>> OVER MORE THAN THREE DECADES,
MULTIPLE PUBLIC HEALTH STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT BEING BLACK IS
BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH. AND, PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS POINTS OUT
THAT, RACISM IS THE CAUSE. NOW, SEVERAL CITIES AND TOWNS IN
OUR REGION AND BEYOND ARE RESPONDING - DECLARING RACISM A
PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. THE CHICOPEE CITY COUNCIL, WHICH
PASSED A RESOLUTION LAST WEEK, WAS AMONG THE FIRST IN THE
REGION TO MAKE THIS DECLARATION. BUT HOW WILL THIS ADDRESS THE
PROBLEM? I SPOKE WITH WARD 1 CITY
COUNCILOR JOEL MCAULIFFE, WHO PROPOSED THE IDEA, ABOUT THAT
AND MORE. >> IT WAS AN EFFORT THAT WAS LED
BY ACTIVISTS IN OUR COMMUNITY, PEOPLE WHO LED THE
BLACK LIVES MATTER MARCH IN OUR CITY MORE THAN A WEEK AGO,
PEOPLE FROM ALL DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE AND BACKGROUNDS WHO COME
TOGETHER AND SEND A MESSAGE THAT RACISM OF ANY KIND IS NOT
ACCEPTABLE AND THAT ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT
DIFFERENT FORMS OF RACISM AFFECT PEOPLE'S LIVES AND DECLARING IT
A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS SENDS A STRONG MESSAGE TO EVERYBODY THAT
WE CONDEMN ANY FORM OF RACISM BUT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING THE
PROBLEMS THAT THEY CREATE. >> AND WE HEARD MAYOR SARNO IN
SPRINGFIELD THIS WEEK COME OUT AND SAID HE SUPPORTS THIS
MEASURE HERE IN THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD.
THE CITY COUNCIL HASN'T TAKEN IT UP YET SO I THINK THIS MAKES THE
CITY OF CHICOPEE THE FIRST IN AT LEAST WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
WE'VE SEEN BOSTON AND SOMERVILLE MAKE SIMILAR PROPOSALS COME TO
LIGHT IN RECENT WEEKS. IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS ACTUALLY
MEANS, THOUGH, HOW WILL THIS ACTUALLY PUSH CHANGE IN
CHICOPEE? >> WELL, THE IMPORTANT FIRST
STEP IS CREATES A DIALOG. WE'VE HAD ACTIVISM IN OUR CITY
THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN AS I REFERENCED THE
BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS, A PEACEFUL PROTEST HERE IN THE
CITY OF CHICOPEE. WE HAD A CAN SPEAK OUT AT
CHICOPEE HIGH SCHOOL. IT'S BEEN SAID TIME AND TIME
AGAIN THAT THERE IS NO MAJOR SOCIAL CHANGE, NO REAL
SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN OUR COUNTRY THAT HASN'T HAPPENED
WITHOUT BEING LED BY THAT YOUNG PEOPLE.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENING HERE AND IT'S CREATING A DIALOG BETWEEN
LAW ENFORCEMENT, BETWEEN ELECTED OFFICIALS AND BETWEEN THE
ACTIVISTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN OUR CITY TO TAKE A LOOK SOME
OF OUR ISSUES WE'RE SEEING NATIONWIDE, AND THINGS SEEN IN
OUR COMMUNITY USE OF FORCE STANDARDS, MAKING SURE OUR
OFFICERS AND OUR CITY EMPLOYEES GO THROUGH BIAS TRAINING.
THESE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS. WE CAN'T -- AS WE LIKE TO SAY,
SAY ALL LIVES MATTER UNTIL WE AFFIRM THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE TODAY TO TRULY LIVE UP
TO THAT EXPECTATION THAT EVERYONE IS CREATED EQUAL.
>> YOU MENTIONED BIAS TRAINING THERE IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S BEEN COMING UP AROUND POLICE
DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE STATE AND EVEN THE COUNTRY IS THIS IDEA OF
THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAM WHICH IS USED FOR BOTH FIRE AND POLICE IN
A NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES INCLUDING CHICOPEE BUT THERE'S
BEEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE USE OF THAT EXAM AND WHETHER
OR NOT IT PROHIBITS PEOPLE OF COLOR FROM MAKING IT, HAVING THE
OPPORTUNITY TO BE THEN SELECTED FOR A FORCE.
DO YOU THINK THE CITY OF CHICOPEE SHOULD LOOK AT
THAT EXAM AS A DETERMINANT. >> ABSOLUTELY, I APPRECIATE THE
QUESTION. CIVIL SERVICE WAS CREATED TO
ROOT OUT THE POLITIZATION BY POLICE, FIRE DEPARTMENTS
BASICALLY POSITIONS FOR PLIT FAVORITISM AND IT'S OUTLIVED
IT'S UTILITY. AND ESPECIALLY OFFICERS WHO MADE
EGREGIOUS AND TERRIBLE DECISIONS IN CERTAIN DECISIONS WHERE
OFFICERS SHARED PHOTOS OF THE CRIME SCENE, JUST INCREDIBLE BAD
DECISIONS REALLY DETESTABLE. THEY WERE ALLOWED -- THOSE
OFFICERS WERE ALLOWED TO COME BACK TO WORK BECAUSE THEY
APPEALED THOSE RULINGS TO CIVIL SERVICE.
SO I'LL BE INTRODUCING LEGISLATION.
