The lost discourse of democracy: Why I resigned from the Tallahassee Police Review Board | Opinion
Why I resigned from the Tallahassee Citizens Police Review Board | Opinion
Following the decision of the City Commission to remove Taylor Biro from the Tallahassee Citizens Police Review Board, I promptly submitted my own resignation from the body.
While I certainly do not agree with all the opinions held by Ms. Biro, specifically her police abolitionist views, her thoughtfulness, willingness to challenge norms, and unique background made each other member of the board better at our roles. We were able to see issues through new lenses and angles, improving our decision-making and deliberations.
She was removed because a sticker on her mug said, “Abolish the Police” and a belief by others that this expression prevented Ms. Biro from having opinions worth considering as a member of the board. There were no accusations of Ms. Biro taking biased actions or votes as a member or otherwise being disruptive or disorderly during meetings. Instead, passive speech that was disliked by the Big Bend Police Benevolent Association resulted in three members of the City Commission voting to remove her. Notably, the PBA never attended any meetings of the board, not even the meeting discussing their request for the removal of Ms. Biro.
This is something I cannot stand behind. Every person has partialities. Our differing life experiences and opinions dictate as such. Yet, many of us are able to put those prejudices aside when evaluating choices so as to still draw unbiased conclusions. That is to say, we all have biased inputs, but that does not inherently make our outputs biased. Ms. Biro has her beliefs, but without accusation she has taken biased action, it is clear she has the ability to remain fair in her decision-making process, something we should all strive to do.
Sticker shock:City Commission ousts Taylor Biro from police review board over 'abolish police' sticker
Mug gate:Citizens Police Review Board member responds to criticism of 'abolish police' sticker
When I joined the board, I was excited for the opportunity to serve my community, to advance transparency between Tallahassee citizens and our police and find ways to improve police policies to enhance trust and accountability. Removing Ms. Biro runs contrary to those goals.
This situation exemplifies a growing problem we see in our society today: an inability to tolerate viewpoints which may differ from our own. The proliferation of various news sources and social medias has allowed each of us to retreat into our own echo chambers, “safely” avoiding confrontation with opposing thoughts and ideas. The result has quickly become a common notion that thoughts which run contrary to our own should be stifled, that persons who hold opposing beliefs are dangerous or threatening. We have begun to lack the appreciation of different backgrounds and different life experiences.
And this is a problem we see across all political spectrums, liberal to conservative, Republican to Democrat. We are losing the discourse that improves our democracy, the debate which helps hone ideas and policies into their best versions. We need the speech that challenges norms and pushes boundaries in the name of progress just as much as we need the counterbalancing speech that cautions thoroughness of thought and reminds us to temper action with wisdom. If our goal is to craft and enhance policies that better our community, we must embrace differences of opinions, we have to have persons who challenge us to rethink our own beliefs.
The removal of Ms. Biro is counterpoint to such discourse. It creates an environment where board members are expected to hold certain opinions and thoughts, it stifles board members from providing valid critiques, and leads to a hivemind mentality. It is contrary to the board’s purposes of transparency and accountability. How can there be meaningful review of policy when differing opinions can result in one’s removal from the board? That is not the role I hoped to play when I signed on to volunteer.
As such, I was compelled to resign. Tallahassee is an incredible place, one which can be a shining city on seven hills, an example to others. But we all have to want that. I will continue seeking opportunities to better my community, the home I know and love, striving to be the type of citizen that pushes Tallahassee towards those better angels of our nature.
Patrick O'Bryant is an attorney with Messer Caparello, P.A and former member of the Tallahassee Citizens Police Review Board.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Why I resigned from the Tallahassee Citizens Police Review Board
