Police and Youth Relationships in Everett, MA

1 Police and Youth Relationships in everett , MA. A Stakeholder Assessment Summary of Report December 4, 2015. Harvard Law School Sara Bellin JD 17, Jenae Moxie JD 16, Carson Wheet JD 16. Project Supervisor: Professor Bob Bordone i An enemy is one whose story we have not heard.. - Gene Knudsen Hoffman ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1. BACKGROUND .. 2. A. COMPOSITION OF everett .. 2. B. NATIONAL EVENTS .. 3. C. PROJECT 4. METHODOLOGY .. 5. A. STAKEHOLDERS: .. 5. B. DATA 6. FINDINGS .. 7. A. FINDING #1: THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERACTIONS .. 7. B. FINDING #2: CYCLE OF 10. C. FINDING #3:CULTURAL AND GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES .. 12. D. FINDING #4:INTENT AND IMPACT GAP .. 14. E. FINDING #5:UNDER-APPRECIATION .. 16. RECOMMENDATIONS .. 19. A. REPAIRING TRUST .. 19. B. ENSURING CONSISTENT INTERACTIONS .. 20. CONCLUSION .. 21 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work on this project.

2 Before we begin, we would like to give thanks to those people who made it possible. First and foremost, we must thank Chief Steven Mazzie and Captain Paul Landry of the everett Police Department. Both men were instrumental, not only in initiating this project, but also in ensuring the participation of key stakeholders throughout the semester. They were incredibly responsive and helpful anytime we needed help setting up interviews or focus groups. We could not have completed this project without their help. We also want to acknowledge their courage in inviting us outsiders into their workplace and community to assess their practices at such a precarious time for policing across the country. Their constant dedication to improving the everett Police Department makes us optimistic for the future of Police and Youth Relationships in everett .

3 We would also like to thank each and every person whom we interviewed. In the interest of confidentiality, we will have to thank you all en masse. Whether you are a young person, Police officer, or adult community member, your insights, reflections, and quotations form the backbone of this project. We thank you all for having the willingness to share your experiences and opinions with us. Finally, we would like to thank those members of the Harvard Negotiation & Mediation Clinical Program who helped us put this project together. Specifically, we would like to thank our fellow clinical students for their recommendations, Alonzo Emery and Heather Kulp for their guidance, Tracy Blanchard for her logistical expertise, Thomas Boone for his research assistance, and our project supervisor Professor Bob Bordone for his tireless support and feedback.

4 Iv INTRODUCTION. The everett Police Department (EPD) asked our team, a group of students from the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Project (HNMCP), to assess perceptions of current EPD. practices and address any potential sources of tension or conflict between Police and local Youth . The timing of this assessment is particularly important given the national dialogue on Police - community Relationships . The assessment involved conducting interviews and focus groups with a number of stakeholders in the community, including members of EPD, Youth in everett aged 13-18, and adult community members. Based on this assessment and outside research, our team identified several key findings and analyzed those findings to develop five recommendations for improving the relationship between members of EPD and everett 's Youth . This report is a distillation of a much longer report generated for and presented to Chief Steven Mazzie and other members of EPD.

5 1 BACKGROUND. A. COMPOSITION OF everett . everett , Massachusetts is a small town ( , approximately three square miles), and one of Boston's many suburbs. Up until fairly recently, everett was a predominantly Irish and Italian, white, and middle class town. About ten years ago, several groups of immigrants, including Haitians, Brazilians, and Central and South Americans, began to settle in everett in large numbers. Between the arrival of these immigrant groups and the subsequent exodus of many white families, the demographics in everett shifted dramatically. What was a predominantly white town is now approximately 54% white, 22% Latino, 14% black (mostly Haitian), 4%. Asian, and 4% two or more other races, making everett one of the most diverse cities in In part due to the slow turnover rate and infrequent hiring periods of EPD,2 the diversity of EPD remains predominately In addition, the main ethnic minority populations in everett tend to be significantly younger than the white population by an average of 8-11 Thus, the changes in the town's racial makeup are even more pronounced among everett 's teen population.

