Dear Mayor Stoney and members of City Council,

In July of 2020, the Richmond City Council unanimously adopted City Ordinance No. 2020-155, for “the creation of a Task Force on the establishment of a Civilian Review Board.” This future Civilian Review Board will provide important oversight of the Richmond Police Department – a highly-needed service for the most vulnerable residents of Richmond.

The Task Force, charged with the establishment of the Civilian Review Board, would build upon recommendations for a Richmond-specific civilian oversight mechanism based, in part, on input from the city’s residents. To accomplish this task, it is critical that the City provide the Task Force with funding for its outreach efforts. Outreach is premised on robust input from Richmonders and to get that, the outreach efforts must have adequate resources. In order for this Task Force, and the future Civilian Review Board to succeed, the City must provide adequate resources to complete their mission.

To date, resources necessary to enable the Task Force to function have been slow and incomplete. Direct funding has been nonexistent. We are asking the City to provide just under $3000 for the Task Force to compensate workers who will spend hours speaking with city residents to learn what is most important to them, to cover the costs of research, and to create a webpage which would ultimately be transferred to the CRB, as well as other outreach modes - such as a phone line, P.O. Box or other communication platforms. The canvassers will reach out to residents who are most impacted by the current methods of policing in the most marginalized and over-policed neighborhoods. The website and other outreach tactics will enable the Task Force and eventually the CRB, to be transparent and responsive to the concerns of residents throughout the city.

During the past year, Mayor Stoney, members of City Council, and Chief of Police Gerald Smith, have all publicly supported the establishment of a Civilian Review Board and this Task Force. While public support is appreciated, actual funding -- through capital and resources -- is necessary to complete this very important mission . Please demonstrate your continued support of the CRB by providing meaningful funding. Don’t let your support become hollow words said in a moment of crisis. Let your support of these measures fulfill your promises.

We request that you provide funding and sufficient resources to the Civilian Review Board Task Force so it may effectively complete its mission. You have the authority and the power to allocate funds for this purpose, including surplus funds from the previous fiscal year and Councilor’s surplus funds. We demand full funding and resources for the Task Force now.