SSW Responds to Violence

Dear colleagues –

We write this statement in an all too familiar moment of grief and solemnity. Alton Sterling, a street vendor and father of five was killed by two police officers in front of a Baton Rouge convenience store where he sold CDs for nearly six years. Within hours, the police killing of Philando Castille, a partner, son and school cafeteria worker was broadcast live over a social media feed from the suburb of Falcon Crest, MN. At 32 years old, Mr. Castile had been stopped by the police for minor traffic violations 49 times in just 13 years. His fiancé and her 4 year old daughter watched as he died in the passenger seat.

Just like when Eric Garner was killed by asphyxiation the year before in New York City, stopped for selling loose cigarettes and choked to death by a police officer. Jason Crawford was shot to death in a department store, standing unaware, talking to his partner on a cell phone in an aisle with a toy gun, these killings conjure images of a long, violent, and troubling racial history. They remind us that the expansion of the criminal justice system disproportionately affects black and brown Americans.

Following our profession’s long tradition of fighting for racial justice, the University of Michigan School of Social Work mourns the loss of these men and stands in solidarity with their families, our students and alumni, and the communities most affected by violence.

We also stand in solidarity with the families of:

• Sandra Bland of Walker, TX  who was found hanging in her cell with a noose around her neck, fashioned from a plastic, jail-issue garbage bag
• Rekia Boyd of Chicago who was killed by an officer when he fired five shots at a group of people in a dark alley
• Aura Rosser in Ann Arbor and Adrian Simental in Azusa, CA -  both were killed by the police during a mental health crisis
• Maya Hall in Baltimore, Gabriella Davis in Sacramento and the many gay, lesbian, queer, and transgender people of color killed during police encounters
• Ayanna Stanley Jones, a seven year old girl killed during a police raid in Detroit

We say their names and remember their lives. More importantly, we commit to work and advocate on their behalf.

As a proud social work community committed to the struggle against poverty, violence and injustice, we also stand with the families of the police officers slain in the line of duty. We say the names and remember the lives of officers, Montrell Jackson, Matthew Gerald and Brad Garafola, who were killed by a gunman in Baton Rouge. We stand with the families of Officers, Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael J. Smith, Brent Thompson and Patrick Zamarripa, who were killed on patrol during a protest against police brutality, and all those who were injured in Dallas on that fateful evening. We also remember officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, slain last year in New York City.

As advocates for a better tomorrow, we stand with the protesters who keep us accountable. Like the police, they risk their lives. They put themselves in harm’s way, and fill our jail cells, showing us each day what democracy looks like. We remember these sacrifices as we mourn our dead and stand as a School and a community, to do what we can to end the cycle of violence.

How can we end the cycle of violence?

We applaud the efforts of protesters, police departments and community groups throughout the nation that have given us examples of how to build strong ties between their communities and the police that serve them, reducing violent encounters. Building on their success, the greater social work community can contribute in the following ways:

• Learn about policing, crime and the criminal justice system and reimagine the role of social work within it.
• Be mindful of the trauma and vulnerability of our clients, many of whom are all too often swept up in our massive criminal justice system.
• Get to know your local politicians’ positions on criminal justice reform and voice your opinion on smart criminal justice policy. This includes governors, state representatives, mayors, city and town council members, sheriffs, wardens, corrections managers and all political candidates.
• Insist on greater transparency in the criminal justice process including; press releases when lethal force is used, and public access to police incident records.  
• Insist on the establishment of a citizen oversight board with subpoena power and volunteer your service.
• Call for new national standards on police use of force and its implementation.
• Insist that all officers undergo robust implicit bias training and offer to provide it.
• Work with police departments to create mental health response teams and become a member.
• Call for the access of independent researchers data on all criminal justice encounters, including police stops, the use of force, tickets, administrative fines and fees, the court process, and the jail and prison system.
• Attend and speak out at local community-police relations meetings.
• Provide a brave space for encounters between community members and the police within your agency, organization, business or place of worship.
• Call for the implementation of body cameras with functioning video and audio feeds.
• When safe, be a witness to police encounters and record them.

We all have a part to play in ending this cycle of violence. Together we can make a difference.

Sincerely,

Ruth Dunkle
Interim Dean
Wilbur J. Cohen Collegiate Professor of Social Work, and Associate Dean, Faculty and Academic Affairs

Reuben J. Miller
Assistant Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work and Faculty Associate, Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research