6 At everett High School, 41% of students are white, 30% are Latino, 23% are black, and 5% are Asian, making the minority population the collective majority amongst everett 's 1. City Data everett , MA 2013, CITY DATA, (last visited Nov. 29, 2015), (describing everett demographics [hereinafter City Data]. 2. According to the everett Police Department Annual Reports 2009-2014, EPD has added twelve new officers and lost six officers to retirement in that six year span. See everett Police DEP'T, ANNUAL REPORTS, 2009 2014. 3 Although we were unable to obtain specific information regarding the racial diversity at EPD, several Police officers informed us that, with the exception of a handful of recently hired minority officers, the vast majority of EPD officers are white. 4. The average difference for everett 's Black residents was eight years whereas the average age for Latino residents was eleven years.)

7 City Data, supra note 1. 5. everett High School Student Body, NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: EDUCATION, 9357/student-body (last visited Nov. 29, 2015), (noting everett High School ethnic and socio-economic composition) [hereinafter NEWS AND WORLD REPORT]. 2 3% 3%. 1% 1% 4% 2% White 6%. Hispanic 10% Black Asian 94% Two or more races Other race 1990 2000 2013. Figure 1. everett , MA Demographics, B. NATIONAL EVENTS. Over the past year, there has been an increase in public scrutiny of the Police Starting with the events in Ferguson, Missouri and subsequent media coverage, a growing chorus of voices has criticized perceived abuses of force by Police officers. These events have awakened a heated conversation about Police use of force and potential racism in Police departments across the country. As a result, more and more people have begun to film Police interactions, thereby enabling more people to second-guess, criticize, and occasionally condemn Police actions.

8 A conflict between a school resource officer and a student in Spring Valley, South Carolina, in which the officer physically picked up and threw the student across the classroom in response to her perceived insubordination, has sparked another conversation on Police - Youth interactions, specifically in These national events have exacerbated distrust between minority communities and Police that has seeped into interactions far removed from those portrayed in the media. For many people, these events, and the officers involved, have created a negative perception of Police that transfers 6. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, 1990 CENSUS POPULATION: GENERAL POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS; BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, 2000 CENSUS POPULATION; City Data, supra note 1. 7. See, , Charles M. Blow, Laquan McDonald and the System,' TIMES (Nov. 30, 2015), ; Q&A: What Happened in Ferguson?

9 TIMES (August 10, 2015) , (explaining the events surrounding Michael Brown's death and the aftermath in Ferguson, MO).; Matt Apuzo & Timothy Williams, Video of Walter Scott Shooting Reignites Debate on Police Tactics, TIMES (APR. 8, 2015), , (highlighting debate in the wake of a Police killing of an unarmed black man in South Carolina). 8. Spring Valley High School Officer Suspended after Violent Classroom Arrest, CNN, (last updated Oct. 27, 2015) (explaining Spring Valley High incident and aftermath). 3 to all officers across the country. Many officers have spoken out or internalized resentment about this overgeneralization, which they believe is an unfair and untrue narrative. As a result, these national events and the media coverage of them have significantly affected Police - Youth interactions in towns like everett by creating or exacerbating tensions on the local level.

10 C. PROJECT PURPOSE. In light of everett 's changing demographics and recent national events involving Police use of force against minority Youth populations, EPD commissioned HNMCP to assess Police and Youth Relationships in everett . This report is not intended to apply to Police and Youth interactions on a national scale. Rather, we set out to collect and analyze data as a neutral party and assess the relationship that exists between Youth and Police within the city of everett . The following report reflects our impartial analysis of Youth and Police Relationships in everett , Massachusetts. 4 METHODOLOGY. A. STAKEHOLDERS. HNMCP engaged in a stakeholder assessment to better understand the relationship between Police and Youth in everett . A stakeholder assessment entails (1) identifying stakeholders, ( , key members of the Police department and community who are invested in the Police - Youth relationship and/or are particularly affected by it); and (2) assessing (a) these key stakeholders'.