Social justice crew reignites name for Mayor Garner to request DOJ probe into KCKPD
Participants of a social justice advocacy group on Tuesday expressed fear that Wyandotte County Mayor Tyrone Garner used to be strolling clear of his marketing campaign platform that he would name for a Division of Justice investigation into the Kansas Town, Kansas Police Division.
Since taking place of business in December, Garner has informed quite a lot of information retailers, together with The Big name, that he helps “outdoor investigations” into the police division the place he as soon as labored. The dep. has confronted a litany of accusations of misconduct.
David Grummon, an legal professional in Wyandotte County and a member of the Metro Group for Racial and Financial Fairness, or MORE2 mentioned all through a press convention the crowd held Tuesday that Garner seems to be hedging his marketing campaign promise. An “open investigation” isn’t the similar as an investigation by way of the Division of Justice, Grummon mentioned.
“We needed and we anticipated a public announcement,” Grummon mentioned. “That’s what he sought after and I believe the electorate be expecting that.”
In a commentary Tuesday night time, Garner mentioned he’s nonetheless helps an impartial investigation into allegations of felony misconduct by way of any person inside the Unified Executive.
Garner mentioned he reached out to Wyandotte County District Lawyer Mark Dupree and Kansas Town, Kansas Police Leader Karl Oakman inside his first 90 days in place of business, “for the aim of explanation and reinforcement of the shared imaginative and prescient our neighborhood has for ahead considering equitable 21st Century felony justice perfect practices.”
This isn’t the primary time MORE2 has referred to as for a federal investigation into the police division. However the group is now expanding its power towards the newly-elected mayor. Tuesday’s press convention coincided with Garner’s a hundredth day in place of business.
The group additionally isn’t on my own in its calls. In January, Workforce Roc, the social justice arm of rapper Jay-Z’s Roc Country, renewed its requires an intense investigation into alleged corruption inside the division.
In a while after, Garner mentioned in a commentary to The Big name that he, “welcomes and continues to toughen any impartial investigations into allegations of felony wrongdoing which are geared against bringing readability, justice, and the relaxation of closure to people who have demanded and pursued inquiry, therapeutic, and reconciliation.”
Garner defeated incumbent David Alvey in November’s common election. All the way through his marketing campaign, Garner mentioned he supported a federal investigation into the police division the place he labored for 32 years. A federal investigation into the police division used to be matter of dialog right through the mayoral election in 2021.
“We felt assured that, if elected, Tyrone Garner would name for a DOJ investigation on account of the statements Garner had made to native media discussing his robust toughen for a DOJ investigation,” Grummon mentioned.
In July 2021, Garner informed The Big name’s Melinda Henneberger that he would, “love to take the daring step and cross to D.C. and meet and feature the Justice division are available in right here.”
Grummon mentioned that commentary used to be easy.
Activists, neighborhood leaders and citizens of Wyandotte County and Kansas Town, Kansas, have lengthy referred to as for a federal investigation into the police division.
On the core of requires an investigation are allegations towards former detective Roger Golubksi, who has been accused of the usage of his badge to rape susceptible Black ladies and used to be concerned within the wrongful conviction that despatched Lamonte McIntyre to jail for 23 years for murders he didn’t devote.
McIntyre is suing the Unified Executive of Wyandotte County/Kansas Town, Kansas and the detectives who investigated the homicides of which he used to be wrongfully convicted. He’s calling for the Unified Executive to pay him just about $93.6 million in damages.
In October, it used to be printed that federal prosecutors in Kansas had initiated a felony grand jury investigation into Golubksi. In a while after the scoop broke, the police division mentioned it have been responding to subpoenas from the FBI about Golubski since 2019.
However the federal grand jury investigation into Golubski isn’t the similar as a federal investigation into the dept, Grummon mentioned Tuesday.
“That’s investigating Roger Golubski,” Grummon mentioned. “What we imagine Mayor Garner mentioned he would ask for publicly is a development or observe investigation of all the KCKPD division.”
