From Karen Rarey – Brentwood City Council Facebook page, June 6, 2020
Brentwood Councilwoman Karen Rarey. From her City Council Facebook page.
REVISED 6/10/20 – To honor the request of my daughter-in-law, a small portion of my statement has been edited to keep private matters private.
MY SINCEREST MESSAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY:
As a White woman, I can tell you that I will never fully understand the pain, fear, anger and sadness that a Black person may encounter in their lifetime. Emotions as a human being, equal to all others, that NO PERSON should EVER have to go through.
What I can share with you is that along with the love I have for my son and his wife, a beautiful Black woman, and my two beautiful granddaughters, I also experience fear and worry for them. Why? Because there are people in the world who can’t look past the color of someone’s skin.
I’ve feared and worried for them when they’ve talk about moving to a new town, as not all towns are accepting of African Americans or of an interracial couple. They have been fortunate to find one that is, but that is not true for everyone.
I want the world, or at least I’d like to start with Brentwood and help to make it more inclusive, not just for my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren, but for every person, no matter the color of their skin.
On Friday, at my League of California Cities Public Safety Policy Committee, we all agreed it was vital for us, as the Public Safety Policy Committee, to make a statement relative to combating violence, condemning the murder of George Floyd and actionable measures for cities moving forward.
We spent several hours crafting a statement, which is being forwarded to the League Board for consideration at its next meeting.
Whether the League Board publicly issues this statement, or some form of it, as the person who seconded the motion on the original statement, I feel it is important to share the six main principles of our message:
- We condemn the murder of George Floyd as horrific, tragic and unacceptable, not only in Minneapolis, but in any community in this country.
- We denounce violence in all its forms; including against people and property, but recognize the urgency and significance of this moment, and call for special attention to be given to violence against black lives, and call on all cities and communities in California to create spaces dedicated to listening to and taking the action steps necessary to address the concerns raised by citizen-based movements, such as Black Lives Matter.
- Cities must lead by working toward structural reforms that build public trust for law enforcement by focusing on the action steps that will ensure black, brown, indigenous, and other communities of color are safe and equal members of society.
- Call on all cities to advance policies that promote the hiring of officers who reflect the communities they serve.
- Provide greater access, transparency, and community oversight to issues of police misconduct as a means of building trust and restoring justice to impacted communities.
- Ask all cities to adopt the pillars of 21st Century Policing and to support review of existing policies and practices to ensure the equitable protection of the freedoms and rights of all citizens.
Back between 2002-2012, Brentwood had a Diversity Committee, formed to foster racial harmony within our community. The co-chair of the committee has already reached out to our Police Chief to let him know that he has been reactivating members to help spur discussions as to what needs to change.
I spoke with our City Manager this week and told him that I too wanted to be part of that group.
I think it’s important to say that I believe the members of the Brentwood Police Department are professionals and they do a phenomenal job, something I’ve experienced firsthand during ride-a-longs, in the police station and out in public.
Does that mean that there aren’t changes that need to take place? The answer is no, there is ALWAYS room to improve the way we do things.
After the incident in Minneapolis, our PD’s Defensive Tactics Instructor Cadre viewed the incident as an opportunity to revisit relevant aspects of the department’s Use of Force policy and to review appropriate tactics for controlling a prone, handcuffed suspect.
Your voice is important to me – If you feel there is change that needs to take place here in Brentwood, I want to hear from you. I can be reached at krarey@brentwoodca.gov.
For now, I will pray for healing and acceptance in our nation, but especially for healing and acceptance in our community.
Yours Sincerely,
Karen Rarey
Council Member
City of Brentwood
#blacklivesmatter #wecandobetterinbrentwood
We still really have racism In the Brentwood community. As I was just told by Mandy Ferguson horse trader of Brentwood after calling police while trying to retrieve my stolen horse property from her. She told me that “We are not going to do this the RIGHT WAY.. we are going to do this the WHITE WAY” Brentwood still has a lot of racial problems against black people. Hopefully one day it will be resolved in Brentwood!
