Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD) released a statement of support for the protests that have followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The group also announced it is expanding its platform to include police reform measures proposed by the Delaware NAACP to curb law enforcement’s use of excessive force and introduce accountability.
The group will advocate for mandatory body cameras for police officers, diversity programs to increase recruiting and hiring of Black and Brown police officers, and the abolition of a provision in the Delaware Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights that allows results of investigations to be concealed from the public.
Said Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Campaign Manager Chris Coffey, “We stand in solidarity with the protesters in Wilmington, Dover, and throughout the country who are peacefully mourning the death of George Floyd. Their demands for accountability for the systematic discrimination and brutality towards Black Americans by law enforcement officers are important and must be heard. Tragically, we’re seeing the same lack of transparency, diversity, and accountability in Delaware law enforcement that we have been working to expose in the state’s courts and justice system.
Coffey continued “Governor Carney, Attorney General Jennings, and the state Legislature need to take meaningful steps to reform this state’s entire criminal justice system. Just like we need cameras in courtrooms, we need mandatory body cameras for police officers; just like we need diversity in the courts, we need programs to recruit and hire Black Delawareans to the police force; just like we need judges to disclose any conflicts that could undermine justice, we need to abolish provisions that shield police officers from accountability and justice. The time is now for Delaware’s leaders to fight for meaningful structural reforms to protect the state’s Black communities. No more excuses, we need action.”
Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is made up of employees of New York-based business services company TransPerfect and others. The group, formed during a dispute over ownership of the company, has called for reforms in Chancery Court and the judicial system.
