NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has joined several Metro Council members in calling for Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson to resign.
The organization released a statement Wednesday, saying in part: “It is time to reimagine the culture of policing in Nashville.”
“Chief Anderson’s approach to policing raises serious concerns about his willingness to examine structural racism and participate in the conversation that is required to reimagine policing and public safety in Nashville,” the organization said in part.
The ACLU of Tennessee also said that the police department, under Anderson's leadership, “refuses to collaborate" with the Community Oversight Board.
Several Metro council members have created a resolution asking for Anderson’s resignation. More than a dozen are sponsoring the resolution, which has not yet been filed.
"I think at this time, as a city, we want to go in a different direction that is different from the leadership that Chief Anderson has provided," said Councilwoman Kyonzte Toombs.
Toombs is one of the co-sponsors of that resolution. She says it's not personal. "It’s just like in a private corporation when the corporation wants to go into a different direction," she said.
She believes, several attempts at reconciliation with community members of color, like bias studies and establishing the Community Oversight Board, have not been embraced by the 46 year veteran of the force.
"This is really a critical moment in time where we need to rethink policing, rethink how we keep our communities safe. And if we’re going to move forward and have any effective reform, the person that’s in charge of the police has to have a good relationship with the community, and we don’t have that right now," said Toombs.
Mayor John Cooper released a statement about Metro Police leadership, but stopped short of mentioning Chief Anderson directly.
“All Nashvillians deserve to be safe, including those who are making their voices heard in public spaces. I’m grateful to our public safety officers for their professionalism in facilitating peaceful demonstrations while avoiding both physical confrontation and injuries – demonstrations that have seen historic participation levels.
“We will continue to hold our law enforcement leadership to our community’s highest standards for public safety while engaging in a 360-degree evaluation of policing and public safety policies and practices.
“As previously announced, we will achieve greater accountability and transparency through a use-of-force review and the full deployment of body-worn camera while continuing to engage with our community partners and members of Nashville’s Black community.”
Read the ACLU's full statement below:
“Over the last ten days, tens of thousands of Nashvillians have stood together in peaceful protests to express their outrage over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. These powerful protests highlight the outrage over the enduring and deep-rooted problem of racist policing and structural racism in the United States. The protests also reflect Nashvillians’ long-held grievances against policing in Nashville and the low level of trust and confidence in the Metro Nashville Police Department, especially within Black and Brown communities.
It is these long-held grievances and the murders of Jocques Clemmons and Daniel Hambrick that led a large majority of Nashvillians just two years ago to establish the community oversight board (COB). Unfortunately, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD), under the leadership of Chief Steve Anderson, refuses to collaborate with the COB. MNPD’s non-cooperative relationship with the COB is consistent with their prior dismissal of the Gideon’s Army report “Driving While Black: A Report on Racial Profiling in Metro Nashville Police Department Traffic Stops,” and their resistance to using police body cameras.
It is time to reimagine the culture of policing in Nashville. Metro Nashvillians need a police chief who adheres to a policing philosophy that is built on positive community-police relations for all Nashvillians and an end to over-policing by reducing and refining the role and responsibilities of police. We need a police chief who will support divestment of the police budget and reinvestment of those funds into the community.
Chief Anderson’s approach to policing raises serious concerns about his willingness to examine structural racism and participate in the conversation that is required to reimagine policing and public safety in Nashville. ACLU-TN is committed to reimagining police culture, to justice, and to ensuring equal protection and treatment for all Metro Nashville residents, especially those communities that have been historically over-policed. For these reasons, ACLU-TN is compelled to request the resignation of Police Chief Steve Anderson. To be clear, the resignation of Chief Anderson alone will not end racist policing and the oppressive treatment of communities of color on which policing in America was founded. But it’s a first step.”
Here is a response to the ACLU from the Metro Nashville Police Department:
"The police department has historically had an open dialogue with Ms. Weinberg and the ACLU concerning a number of issues. Of concern, the ACLU has not reached out to the MNPD for any information on the issues raised in their media release."
"The Police Department instituted a policy for working with the COB prior to the development and signing of an MOU. The police department supports the MOU and has specific persons in place who can work with COB staff to address any concerns. The police department IS cooperating with the COB as guided by the MOU (see our media release from last week as an example of what we are doing in the instance of an officer-involved shooting)."
"The ACLU complains of the low level of trust and confidence in the police department despite an independent Vanderbilt University poll released last month that showed the department with an 86% approval rating, and a Nashville Power Poll released on June 3rd that showed 85% of respondents said the MNPD conducted itself appropriately in dealing with the vandalism and violence that followed Saturday’s (May 30) demonstration."
"The ACLU advocates divesting of the police department’s budget, which is more than 90% personnel related. Nashville is already more than 100 officers below full staffing. When persons in any Nashville neighborhood are in the midst of an emergency or are being victimized, they should have confidence that there are police officers to get to them in a timely fashion in maintained vehicles that will not break down on the way. Nashville needs more police officers than we have today, not less, to effectively serve Nashville’s 533 square miles."
"The MNPD is supportive of body cameras and has worked over many months through the very laborious process with Metro Purchasing to establish vendor qualifications, undertake field trials and field testing, and with Metro Legal in going through the contractual process. The ACLU even shared its model national policy."
"The MNPD looks forward to building on and building out successful community engagement programs and building on existing, meaningful and essential relationships with residents throughout Nashville."
