SAN DIEGO — North County Civil Liberties Coalition (NCCLC) called a meeting Thursday to discuss the alleged use of force by Carlsbad Police Department, during the arrest of Marcel Cox-Harshaw on June 11.
The police department and a bystander both released videos of the incident. Civil liberties advocates said the incident went from volatile to violent unnecessarily. They are now asking for police reform, specifically the use of de-escalation tactics. According to the NCCLC, on Wednesday, July 15, along with community members from many allied organizations, it met with Assistant Chief of Police for the City of Carlsbad, Mickey Williams.
NCCLC said it called Thursday's meeting to address “the use of force/contentious tasering and arrest of a Black man by the Carlsbad PD on 6/11/20.”
According to the NCCLC, it provided a list of questions and demands to the Carlsbad Police Department for information, some of which were addressed by the Assistant Chief that included the following:
- Commit to supporting the creation of a strong police oversight board that would include community members.
- Commit to participating in regularly scheduled town halls/public forums to garner input and comment from community members – beginning NOW – with a virtual format until the pandemic is behind us.
- Review and revise its de-escalation policy in terms of training - specifically addressing anti bias training and response protocol when responding to calls involving persons who live without shelter and persons who may have mental health needs. These items fall within SB 1421 and include providing data to the community on training and arrest records of officers.
- Change the protocol and improve funding for proper response to citizens who may be without shelter or who may have mental health needs that are better addressed by properly trained responders.
- Address the critical need for better protocol for the use of body worn cameras (i.e., make certain the quality of the cameras allows for continued videotaping without cameras stopping or falling off of officer uniforms).
NCCLC said “until such actual commitment is made, there is no justice for Marcel Cox-Harshaw.”
NCCLC members said they will deliver a letter to the Carlsbad Police Department asking for its commitment to properly address the issues discussed, including a timeline for each.
The founding member of NCCLC, Yusef Miller, said they did not invite the Carlsbad Police Department to attend Thursday's media briefing.