WE'LL BE HAVING CONVERSATIONS TO WITHDRAW THE CITY FROM CIVIL --
TO WITHDRAW THE FRIDAY FROM CIVIL SERVICE AND I KNOW THERE'S
COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SHARE
THOSE OPINIONS. WE'RE IN THE BEGINNING STAGES OF
THOSE CONVERSATIONS BUT WE THINK IT WILL LEAD US DOWN THE CORRECT
PATH. WE SEE TROUBLE WITH CIVIL
SERVICE AND WE NEED TO ADDRESS THEM.
>> MICHAEL WILKE WAS REMOVED FROM HIS POSITION THAT HE MADE
ON TWITTER, INAPPROPRIATE TWEETS ABOUT BLACK LIVES MATTER BUT IT
WAS REPORTED IT'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR 2012.
YOU'VE BEEN, DID THE CITY TURN A BLIND EYE WHAT HE WAS DOING.
>> I THINK THE ANSWER IN SOME SITUATIONS IS YES AND WE NEED TO
EXAMINE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN FAR TOO LAX WITH ALLOWING
PEOPLE WHO ARE WHO ARE IN POSITIONS OF PUBLIC TRUST TO SAY
AND DO THINGS WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE.
WHEN YOU SERVE IN THESE KIND OF POSITIONS YOU'RE HELD TO A
DIFFERENT STANDARD AND WE HAVE TO BE BETTER THAN THAT.
I CONDEMN THOSE COMMENTS UNEQUIVOCALLY AND I APPRECIATE
THE ACTION THAT THE MAYOR TOOK TO REMOVE HIM AS PUBLIC
INFORMATION OFFICER BUT THERE ARE STEPS THAT NEED TO CONTINUE
TO BE TAKEN AND THOSE ARE STEPS THAT ONLY THE MAYOR AND THE
POLICE CHIEF CAN TAKE. THAT'S WHY I'VE INTRODUCED
LEGISLATION TO REVIVE OUR CIVILIAN POLICE COMMISSION SO
THAT OUR CIVILIANS CAN MAKE THESE DETERMINATIONS IN TERMS OF
DISCIPLINE SO THAT THERE'S UNBIASED DISCIPLINE HANDED DOWN.
IT'S A MEASURE THAT WE NEED TO TAKE AND THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE IF
THINGS ARE GOING TO GET BETTER. >> HOW HAS THAT MEASURE BEEN
RECEIVED SO FAR. IT'S BEEN A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE
IN SPRINGFIELD FOR SURE AS THE CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR CONTINUE
TO GO BACK AND FORTH ON IT. >> WELL, IT WAS INTRODUCED LAST
NIGHT. IT'S GONE TO A SUBCOMMITTEE AND
FOR PEOPLE WHO PAY ATTENTION TO GOVERNMENT, WE OFTEN GET
FRUSTRATED WITH HOW SLOW THINGS CAN MOVE AT TIMES BUT IT IS
GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO SUBCOMMITTEE AND I THINK THAT'S
A GOOD THING IN THIS REGARD BECAUSE IT WILL ALLOW FOR PUBLIC
COMMENT. SINCE COVID-19 CAME DOWN THE
OPEN MEETING LAW HAS BEEN SUSPENDED.
IT HAS NOT ALLOWED FOR OUR RESIDENTS TO HAVE PUBLIC INPUT
ON THE MEASURES THAT COME ACROSS THE CITY COUNCIL BUT I HAVE
COMMITMENTS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT
BROOKS AND THE CHAIRMAN OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO WORK WITH THEM
SO THAT WE CAN RESTORE PUBLIC INPUT FOR THIS MEASURE.
I'M LOOKING FROM HEARING FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SO THAT
THEY CAN HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD ON THIS MEASURE AND I THINK
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT MOMENTUM-BUILDING WITH REGARDS
TO SUPPORT FOR IT. >> SPEAKING OF THAT MOMENTUM AND
YOU REFERENCED PROTESTS. CHICOPEE IS 50,000 PEOPLE AND
RELATIVELY QUIET YOU HAVE BEEN SURPRISED TO SEE A LOCAL ISSUE
BECOME A NATIONAL ISSUE. >> AS I SAID IN MY REMARKS LAST
NIGHT THESE ARE PROTESTS AND EVENTS THAT A FEW YEARS AGO I
WOULDN'T HAVE SEEN HAPPEN IN COMMUNITIES LIKE OURS AND IF YOU
DID, IT WAS A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WERE
IMMEDIATELY AFFECTED BY THEM BUT THIS IS WHERE WE START TO SEE
REAL CHANGE OCCUR. WHEN I WENT TO THESE PROTESTS
AND THESE EVENTS NOT ONLY DID YOU SEE THESE PEOPLE BLACK,
BROWN IN ALL DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE AND BACKGROUNDS YOU ALSO
SAW PEOPLE THAT LOOKED LIKE ME AND MY COLLEAGUES, THAT IS A
SIGN OF THE TIDE TURNING. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A POLITICAL
ISSUE TO SAY BLACK LIVES ISSUE MATTER.
IT SHOULDN'T BE A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE IT'S A BASIC IMPORTANT
RIGHT THAT A SPECIFIC RACE IS EQUAL AND THAT THEY MATTER.
WE CANNOT TRULY LIVE UP IN THAT MATTER UNLESS IT'S BACKED UP IN
OUR POLICIES AND OUR LAWS AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE COMMITTED TO
DOING.