God Bless you for taking your community in the right direction. Let’s hope. that all other communities will follow your example.
I’m not supporting the officer or the knee on the neck procedure. And if you want to put Floyd on a pedestal or call this racist instead of poor detainment procedure, that’s another lost future vote. Floyd didn’t deserve what he got. But why doesn’t anyone mention that he was on cocaine and fentanyl when the officer tried to detain him. That’s after he had to be removed from the vehicle for some reason and placed on the ground by the officer that had his knee on him. Why doesn’t anyone mention that he was in prison 4 times . 2 for armed, armed robbery. The first he forced entry and put a gun on a pregnant lady’s belly while his buddies robbed her house. He was caught did time released . The second time forced entry held a gun to the lady’s head while his buddies robbed her. The are a number of drug related arrests, using and selling. All done in Texas. He moved to Minnesota for a new start and was caught passing counterfeit money. Under the influence of cocaine and fentanyl.
Now this is the side you choose to support. Well you lost my vote . If you want to put someone on a pedestal then condoleezza rice .She has my vote. This has nothing to do with prejudices. If Floyd was white this wouldn’t have got mention.
Mike, what you need to recognize is that People of Color statistically have the deck stacked against them, from economic opportunities to access to education. These conditions easily create a snowball effect of challenges, and one becomes more likely to drop out of school, lose a job, or make bad choices simply because they didn’t have many good choices there for them to make. Even good people break down in the face of adversity. No one’s saying that George Floyd didn’t do wrong things and deserve some consequences, but white people especially (and I need to include myself in this statement) need to recognize that often these actions are a product of one’s upbringing and environment rather than the person. Part of this movement is pointing out that these systemic inequalities exist and have been ignored for far too long. I also encourage you to ask yourself if this “poor detainment procedure” would have been used if Floyd was white? We will never know for sure, but I truly doubt it. I don’t mean to start an argument with you, but I feel your comments serve nothing more than to say that black people don’t deserve equal rights. Sorry to be so blunt, but you are distracting from the real message.
Thank you to Ms. Rarey for unapologetically speaking out on this issue. You may have lost Mike’s vote, but you have earned mine and more importantly represent Brentwood well.
Well said.
The questions I want to ask is would he like what was done to Floyd done to him, brother or son.
He is a racist,
George Floyd was a violent man who attempted to harm a pregnant woman, sorry but anyone who champions him isn’t ok in my book.
You are not ok in mine.
Because none of that shit is irrelevant to the fact that the officer murdered him. Period. The excuses you are trying to make to justify his murder shows how you’re part of the problem.
Great response! A lot of people see through the false narrative and race baiting rhetoric of certain “organuzations” and the sudden wokeness” of pathetic, weak politicians.
Don’t let those on the far, far left bully you for speaking your mind – many Americans see thru the false narrative. Great reply!
It does not matter what a person’s faults are in life, nobody is perfect. Nobody should die like that, NOBODY!! His drug use or arrest record has nothing to do with the hateful cop who killed him!! Smh!
I can understand your point no matter what color you are as far as the criminal actions. Her point is there needs to be a change & stop racism in your community. for African Americans. She just wants e everyone to be treated equal.
Stand for Equality because we matter sir
No ones perfect mr..how about the past of the officer …did you see entire video…he never resisted….white folks always try to rationalize police when it comes to policing of people of color…this was about a racist cop usong excessive force….people of color are familiar with this…
Unless someone’s had 1st hand experience like you, with the diversity in your family, do they understand “how it feels to live life – always trying to prove yourself 24/7. to people who don’t see you as equal.” It’s so sad. I’m a black woman who was married to a white man. We lived here in Brentwood. I was the only black person who lived on the street within a community. NO ONE ever spoke to me (no waves, good morning, etc.) I lived there for almost 2 years. My husband was accepted. I won’t go on, but I’m writing to THANK YOU for putting yourself out there and speaking the truth. I still have HOPE that people’s “eyes” and “hearts” will open and stop the hate (we’ve had enough of that) because Black Lives Matter!
