The city of Memphis’ announced the members of its new police reform task force last week, and we need to have a conversation about how they were chosen. As a liaison — a nonvoting member — to the group, I worry that the top-down approach the administration has taken to the selection process will continue as the task force begins its work.
First and foremost, it is important to recognize that no one on this task force was chosen by the Memphis community, not even those most directly affected by the issues outlined in the U.S. Department of Justice’s report. People who have lived through these injustices should be centered in any meaningful reform effort, yet they have been excluded from having true representation on this team.
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The same is true of retired judge Bernice Donald, who Memphis Mayor Paul Young unilaterally selected to serve as the presiding member of this task force. It is only fair that the community be allowed to review her judicial record, particularly her past rulings related to law enforcement. Transparency is essential in building trust, and the public deserves to know if her judicial history aligns with the reforms needed.
The composition of the task force calls into question both the selection process and the mayor’s commitment to making the types of reforms recommended by the DOJ. Several of the task force’s members and liaisons are pro-law enforcement. This is deeply concerning, as the DOJ report explicitly cited a pattern of civil and human rights violations committed by the Memphis Police Department against everyday Memphians. If the goal of this task force is to create meaningful change, then its members should include legal experts, human and civil rights advocates and people who have earned the community’s trust. A team dominated by those with a history of supporting the existing law enforcement structure is unlikely to challenge the very system that has allowed these violations to persist.
In fact, three task force members were previously employed by the very system they’re now responsible for scrutinizing and changing: Toney Armstrong, former director of the MPD, Dr. Audrey Townsel, who served as director of Mental Health Services for Shelby County Jails and Zayid Saleem, Shelby County judicial commissioner and former legal adviser to MPD. If they are to serve on this task force, it is only reasonable that their service records be made available to the public to be thoroughly reviewed. We need to determine whether they have been involved in or have covered up any civil or human rights violations before trusting them to be good-faith participants in the change process.
As a liaison, I would like to share my personal experience with this selection process. I was told by the mayor directly that he was considering me for the task force. He said he believed someone who has been justice-involved should have a seat at the table. I later received a call from Donald officially offering me a position as a full member, which I accepted.
However, just days later, I received another call from Donald, informing me that I was no longer on the task force but would instead be added as a liaison. When I asked what that meant, I was told I could speak during task force meetings but would have no voting power on policy decisions. This decision effectively ensured that there were no justice-involved individuals or directly affected community members with actual decision-making power on this task force.
What we see here is a list of well-known professionals, several of whom have spent the majority of their careers supporting the very infrastructure that allowed these abuses to occur. While being pro-law enforcement should not disqualify someone from serving, it is critical that the task force be balanced with individuals who are truly committed to systemic change — not just those who have historically upheld the status quo.
While the task force members may be accomplished professionals, their backgrounds do not reflect the diverse perspectives necessary to create meaningful reform. If this task force is to be taken seriously, it must include individuals with firsthand experience with the injustices outlined in the DOJ report. It must be a team that represents both law enforcement and the communities that have suffered under its failures. Anything less is not a task force for justice — it is a task force for maintaining the status quo.
Robert Brown is owner of Da Sammich Spot restaurant and resource hub in Orange Mound, and a liaison to Memphis’ police reform task force.
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