Hamden & Mayor Leng Pledge to Commit to Action
Begin Process to Become a New My Brother’s Keeper Community
HAMDEN – Today, Mayor Curt Balzano Leng pledged to commit Hamden to action, in solidarity with former President Barak Obama, countless mayors and Black Americans across the nation, to address police use of force policies and make reforms to combat police violence and systemic racism within law enforcement.
Additionally, Mayor Leng took the steps for Hamden to become a “My Brothers Keeper” community, another President Obama initiative launched in 2014 to address persistent opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color, and to ensure all youth can reach their full potential. Hamden’s progress in pursuit of this endeavor will be provided in updates on www.hamden.com, and residents can find more information at https://www.obama.org/mbka/
The pledge, “Commit to Action”, is an initiative and set of actions put forth to mayors and leaders across America by President Obama, calling on Mayors to commit to the following actions:
- REVIEW your police use of force policies
- ENGAGE your communities by including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in your review
- REPORT the findings of your review to your community and seek feedback
- REFORM your community’s police use of force policies
Upon signing the pledge, Mayor Leng offered these sentiments to Hamden, “The killing of George Floyd was a travesty and a stain of blood upon this nation, among countless others perpetrated against the Black American by excessive, brutal and incomprehensible police actions. Hamden cannot and will never stand idle in the face of oppression. In our Town, we can work to redefine public safety for the support and dignity of every person, and we will.”
Leng continued, “We are a community of inclusiveness and understanding. We are a community of listening and learning. We have the ability to seize this moment, as a community and a nation, to not just include, understand, listen and learn – but to act, and to make change. We will be the change we wish to see in this world, and we will be a community that LEADS in that effort for Black Americans.”
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