On June 30, the City of Racine Mayor Cory Mason announced the first three community conversations on police reforms.
In response to the murder of George Floyd, Mayor Mason announced a series of actions to reform the Racine Police Department to build trust, transparency, and accountability to the people they serve. One of those actions was a pledge to meaningfully engage the community to gather input and feedback about the community’s experiences with the Racine Police Department, including what they appreciate about our police and what suggestions they have for reform.
“All over the world, we are seeing people speak out against police brutality and racism. People are rightfully asking, what should policing look like in our community? These tough conversations are long overdue and it is important that they happen in the City of Racine as well. The Racine Police Department has a long and important history of taking innovative approaches to policing that makes us different from any other police department across the country and we are fortunate to have a very forward-thinking Chief. However, none of us are perfect and it is incumbent of us to engage our residents so that any reforms are significantly informed by the community.”
City of Racine Mayor Cory Mason
The City has entered into a partnership with Dr. Arletta Frazier and Kimberly Payne of Payne & Frazier Consultants, LLC. They will facilitate the work of both the Mayor’s Task Force on Police Reforms and conversations with the community.
The first three conversations will be held virtually via Zoom at the following dates and times:
- Monday, July 6 from 5 pm to 7 pm
- Friday, July 10 from 9 am to 11 am
- Monday, July 13 from 10 am to Noon
- Additional dates to be announced later
Citizen Participation Encouraged
“City leaders need to hear from our residents and let them drive the conversation. I am asking residents to participate in these important discussions and to help lead this important work. Together we will build a stronger, more united City, that celebrates our diversity, and stands up to racism in all of its forms,” said Mayor Cory Mason.
These conversations are open to all City residents with the following requirements:
- The City asks that residents only sign up to participate in ONE conversation. Each of the conversations will have the same structure and facilitated discussion of the same questions.
- To meet the technical requirements of hosting virtual meetings, registration for each session is capped at 100 residents. All registrants beyond 100 will automatically be added to a waitlist and they will be notified if spots open up.
- Registration is required and can be completed online here: www.pandfconsultants.com/communityconversations
- Registered participants will get event reminders 3 days before the event and the day before the event.
Participants can download the Zoom app from their smartphone app store to access the meeting from your smartphone, or it can be accessed from an internet browser on a laptop or desktop computer.
About the City of Racine
With a population of 78,000, Racine, Wisconsin is the fifth largest municipality in the state of Wisconsin. It is home to manufacturing businesses that enjoy world-wide reputations, SC Johnson, CNH Industrial, Twin Disc, Modine, and In-Sink-Erator among them. Racine is also home to diverse cultures, a thriving downtown, and world-class beaches along the shores of Lake Michigan.
