Mayor Peduto Says He Hopes Newly-Formed Police Reform Task Force Creates 'Real, Sustained Change'
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has assembled a Community Task Force on Police Reform.
A total of 17 experts and community advocates will start meeting immediately.
Mayor Peduto says he hopes the group will make "real and sustained change."
Today, the Mayor named the #Pittsburgh Community Task Force on Police Reform, which is part of his commitment to the @MBK_Alliance Pledge.
The Task Force is made up of young activists, community advocates, business leaders, & university leaders. https://t.co/AZhC6BwM2L
— City of Pittsburgh (@CityPGH) June 17, 2020
The group is led by co-chairs Dr. Quintin Bullock, the president of CCAC, and Valerie McDonald Roberts, the chief of Pittsburgh's Bureau of Neighborhood Empowerment.
The rest of the group is comprised of professors, former elected officials and community advocates.
One of the members, Pitt law professor David Harris, is an expert on police conduct, race and the criminal justice system.
"What the mayor is looking for is an opportunity to dig into ways that things can be fundamentally changed when we talk about policing," Harris said. "Pittsburgh is not different from other American cities in terms of the issue that it has, specifically the issue of the very difficult relationship sometimes between its police department and its people of color, and right now in our country this is the moment to make fundamental change."
Harris said he's ready to get to work and take action.