HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020_11_11 Racial Equity Taskforce Minutes
Minutes of the Racial Equity Task Force of the Town of Mamaroneck
Held November 11, 2020 at 5:00 pm, via Zoom
Present: Jeffery King (Chairperson), Sabrina Fiddelman, Helen Horsham-Bertels, Diana Lovett, Andrew
Tannenbaum, Gonzalo S. Zeballos
I. Executive Order 203
Also present for this discussion: Stephen V. Altieri-Town Administrator, Chief Paul Creazzo-Police Chief
Chairperson Jeffery King opened the meeting and introduced all members of the Task Force to Mr.
Altieri and Chief Creazzo. Mr. King indicated that the most immediate job of the Task Force is to respond
to the Governor’s Executive Order 203 which requires a review of the Police Department in every
municipality be performed by April, 2021.
Mr. Altieri and Chief Creazzo gave an overview of the Police Department and its current functions. The
Department is currently staffed with 38 police officers, 12 crossing guards and 2 parking enforcement
officers. The Department operates 24 hours a day, every day. It receives about 10,000 calls per year.
About 25% of criminal cases lead to arrests. Response time is 5 minutes or less.
Executive Order 203 requires a complete review of police practices. Currently, the Chief and Town
Administrator plan to organize the report into seven categories. They are;
Community engagement and outreach
Use of force policy and methods of engagement (de-escalation)
Types and methods of training
Disclosure of data and transparency
Equipment
Complaint procedure
Oversight and discipline
The Task Force asked for the addition of an eighth category-Diversity within the department. That will
be added to the report.
The report will be available by the end of next week.
The Governor’s order also directs that a group of citizens should be convened to evaluate these
practices and procedures. This Task Force will constitute as that citizen group. Mr. Altieri and Chief
Creazzo have reached out to the District Attorney’s office, the Mamaroneck School District’s
Superintendent and the Community Counseling Center. All are willing to send a representative to
participate as part of this group.
After the Task Force has had an opportunity to evaluate and comment on the report, the Town will hold
a minimum of two public fora to hear comments on the report. The first will be held the second week in
December. The second, sometime in January.
The Task Force would also like to survey the community to gather data from a broader cross-section of
citizens. Mr. Tannenbaum and Ms. Horsham-Bertels will work on survey question development. Ms.
Lovett will work on survey mechanics. Methods of distribution that reach the broadest swath of the
unincorporated area of the Town’s population as possible will be evaluated. Discussed were using the
Town newsletter, robocalls, texts and emails, posting on the Town’s website, school newsletters,
distribution of flyers in apartment buildings and outreach to community groups. The survey should also
be available in Spanish.
II. Discussion of potential monument to Enslaved People in the Town of Mamaroneck
Also present for this discussion were community attendees; Ned Benton, Gail Boyle, Judy Silberstein,
John Pritts, Joanne Shaw. All are members of REALM (Recognizing Enslaved Africans in Larchmont and
Mamaroneck)
REALM made a presentation to the Town Board about a year ago. They joined the meeting to educate
the Task Force as to their work. They pointed out that the pre-and post-colonial Town was not likely
built by the gentlemen farmers who lived here, but rather by their slaves. These enslaved people should
be recognized for the contribution they made to the development of the Town and its economy. They
are hoping to design and present some kind of commemoration to the Town. The Task Force has agreed
to engage with REALM on this effort as we progress beyond the response to Executive Order 203.
The next meeting of the Task Force will take place on Monday, November 30, 2020 at 7:30 via Zoom.
The meeting was adjourned.