Today Mayor Stoney announced the members of the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety and outlined his primary requests of the diverse group of professionals. The majority of task force members stood with the mayor for the announcement.
 
“There is a lot of work ahead of us, but this group’s diversity of expertise and lived experiences is a key asset on our path forward,” said the mayor. “I am thrilled to have this team help our city heal.”
 
The members of the task force bring an array of perspectives from activist, legal, academic, law enforcement, emergency services, artistic, healthcare and other fields. At the close of a 45-day period, the task force will bring the mayor a set of actionable steps forward to build a safer city for all.
 
“After additional conversations and review of actions taken in other cities, I do not believe we can wait to begin acting on reform recommendations,” said Mayor Stoney. “I have asked this task force to report back with initial recommendations within 45 days of their first meeting.”
 
The mayor established three foundational requests of the task force: reviewing the police department’s use of force policies, exploring an approach to public safety that uses a human services lens and prioritizing community healing and engagement.
 
“We need a new process for noncriminal and nonviolent calls for service, and that will be a top priority for this task force,” noted the mayor. “We must center compassion instead of consequences.”
 
Regarding community healing and engagement, the mayor said that the task force will allow the city to explore methods of engagement that will enable meaningful change, using his support for the Virginia Black Legislative Caucus’ legislative package as an example.
 
“Last month I expressed my support for the VBLC’s package for the summer session,” said Mayor Stoney. “This task force can determine where the city can explore complimentary legislation and where we need to focus community advocacy to make statewide change a reality.”
 
Members of the Task Force
Sergeant Carol Adams, Richmond Police Department
Ram Bhagat, Manager of School Culture and Climate Strategy for RPS
Glenwood Burley, retired RPD officer
Keisha Cummings, community engagement specialist, founder of 2LOVE LLC, member of the Richmond Transparency and Accountability Project and the Richmond Peace Team
Torey Edmonds, Community Outreach Coordinator at VCU Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development
Professor Daryl Fraser, VCU School of Social Work professor and licensed clinical social worker
Triston Harris, Black Lives Matters organizer and organizer of the 5,000 Man March Against Racism
Birdie Hairston Jamison, former district court judge for the 13th Judicial District in Virginia
Councilman Mike Jones
Shanel Lewis, Youth Violence Prevention Specialist at the Richmond City Health District
Brandon Lovee, Richmond artist and advocate, member of the Richmond Peace Team
Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth Attorney
Reverend Dontae McCutchen, Love Cathedral Community Church
Dr. Lisa Moon, Associate Provost at VUU and former Director of the Center for the Study of the Urban Child
Sergeant Brad Nixon, RPD
Tracy Paner, Public Defender for the City of Richmond
Bill Pantele, Richmond attorney and former City Council Member
Professor William Pelfrey, VCU professor with expertise in emergency preparedness and policing
Councilwoman Ellen Robertson
Rodney Robinson, National Teacher of the Year and teacher at the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center
Patrice Shelton, Community Health Worker in Hillside Court and director of the Hillside Court Partnership
Lashawnda Singleton, President of the Richmond Association of Black Social Workers
Sheba Williams, Executive Director of NoLef Turns
Courtney Winston, Richmond trial attorney
 
The Mayor’s Office is specifically working with the Office of Community Wealth Building’s Community Ambassadors to identify additional community members, including youth, to be part of the task force’s important work and to assist with community engagement.
 
The task force is committed to a transparent process and will make meeting minutes available to the public.

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