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By Aware Tulsa
On September 16, 2016, Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was shot and killed by then Tulsa Police Officer, Betty Shelby. Mayor GT Bynum initially showed support for Terence Crutcher, his family, and his community stating that for Tulsa to do better “the first step is justice for Mr. Crutcher…and the next step is justice for the people Mr. Crutcher loved- his family, his friends, his neighbors.”
Mayor Bynum also stated that Tulsa must work together by engaging in challenging conversations about race and address inequalities that North Tulsans face (a prominently black part of Tulsa). Moreover, that “we (Tulsa) need to do better.”
Citizens of Tulsa and supports from around the nation have not forgotten about Terence Crutcher, his family, and the horrific fact that Betty Shelby is working as a police officer again and with back pay — carrying a gun, and patrolling the streets in Rogers County, Oklahoma.
We are demanding justice for Terence Crutcher and his family, and we demand that Mayor GT Bynum:
1. Acknowledge publicly that the City of Tulsa violated Terence Crutcher’s Civil Rights
2.IMMEDIATELY agree to fully implement all the reforms requested by the Crutcher family and the community.*
3.IMMEDIATELY agree to a financial settlement that will provide for Terence’s four children.
By signing this petition, you are a part of a movement that demands justice for Terence Crutcher, his family, and his community. This is the first step in a process to get Mayor GT Bynum’s attention, because he has failed to keep his word on implementing community policing, has failed to execute the necessary steps toward reconciliation with Terence Crutcher, the Crutcher family, and north Tulsa community.
SIGN PETITION HERE
Furthermore, Mayor Bynum has failed to communicate on the racial disparities the culture of superiority that’s present within the Tulsa Police Department. Join the movement, demand # justice4Crutch!
The Crutcher family police reform suggestions include:
· Independent investigations by the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation.
· Independent prosecutions of TPD (Tulsa Police Department) officer-involved shootings by the Oklahoma Attorney General.
· Mandatory annual implicit bias training program for TPD officers, City executives, and elected officials.
· Mandatory mental health screenings program for TPD officers.
· Specific policies and annual mandatory training program for TPD officers relating to encounters with mentally ill, disabled, and intoxicated individuals.
· Mandatory annual de-escalation training program for TPD officers.
· Mandatory individual liability insurance policies for TPD officers.
· Mandatory activation of dashboard cameras during every resident encounter.
· Mandatory policies, training, and equipment for TPD officers to immediately provide first aid to citizens involved in officer-involved shootings.
· Require TPD’s Deadly Force Review Board has non-police affiliated citizens of the City as members.
· Require that the TPD Internal Affair’s Annual Report be drafted by an independent agency, using standardized statistics.
The mission of the Terence Crutcher Foundation is to engage the community, law enforcement, and policymakers in creating and sustaining an approach to prevent, identify and address issues of inequity pertaining to minority communities in Tulsa, Oklahoma and around the country. The Terence Crutcher Foundation is committed to empowering, developing programs, and raising awareness regarding issues that impact at-risk, disenfranchised people of color with an emphasis on African-American males. It is our desire to change the narrative that perceive black men as BAD DUDES and pipeline them into a “community of achievers” through personal growth, education, and attainable resources.