The police reform bill recently signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker has left some community activists in Brockton frustrated, saying the legislation doesn’t go far enough in addressing police brutality and systemic racism in law enforcement.
“My initial reaction to the bill was disappointment,” said Will Dickerson, executive director of Brockton Interfaith Community and one of the founders of local activist group DARRC (Demilitarize, Accountability, Reallocate, Reimagine Community).
“I think the bill was weakened and watered down by Baker in so many places, and we thought it really should’ve been stronger. We wanted to see a particular set of changes happen so that we can hold police officers more accountable, keep communities safe and really address racial biases in training and how police relate to communities.”
