Latinos, LGBTQ citizens, mental health patients and criminal ex-offenders are four groups that sometimes claim exclusion and bias.
However, in the formation of a new Saginaw city Citizens/Police Advisory Commission (CPAC) neither population segment has produced a single applicant or nominee, even though slots are reserved for them.
The nine-member panel will help to collect citizen complaints (or compliments, as the case may be) regarding their treatment in encounters with law enforcement officers. City Council members created CPAC by ordinance last October in response to protests, both nationwide and in Saginaw, after police slayings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breanna Taylor in Louisville, among many notables.
Applicants quickly emerged for CPAC seats representing black citizens, at-large status, neighborhood associations and the police chaplain. A fifth member, appointed by the council on Feb. 22, will speak for teenagers.
With five commissioners, the quorum will allow CPAC to commence as soon as this spring. However, even a single absence would end the quorum, leading to further delays.
Will any representatives of Latinos, LGBTQ, mental health or former felons finally step up?
Any Saginaw resident interested in applying may contact the City Clerk’s office at 989-399-1311.
Saginaw Citizens United for Equity and Social Justice is also seeking members, countywide instead of restricted to the city limits. To learn more, visit SCUEJ on Facebook at facebook.com/SCUEJ.
