended up dead is fighting with the police, non-compliance and things escalated from there."Lansing's new police chief says he is re-working the policy to make it clearer, but Councilman Jackson is hoping for something more concrete. "A guarantee that police officers won't seek charges stemming from a non-safety related stop," he said. "No matter where it is, there's going to be critics, and there's going to be proponents I don't know how well it's gonna go other places but I'm hoping that it goes well in Lansing, and that we can be a model."
Burlington Police Chief Brian Zmudzinski, left, and Lt. Jeremy Krusemark address members of Burlington's race relations task force, who asked about statistics to show whether police are targeting minorities unfairly.
Photos: Second-ever Juneteenth celebration in Burlington draws a diverse crowd to mark holiday
Welcoming sign at Burlington Juneteenth event at Echo Park in Burlington
A welcome sign greets patrons at Echo Veterans Memorial Park in Burlington for the second annual Juneteenth event presented Saturday by the Burlington Coalition for Dismantling Racism.
Harley Bagley, 5, joins other dancers on stage at Burlington Juneteenth event
Harley Bagley, 5, right, of Milwaukee, checks her moves with other dancers on stage Saturday during the Burlington Juneteenth celebration at Echo Veterans Memorial Park.
Brooke Bell and mother Monique Abujana and friend Casey Sellers at Juneteenth
Enjoying a moment in the sun during the Burlington Juneteenth celebration are Brooke Bell, from left, her mother, Monique Abujana, and friend Casey Sellers, during the all-day event Saturday at Echo Veterans Memorial Park.
Organizer Darnisha Garbade welcomes crowd at Juneteenth event in Burlington
Darnisha Garbade, left, president of the Burlington Coalition for Dismantling Racism, leads the festivities Saturday at her group's Juneteenth celebration, joined by a private security guard, at Echo Veterans Memorial Park in Burlington.
Hannah McMartin and father Bill McMartin at Juneteenth event in Burlington
Hannah McMartin, left, joins her father, Bill McMartin, both of Burlington, while taking in the music, dancing and messages of the Burlington Juneteenth event Saturday at Echo Veterans Memorial Park.
Dance troupe Signature Dance entertains at Burlington Juneteenth event
Members of the Signature Dance dance troupe deliver a performance Saturday at Echo Veterans Memorial Park in Burlington during the Juneteenth holiday celebration.
Jacob Mersberger and Jeanne Heyer have fun in photo booth at Burlington Juneteenth
Jacob Mersberger, left, and his wife, Jeanne Heyer, of the Town of Spring Prairie, have fun Saturday at the Yellow Bus photo booth for 1960s flashback photo poses during the Burlington Juneteenth celebration.
Line dance gets people moving at Juneteenth event in Burlington
Joining a line dance Saturday at Juneteenth festivities in Burlington are Makalaya Howard, 9, from left, Mariah Robinson, 12, Jendora Kelley and Tecia Sellers, during one of many musical moments in the all-day celebration at Echo Veterans Memorial Park.
Colorful balloon display at Juneteenth event in Burlington
A colorful display of balloons and curtains brightens up Echo Veterans Memorial Park in Burlington for Saturday's all-day Juneteenth celebration presented by the Burlington Coalition for Dismantling Racism.
Donald Lee of Big Daddy's BBQ at Burlington Juneteenth celebration
Donald Lee, owner of Big Daddy's BBQ and Soul Food, manages the grill Saturday at Echo Veterans Memorial Park in Burlington during an all-day Juneteenth celebration.
Casey Sellers and others dancing at Burlington Juneteenth event
Casey Sellers, left, joins other dancers on stage Saturday for a musical celebration during the Burlington Juneteenth celebration at Echo Veterans Memorial Park.
Ken Dues and Kenda Dues of Racine relax at Juneteenth event in Burlington
Ken Dues, left, and his wife, Kenda Dues, of Racine, relax and watch the festivities unfold Saturday during a Juneteenth holiday celebration at Echo Veterans Memorial Park in Burlington.
Tajzee Strong reigning Miss Black USA contestant from Wisconsin
Tajzee Strong, the reigning Miss Black Wisconsin USA, pauses at Echo Veterans Memorial Park in Burlington after addressing the crowd Saturday during a Juneteenth holiday event.
Sunshine Tidwell, 2, and Morgyn Oberlin, 11, dance on stage at Burlington Juneteenth
Sunshine Tidwell, right, who turns 2 next month, gets her moment to dance on stage, joined by Morgyn Oberlin, 11, during a break Saturday in the Burlington Juneteenth celebration at Echo Veterans Memorial Park.
