The complainants said that the amount of force officers used to arrest Laird, an African-American woman, on June 23 was excessive. Cellphone video went viral of Laird’s arrest, in which the Madison officer struck and used a Taser on Laird multiple times in an effort to take her into custody.
A broader complaint asks the Department of Justice to investigate the practices of the Madison Police Department including police stops, detentions, arrests, the conduct of police officers and practices of the department toward African-Americans and communities of color.
“We the undersigned demand justice on behalf of Genele Laird,” the group wrote in a statement provided to News 3. “We also demand a change in the broader culture that condones the use and acceptance of violence, arrest, and detention disproportionately affecting and impacting African-Americans and other persons of color in our community.”
The following community leaders drafted signed and submitted the complaints as “private citizens” not affiliated with any organizations where they work or belong including Gloria J. Ladson-Billings, Carola A. Gaines, Brenda Brown, Gregory C. Jones, Amelia Royko Maurer, Corinda Rainey-Moore, Brandi Grayson, Eric Upchurch II, Kaleem Caire, Annette Miller, Ruben L. Anthony, Jr., Matthew Braunginn, Nathan Royko Maurer, Lisa Peyton-Caire and Marianne Bloch.
The group said both complaints were filed with the intent to challenge the use of excessive force and to create fundamental change in policies and practices that the group said give police too much latitude in use of force and too little accountability.
“We need to do something that is not within the system because the system is truly broken and it’s not working for us,” said Annette Miller, one of the 15 people who signed the complaints.
Miller said the police department needs to redefine what policies are OK when it comes to excessive force.
“As a human being looking at that video, that was no OK,” Miller said.
“We no longer trust or believe the system nor the policies and procedures meant to protect us (have) the best interests of our people or our community members who are African American, Latino, Hmong, Native and of mixed race culture, ethnicity, and identity,” the group wrote. “Again, the data and our collective community experiences bear this truth. Of most significance, we believe this system and its practices have become more harmful and divisive to the overall well-being of our community as a whole, this city and all quality of life. As a result we have requested a review of the pattern and practice of ongoing civil rights violations. We can no longer watch our community and its members be abused or subject to harm at the hands of a system that allegedly exists to protect us.”
“We will continue to work with organizations that want to improve police and community partnership, but we are also saying we are going to continue to lift our voices on every opportunity and every avenue that is available to us to secure what we believe is a trust worthy finding,” said Greg Jones, president of the Dane County Chapter NAACP.
Madison police Capt. Brian Ackeret said the department hadn’t received the complaint as of Thursday morning and thus was unable to comment.
Several Madison community leaders have filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin against the Madison Police Department. In addition, the group filed a separate complaint against the Madison police officer who was involved in the videotaped arrest of 18-year-old Genele Laird at East Towne Mall in June.
