Continuing coverage of the aftermath of the homicide of Philando Castile, Falcon Heights City Hall reports on the success of its Policing & Inclusion initiative:
The City of Falcon Heights has been recognized with a 2018 City of Excellence Award from the League of Minnesota Cities at the League’s Annual Conference for its “Policing & Inclusion Community Initiative.”
The City was recognized in this year’s “Population 5,000 – 19,999” category.
In the aftermath of the shooting of Philando Castile, an African-American male motorist, the Falcon Heights City Council appointed a Task Force on Inclusion and Policing. A group of 11 residents and non-residents with diverse perspectives set out with a mission to “articulate, affirm and operationalize our values as a community to be an inclusive and welcoming environment for residents and guests of Falcon Heights, with an emphasis on policing values, policies and procedures.”
Beginning in December 2016, the Task Force embarked on 13 regular meetings to create sets of recommendations for inclusion and policing by deliberating with interested residents through five Community Conversations, and consulting with experts in four priority areas (policing, police-community relations, citizen oversight boards, and joint powers authorities). Individual dialogue sessions, attendance at Council meetings, and involvement in community events were other ways the Task Force remained visible and available to the Falcon Heights community.
Recognizing the need for community healing following the tragic shooting, the five Community Conversations consisted primarily of small group circles guided by restorative values fostering deep and self-reflective dialogue. More than 180 people participated in the conversations, and following the conversations participants identified the role they play in injustices and connecting with people in their community as valuable take-aways.
Input from the Community Conversations was considered by the Task Force and included in its final Policing and Inclusion recommendations to the Falcon Heights City Council, which were adopted unanimously.
The City of Falcon Heights reported the “Policing & Inclusion Community Initiative” has improved the quality of its policing, provided an innovative way to handle difficult societal issues such as race, and creatively involved citizens in the decision-making process.
There’s definitely a bittersweet quality to the announcement, but I hope this is more than just city propaganda. Being a relatively small suburb of St. Paul, it’s hard to have much of a real impact, but the symbolism may enhance the overall impact in reducing unconscious American racism. The City employees should regret that they had to do this, but be happy that they did it well enough to win an award.
