To the editor:

In light of recent events of police brutality in our country, specifically the murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd as well as other black and brown Americans, we have realized the urgency of creating police accountability in our own community.

Although it may be an uncomfortable one, this discussion is essential to ensure that the rights of all community members are protected. We greatly appreciate the service of our local police officers; however, it is crucial to discuss how police accountability can be better implemented in our town.

In a recent call to the police department, we discovered that body cameras are not used by Barrington officers. Body cameras should be the standard for law enforcement, as they provide tangible evidence for injustices that may occur.

As we are a largely privileged and wealthy community, our police and law enforcement officials set a precedent for other communities around us. Taking this into consideration, body cameras must be worn by police officers in the field in order to help make this a nationwide movement towards ending police brutality.

To work towards this goal, our town officials must implement a committee to address the prevention of police brutality. In addition to this, we call upon our fellow Barrington citizens to utilize their privilege to educate themselves and actively work against racism in our daily lives.

Although about 95 percent of Barrington residents are white, we feel that the belief that “it won’t happen here” is an ignorant one to take. Think about how you can recognize and disrupt instances of racism in your daily life. Educate yourself on the history of policing in the United States - on the history of the police protecting property and capital over human lives, and the lives of white folks over those of black folks and people of color.

We must address this issue to protect the lives of our black and brown neighbors, in our own community and across our country.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth and Rebecca Palmer

Barrington