Citizens for a Safer Cleveland is a community coalition — led by Black Lives Matter Cleveland, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and SURJ NEO – Showing Up for Racial Justice Northeast Ohio — that has come together to strengthen community oversight of police and increase resourcing for community-led violence intervention and restorative justice programs.
With the leadership of families who have lost a loved one to police, the coalition is launching a ballot initiative campaign to put a City of Cleveland charter amendment on the November 2021 ballot that would:
- Make the Community Police Commission, which is a community oversight commission created by the 2015 federal Consent Decree, permanent;
- Create a funding mechanism for the commission to provide grants to fund community-led violence intervention and restorative justice programs; and
- Increase the Commission’s independence, authority, and resourcing, and overall strengthen its ability to serve as a vehicle for community voice and oversight.
All proceeds will go toward the hiring of SURJ NEO organizer(s) to work in collaboration with the Citizens for a Safer Cleveland political action committee, which is comprised of families of color and organizations that have lost loved ones due to police brutality, in this effort. Our goal is to collect 10,000 signatures by May 1st, 2021 so we can move forward and get the permanent establishment of the CPC on the 2021 ballot!
The Cleveland CPC helps to ensure transparency, accountability and procedural justice requirements. Without the passage of an ordinance the Cleveland CPC will not survive after the Consent Decree ends. Once made permanent by ordinance the Cleveland CPC will join the Office of Professional Standards, the Civilian Police Review Board to complete Cleveland’s police oversight system.
Click here to learn more about Citizens for a Safer Cleveland.