We should always think before we speak. Who are we to judge someone by their pass..? You really think that all this attention is about him.? No this is about what people of color have suffered for many years, so you feel it’s ok for people of color to Not have rights before a judge and jury? Just kill them before they get to court! You or I should never judge on this earth.
He who is without sin cast the first stone
I agree with you, I have experienced it myself.
What can someone like me who works 5to 6 twelve hour shifts per week can do to bother anyone to a point of someone reporting me to the city of brentwood.
On my only day off all I can do is sleep even when I wanted to hang out with friends, my body is too tired to do so.
I don’t even know if they even know when I am home or not because it’s that quiet, but I was reported for having my nephew’s car who was away in college parked on my property my driveway. Car work fine, not a junk car that I park on the street leaking oil,
Only white lives matter to the white people or should I say white America.
Hopefully real change is being made because way toooo many of us are being kill by police officers.
I hope we are not going to go quietly after his funeral today, like the others like him.
We need to continue to fight for justice
Oh Karen, what a beautiful statement! U R the one person, who can change not only political actions but emotionally the well being of all residents! U R what exemplary leaders do! U go girl!❤️
Thank you
Thank you for putting this statement out.
I do not understand the profound silence from your elected colleagues on the Council. Is silence complicity on their part?
A vacuum of leadership here in our city from those we elect to to what’s best for all of us. Acting as if the national crisis we face as Americans doesn’t apply to Brentwood is embarrassing at best.
Shameful.
Thank you Mike. I am totally in agreement with you and everything you said. A fellow Brentwood resident
Dear councilwoman, if you really care for BLACK LIVES, just one more thing is needed in your Statement, and that is “DENOUNCE PLANNED PARENTHOOD FOR TARGETING AND KILLING THOUSANDS OF BLACK BABIES EVERY DAY” No one is allowed to talk about that because it is “POLITICALLY INCORRECT”
Straight up truth! And I agree 100 percent . Well said Mike
All of this was known to the officer as he put his knee to the man’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds? So anyone who is on cocaine or fentanyl deserves to die? Anyone who has been in prison deserves to die. If it were your child who had been on cocaine, alcohol or fentanyl or who had been previously imprisoned it would be okay for an officer to kill them? According to your logic anyone who has served time or has a drug problem should die! And of course the color of one’s skin has nothing to do with it
Well spoken, thank you.
It was not shocking to learn of the extensive criminal background of the Floyd guy, or to hear he was under the influence of cocaine and highly addictive manufactured opiates Fentynl. I knew there had to be a reason why the officers treated this man like dirt, as they were the only ones who were aware of the animalistic and uncivilized behaviors this man engaged in and degraded others, especially PREGNANT WOMEN WITH GUNS TO THEIR FETUS, so they acted with bias for good reason. This man was a piece of shjt, but I am not condoning the officers tactics even for a second. Its apparent many police officers feel they are Above
The Law. They obviously way overstepped their boundaries and a man lost his life, which NEVER should have happened. My problem is that this incident was automatically fingered as a Racist act, yet had it been a white person, I think the officers wouldn’t have changed their behavior for a second though there never would have been any Riots because White Lives Dont Matter, nor do Brown, Asian, African, or any other color of skin or ethnicity difference. Police act according to their training and daily interactions with the people they are suppose to serve and protect. This incident is clearly a result of the poor training of officers, the desensitization of those running the departments, and a big problem in the way the Media portrays these incidents on national television. Point the finger at a Racist cop, instead of cops that should have been terminated for just being a bad cop. Anyway, I think this is a situation that calls for ALL the facts to be known. This man was a hardened career VIOLENT criminal. Had he been white, he would have been killed just the same. Why does the Media fail to share the whole story? Not even the Mayor? Just blame it on race instead of the real issues in hiding. All lives matter. Not just Black lives. Our society is so messed up and the practices it engages in are just as wrong as those men who were working a job that gave them the power to do whatever they wanted with no consequences of their behaviors. This just gave other criminals and backwards ass people a reason to terrorize their neighborhoods, destroy their infrastructures, steal from innocent business owners, destroy their property, and all because Black Lives Matter!? I don’t think so! They did it because they wanted to for selfish reasons. This whole world should be cleansed of the filth that destroys the serenity and wholesomeness of this beautiful planet.
