There was important progress this week on efforts to end the San Francisco Police Department’s (SFPD) biased stops that disproportionately affect black individuals. Department General Order (DGO) 9.07 was passed and will now head to a meet and confer process with the Police Officers Association before it comes back to the Police Commission for final review and adoption. This week, in partnership with the Coalition to End Biased Stops, Glide Memorial Church advocated for the policy changes that were passed. Marvin K. White, Minister of Celebration, co-authored an op-ed on the issue that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Open Forum. Glide rallied at City Hall and provided public comment at the Police Commission Meeting.
The important steps taken this week are a continuation of the advocacy work Glide Church has been leading since August 26, 1965, when the Citizen Alert group was created to track and report police brutality. Below are a few items from the archive related to the efforts of Citizens Alerts. Click on the image to see them in larger files.
Special thanks to the GLBT Historical Society Archive and the Papers of Chuck Lewis at the ELCA Region 2 Archive for preserving these important historical documents.