Malone Center Responds to BLM Movement with New Hold Cops Accountable Initiative

Malone Center Responds to BLM Movement with New Hold Cops Accountable Initiative

Faced with pressing demand for response to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, the Clyde Malone Community Center (MaloneCenter.org) has altered their focus with afterschool youth and created opportunities for police officers to see minority teens in a different and more positive way. With this in mind, they are seeking funding for their new Hold Cops Accountable (HCA) initiative aimed at encouraging police officers to avoid automatically criminalizing black teens. The monthly HCA event is co-hosted by Malone and the Lincoln Police Department to publicly voice displeasure, compliments, complaints, concerns, or commendations concerning the local police department.

Hold Cops Accountable identifies various needs of the community while building open lines of communication with the police department, keeping people inspired in their goals of equality, and remaining active in raising awareness of the issues in the black community. The Malone Center’s HCA group meets monthly to identify and make reports that assist and help in the progression of their efforts and TRACE (Trust, Respect, Accountability, Collaboration, and Empathy). Each subcommittee will comprise 10 people with the common vision of the HCA group at large. The stories told by community members during these meetings will serve as educational “touchstones” that will be taught in LPD’s academy and annual in-service.

Since 1955, the Clyde Malone Community Center has created and facilitated programs to combat the racial disparities and inequities in justice, healthcare, and social systems. Donations supporting HCA will assist with youth staff, materials for projects and activities, field trips for expanded learning about the community and resources, transportation after school, black history materials, entrepreneurship options, and overhead support. For more information, visit MaloneCenter.org. If you would like to donate to the Hold Cops Accountable initiative, call (402) 318-7541 or contact Ishma Valenti at Ishma.Valenti@MaloneCenter.org.