[ad_1]
Mirabel Umenei, director of the African Collaborative Network in Grand Rapids, is a Cameroonian immigrant who has advocated for uniting various people from the African continent, including Black Americans. Umenei argues many of the resettlement agencies that take in African refugees don’t have enough education around racism and policing in America.
“It’s not enough to just bring people here and then drop them off after three months without giving them what they need to survive,” Umenei said. “Part of surviving in America while Black is knowing how to deal with the police when you are stopped because it’s only a matter of time (before) it happens.
“…they’re not really equipped to live life as a Black person here in America,” she said.
Umenei said many immigrants have historically had a different relationship with law enforcement.
“For us in Cameroon when you’re stopped (by police) you can leave your car and go talk with the officer,” she said, which is what Lyoya appeared to do in the video. “If someone hasn’t grown up here or already had that hammered into them that you’re supposed to stay put, hands on the wheel, they’re gonna step out because that’s normal where they come from.”
Walked with protesters in downtown Grand Rapids this evening. They’re demanding #JUSTICEFORPATRICKLYOYA who was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids police officer on April 4th.
Here’s a few photos I took during the march pic.twitter.com/L7N4F3l1yl
— Bryce Huffman (@BryceHuffman313) April 15, 2022
The police department has limited its statements about the shooting, but department spokeswoman Jennifer Kalczuk noted in an email to BridgeDetroit that Grand Rapids police officers are trained for interactions with residents of all backgrounds.
“Like any police department serving a diverse population, Grand Rapids Police Department officers routinely interact with people who do not speak English, who have limited English proficiency, or who for other reasons are limited in their ability to communicate verbally,” she said. “During officers’ initial training, and in required annual training, topics of diversity, cultural competency, and recognizing implicit bias are addressed. Training standards are regularly reviewed to ensure they align with best practices in policing and meet the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) certification requirements.”
Better preparing immigrants for interactions with police is something resettlement agencies want to address immediately, said Chris Cavanaugh, director of New American Resettlement in West Michigan for Samaritas, another agency that works with Congolese refugees in Grand Rapids.
Cavanaugh said Samaritas has been trying to add lessons on public safety, including how to deal with the police, into its cultural orientation training for newly arrived refugees.
He noted a lot of refugee camps aren’t full of western amenities and opportunities for education or healthcare, two areas where clients face the greatest needs. Refugees need English language training, mental health services, medical care and help with school enrollment.
Amid the pandemic training has been even more of a challenge “because it really is most effectively done in person and we’ve had to switch to doing a lot of that remotely or virtually.”
“The pace of life here is so much faster than what they’re used to,” he said. “One thing I’m hearing from folks is that they wish there was more education on the way police in America treat Black people.”
The refugee program is operated by the U.S. Department of State and it’s short-term. Within 90 to 180 days after arriving in the county, Cavanaugh said, refugees are expected to be working and covering household expenses for their families.
“It is very rapid. It really takes a village and you know, we say that a lot and resettlement we need lots of volunteers and cosponsors to come alongside our families that can establish longer relationships and even provide some of this supplemental orientation as well,” he said.
Cavanaugh noted that Kent County, which operates the sheriff’s office, has been an active participant in the county’s welcome plan for refugee resettlement, which Samaritas developed over the last three years in partnership with the city. But he agrees with Malisawa and Umenei that more can be done.
“We are, as a result of this incident, trying to determine what more we can do with the community and with law enforcement agencies locally,” he said. “The incident is still kind of fresh, and so we’re not sure what direction that’s going to take.”
Chris Palusky, Bethany’s president and CEO, said the organization is offering support to the Congolese community as they grieve and is praying for “peace, unity and healing” in the community.
“Bethany is providing mental health services for members of the Congolese community seeking support and healing during this difficult time,” Palusky said. “We will also be organizing support groups specifically catering to the Congolese community in collaboration with local Congolese nonprofits.”
The officer involved in Lyoya’s fatal shooting is on paid administrative leave while
Michigan State Police investigate the incident that began with the seven-year veteran of the force stopping Lyoya on a residential street shortly after 8 a.m. April 4.
The footage depicts Lyoya exiting the car and appearing confused when the officer asked for his license. He then broke away from the officer and after a brief chase ensued. The officer told him to stop resisting and to let go of his Taser. The officer attempted twice to stun Lyoya with the Taser before he shot him in the back of his head while he straddled Lyoya on a front lawn.
The Lyoya family has retained civil rights leader and attorney Ben Crump, who has demanded the officer be publicly named, fired and that he face charges in Lyoya’s death. A funeral service for Lyoya will be held Friday.
[ad_2]
Source link