Ohhh Thomas
You know well this would have never happened to white person like yourself.
“yet had it been a white person, I think the officers wouldn’t have changed”
I couldn’t disagree more.
They would have never done what they did to Floyd if he was white no matter his history.
You are very disrespectful to call anyone a piece of shit.
I pray for you
Some of the comments I am reading is expected. It’s funny how certain whites are so quick to point out the bad in a person. Are you mad because they are giving a bad person so much power? Regardless of his past no man nor woman deserves to die in that manner, black or white. He still was a human being screaming he can’t breathe calling out for his mother who died two years ago. It’s so much deeper than George Floyd. America has been keeping their knee on our necks since 1690. Justice needs to happen. It’s been race issue against people of color for too long. Those who are pointing out his past or even present crimes just wants to justify why he died. How would you feel if someone placed their knee on your neck for 8 min and 46sec. Reading these comments proves that we have a long way to go. Racism and white privilege is still the problem. Until whites listen we will have no justice no peace. White people listen and not judge. God bless
Well said.
The questions I want to ask is would he like what was done to Floyd done to him, brother or son.
He is a racist,
It’s really refreshing as an African American woman to hear a white woman state that she actually has feelings and understand what we have suffered continually On a daily basis. as a person of color God-bless you And your family
Thank you.
Seems like lot of racist ppl chime in to this thread instead of condemning the death of a human being, hence proves no matter what council member does, Brentwood is one heck of a racist town. Period!
God bless people of color. #blacklivesmatter
You denounce all forms of violence…… but…..
There is no but. Effing idiot pandering for votes…. you just lost mine. You are part of the problem.
Lots of racists in Brentwood. At least you are honest.
Mike he was not stopped for drugs…he never resisted arrest…the cop may have had drugs in his system..whether you want to believe what you actually saw,this cops action highlighted policing of people of color….by the way.drugs were found during the autopsy…
It saddens me alot to see that we as a country are still in the state were in with rascism. How many more times do we have to go thru this until we come up with the right solution. I see how today Pelosi and her crew are on TV with their African scarfs on and to be honest, it made me embaressed for them. It was a political stunt and it’s pathetic how they come out of the woodwork at a time like this just for the publicity and also to rally for democratic votes. And maybe they should have researched a more appropriate type of scarf since I see how it offended the real Africans because that pattern and colors are sacred and it was viewed as disrespectful to the African community watching. Maybe I’m being too critical of the Democrats and I’m sorry, my intentions weren’t to go there when I started this message.
Let me finish by saying that so many of you are quick to call this person or that person a rascist. No where in anyone’s messages do i read anyone saying he deserved it. Yet so many of you go there for some reason. Of course Mr. Floyd did not deserve it. And yeah he was a ex-con and druggie, and he still didn’t deserve it. It’s another sad, sad loss of another black life. But black, white, brown, or any and all lives need to come together and figure this out without violence. I read today that year after year cops kill quite a few more white people than black people. And it gives me mixed feelings and I get angry at how everybody separates us with black or white and I guess what I’m trying to say is, why can’t we all just look at each other as people, no categories. That isn’t very realistic but I sure wish it was. Sorry, I don’t mean to ramble on. It’s sad, very sad.
Please read as you attribute fault and response to George Floyd’s death. Perhaps you will come away with new insights and perspectives into crime and punishment and alternatives solutions and approach to policies.
https://news.stanford.edu/news/2011/february/metaphors-crime-study-022311.html