The Brookhaven City Council approved the first 32 members of its Social Justice, Race and Equity Commission at its Oct. 27 meeting.
The city created the commission on Sept. 22 to start a citywide conversation about racial injustice and police brutality. The commission will review public engagement policies for inclusivity and the police department’s use of force policies and accountability.
The commission will meet for one year in public meetings.
Planning Commission Vice Chair John Funny was appointed chairman of the group.
Members will include representatives from the faith, education and business communities, all ages from teens to seniors, and Brookhaven Character Area geographic locations.
The commission will review the City’s Vision and Mission Statement and Charter, policies and procedures, public engagement and communication outreach, and the Brookhaven Police Department’s use of force policy, oversight and accountability.
Mayor John Ernst thanked the group of volunteers joining the new commission, but said the city still needs more members to fully represent the city.
“We still have spots open. We had an overwhelming number of applications. We do need 50,” he said.
More applicants from the Latino community are needed to balance representation, he said.
To apply, see the city website here.
The commission members appointed so far include:
David Alexander
Rene Alvarez
Shahrukh Arif
Charlene Bowden
Davis Burnett
Vena Cain
Karen Cariello
Loven Collins
Chris Corces-Zimmerman
Amy Corn
Jose Hardy
Josh Hearshen
Jeremiah Hinson
Monique Hudson
Danita Knight
Tywana Minor
James Moses
Catherine Murithi-Wohl
William Naglich
Kirk Nelson
Janis Niesse
Melissa Owen
Matthew Paetzhold
Marco Palma
Tiffany Russell
William Thomas
Conni Todd
Anibal Torres
Cathy Wells
Beth Wendl
Thomas Woodward