Activists, residents demand urgency from Falcon Heights officials on police

Racial-justice activists and residents of the city where Philando Castile was fatally shot by police are demanding answers and a sense of urgency from elected officials in that St. Paul suburb.

What was set to be a discussion about policing in Falcon Heights ended in chaos Wednesday night, with city officials walking out. The council has proposed a task force to look at existing policies and training for officers. But residents and activists say the council has been too slow to act.

In the two months since St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez shot and killed Castile, emotions have run high and have transformed normally quiet meetings.

John Thompson, who is African-American, his voice strained and rising, talked about what it's like to drive the suburban streets.

"I fear for my life. You hear me, every time this officer pulls me over, something can go wrong," Thompson said.

Paula Mielke is white and a longtime resident of Falcon Heights. She said the city prides itself on being progressive, especially when it comes to same-sex marriage.

But when it comes to responding to a tragic shooting in their own backyard, Mielke said city leaders have been virtually silent. A state investigation into whether officers acted appropriately the night Castile was shot is pending.

"A lot of residents when I talk to them, [they say], 'We have to wait until the investigation is done,'" Mielke said. "We already know we have a problem with policing. The data is coming out, so we feel like that could be separate."

Mayor Peter Lindstrom has proposed to recruit a diverse group of citizens to look at police use-of-force policies, training and implicit bias.

But the minute he said the group would gather data on police stops, the audience grew furious, insisting the data is already available. The proposal calls for a deadline of May 2017 to provide recommendations. Some activists said the city needs to act sooner.

Last night, as council members called for a recess and began to leave the chambers, the mayor stopped to say a few words on his way out to Tyrone Terrill, a longtime civil rights leader from St. Paul. According to Terrill, the mayor put his hand on Terrill's chest and said, "Are you happy?"

"So I told him to take his hand off of me."

Terrill said he felt he was being treated as an organizer of the event. "That's not true. It would have never happened last night if the Falcon Heights City Council and the mayor had engaged the community. And I don't know if they have the skill set to address this issue."

After the confrontation, officers asked Terrill to leave.

During the council recess, the city administrator decided to end the council workshop altogether because of the heated emotions and constant interruptions.

Terrill thinks the city should end its contract with the St. Anthony police. Falcon Heights is in its second year of a five-year contract. It pays St. Anthony more than $650,000 a year for police services, and the earliest it could break its contract without being held in breach would be July 2017.

"We're moving as fast as we can," Mayor Lindstrom said. "Disrupting our meetings doesn't actually help the situation in our efforts to move as fast we can."

Lindstrom hopes the task force, which appears to have the council's support, would examine recommendations by President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

When asked if he believes there is racial profiling by police in Falcon Heights, Lindstrom said he would need to see more data. The city of St. Anthony has released five years of traffic arrest data, with the vast majority of drivers identified by race.

Even though their discussion was cut short, the council plans to vote on the task force proposal at the end of the month.

As for Paula Mielke, the longtime city resident, she's planning her own panel discussion this month to talk about how the city should move forward after the shooting death of Philando Castile. She says the panel will address racial equity and police training head on.

Mielke even started a group to rally around these issues. Its name? "Falcon Heights Can Do Better."