Rochester is a diverse community, our residents are diverse in race, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, income, and disability status. Our community’s law enforcement must value and respect Rochester’s diversity and protect the dignity and human rights of all residents. Alongside the Police Accountability Board, Malik will engage Rochesterians in changing the culture of policing in our city to ensure that law enforcement’s commitment to safety and security is respectfully honored. By stabilizing law enforcement as the foundation of our community, Malik will enhance the health and vibrancy of our neighborhoods. As Mayor, Malik will:
“When our community suffers due to missteps in governance resulting in poor policy and practice, the Mayor as the representative leader of the community must assume responsibility, acknowledge misdoings and take the necessary steps to rectify and rebuild.”
Malik Evans
Rochester lacks leadership and accountability. To fill this void, Malik introduced and passed legislation that established a Police Accountability Board that had independence and disciplinary power. Today Malik and the Council continue to fight in court for the right of the PAB despite the fact that the current administration has not joined the lawsuit. The ongoing injustices and discriminatory practices of our community’s law enforcement must be addressed. Restoring trust and holding city government accountable is fundamental for reestablishing the legitimacy of public service.
Malik will institute core values – transparency, compassion, cultural competence, and effectiveness – in addressing public safety. As Mayor, Malik will work in partnership with neighbors to develop opportunities for residents, faith leaders, and business partners to regularly interact with patrol officers. Additionally, he will ensure that our community continues to have access to the departmental policies and practices of the Rochester Police Department as well as data on police-citizen interactions. This level of engagement and transparency will make certain that Rochesterians are informed and equipped to hold our government accountable and serve as the foundation for an effective community-first public safety strategy.
“I am deeply disturbed by recent events involving some of the most vulnerable members of our community and the police force. From the handling of Daniel Prude’s death to the incident involving the officer spraying pepper spray in the face of a 9-year-old child in the back of a police car. We must have a full accounting on how our processes for engaging mental health professionals on RPD have broken down in these incidents.”
Malik Evans
Rochester’s public safety must be re-imagined to better respond to the needs of our residents. Malik will holistically fund public safety by dedicating the resources needed to fulfill our community’s demand for mental health and substance misuse response and supports. Though the City is challenged by our current fiscal environment, the impact that public health professionals could have on our community’s public safety is significant. Malik pledges to increase support and expand the number of public health professionals accessible to residents in crisis and mandate training for law enforcement on how to identify and respond to mental health and substance misuse calls.
“It is important for people to feel safe in their city, but on the other end, it is also important for people to feel that they can trust the police. We know that we have large communities of color that have absolutely no trust for the police and they would rather deal with the issue themselves than call the police department.”
Malik Evans
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community. Public safety is a foundational element necessary to revitalize Rochester’s neighborhoods. Recognizing that our community’s growth and prosperity is dependent on our ability to address the overall well-being of our residents, Malik pledges to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy that incorporates public safety as a part of our community development initiatives. Malik’s community-first public safety strategy will transform policing to be respectful and accountable for the well-being of all Rochesterians.
“Expertise and resources exist within our neighborhoods. Our residents who live and work in our community have a stake in its development and should share in responsibility for finding workable solutions to problems that impact the safety and security of the community. I am committed to developing an active and engaged constituency who shapes and develops the policy and practices of public safety for our community”
Malik evans
Malik’s community-first public safety strategy is a philosophy and organizational approach in which the police work collaboratively with citizens, community-based organizations and other City agencies to reduce violent crime, create safer communities, and enhance the health and vibrancy of neighborhoods in Rochester. The first to making this successful is ensuring that the right talent is recruited through transparency in hiring and recruitment and community involvement, Malik pledges to transform policing and promote social change in our communities.
“If we are going to have prosperity in Rochester, we have to get a hold of gun violence. Not only is this a social issue, it’s also an economic issue. We have to keep the focus on the challenges that we have here in this community because if we do not, we will continue to see lives lost and lives destroyed.”
Malik evans
Addressing gun violence in Rochester is a top priority form Malik. There are five key points that relate to Malik’s gun violence agenda:
1. Push for the passing of legislation which requires semi-automatic pistols manufactured or delivered to any license dealer in this state to be capable of microstamping ammunition
2. Appoint a gun czar reporting directly to the mayor
3. Get an update from the attorney general’s office on gun trafficking report
4. Declare a gun emergency
5. Call on federal partners to do universal background checks, make gun trafficking a federal crime and expand access to trace data