Repost: San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis Should Resign

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_13773188?nclick_check=1
Opinion: San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis should resign

By Richard Konda and Jethroe Moore II
Special to the Mercury News
Posted: 11/12/2009 08:00:00 PM PST

We need to build a safe San Jose for everyone, no matter who you are, what you look like or where you are from. To do so, dramatic change is required in the San Jose Police Department. Chief Rob Davis needs to resign, and we need to appoint a new chief who can be a part of this healthier vision of San Jose that is built on trust, communication and transparency.

As the leaders of advocacy organizations for two distinct San Jose ethnic communities, we have been deeply troubled by the recent high-profile incidents involving Daniel Pham and Phuong Ho, and by the reports by the Mercury News on the police department's use of the "resisting arrest" charge.

The news reports show that the department's use of force is disproportionately directed against members of minority communities. Unfortunately, we were not surprised. We have seen a steady stream of similar complaints for years now, and an escalation in such behavior since Chief Davis took office.

Even more troubling is that our calls for redress have gone unanswered by the police chief. Consequently, the relationship between our minority communities and the department, which should be based on mutual respect and trust, has become defined by a lack of trust and even fear. The problem is real, persistent and growing.

For the past several weeks, an emergency ad hoc committee of ethnic community organizations has come together to try to respond to the urgent problem of police misconduct.

Although we have each dealt with the trauma and pain of these issues internally within our communities, it has become clear that police matters are impacting all of us, and we need to come together to offer a pathway out of this contentious and volatile moment.

While we have discussed problem-solving strategies such as independent oversight, community policing policies and a shifting of mindset within the police department, all approaches begin with changing the leadership at the top. That is why organizations including La Raza Lawyers; African-American Community Services Agency; Silicon Valley De-Bug; Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network; San Jose Peace and Justice Center; National Lawyers Guild; Asian-American Center of Santa Clara County and Coalition for Justice and Accountability are endorsing this call for the police chief to step down.

This is certainly not the end-all solution but a prerequisite step toward a safe and inclusive San Jose.

Chief Davis' response to the use of force articles published by the Mercury News is typical of an ongoing pattern of inadequate responses, or a lack of understanding of the severity of the issues. His solution, to create an internal police use of force panel, demonstrates that he does not grasp the amount of suspicion or the lack of credibility his department currently suffers from within minority communities.

As a cross-ethnic coalition, we are convening community dialogues around the city. We want people to tell us how they envision us getting to a place where the police department can be seen as an asset and partner to minority communities, which is the type of relationship we all need. Part of that discussion has been around building a leadership profile for the next police chief. We will share the feedback with city leadership when we have received sufficient responses.

Problems with the police department require a serious discourse on the part of our political leadership and call for serious action, however uncomfortable the remedies might seem. We need bold alternatives and far reaching solutions to close the gap of fear and mistrust. The first step in the healing process is for Chief Davis to resign.