Aleena Nasruddin, Editor-in-Chief
@aleenacourant
On June 4th, over 1,000 people from the New Canaan community came together to march for Black Lives Matter (BLM). Local politicians showed their support by attending the march. Over the past year, some local politicians have also passed police accountability bills in Connecticut.
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan marched in New Canaan to support the BLM movement. He said America should continue with the strides made in the civil rights movement in the 60’s. “It’s very important that we continue to ensure that everyone in America has opportunity and a fair chance,” he said. “That is what our constitution promises, and that’s what should be delivered.”
Many activists in the BLM movement see defunding the police – or reallocating funds to other areas, such as education – as a way to make the United States more just. However, some local politicians do not support this idea. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said police are necessary to keep safety in communities. “Defunding police is something that is pretty controversial because we have to have law and order in big cities, especially where there is crime,” he said. “We live in a very low-crime community, but there are some big cities around the country where some communities need policing to keep people safe, especially the minority residences where people live.”
The First Selectman also said it is important that police have good relations with the community. “We’re very fortunate that the New Canaan Police are very professional and very well-trained,” he said. “I think that is true across Connecticut.”
State Senator Will Haskell marched in New Canaan, in addition to others in Westport, Ridgefield, and Wilton. “The protests are a really meaningful exchange of ideas about how we can all do better in our community,” he said. “We all have a role to play in making these suburbs more inclusive and more diverse.”
Over the past years, there have been more initiatives in the Connecticut Legislature to reform the police system. Senator Haskell helped to pass police accountability bills over the past year. He supported a bill by State Senator Gary Winfield that requires police to give a report whenever an officer uses physical force that results in the death of another person. It also requires that the police disclose body camera recordings to the public. “Even though police departments are funded through municipal governments, we should all keep thinking about the role the state government has to play in funding alternatives to our broken system,” Senator Haskell wrote on Instagram.
Senator Haskell also co-sponsored clean slate legislation, which allows anybody released from incarceration to have an opportunity at housing and getting a job, and legislation to ensure open disclosure for defendants in criminal cases. Both were not passed, however Senator Haskell still sees it necessary to implement these bills. “There is a lot of work that is cut out for us and this is not the beginning of the conversation, but it’s also not certainly the end of it,” he said. “I hope that anybody reading this article, but also anyone who lives in the 21st century, feels free to call me, text me, message me on Instagram, and let me know that you would like to see action on police brutality.”
