On behalf of Code for Asheville Patrick Conant presented the Petition for Police Accountability Through Data Transparency to the Asheville City Council on April 24. Since it was on the agenda as a presentation, no vote was taken, but the Council made clear that it is interested in when and how the data will be released, not whether.
Interim City Manager Cathy Ball committed to having staff reports from the Asheville Police Department and from the City Attorney’s office by the May 15 meeting (the IT department, which acts as the steward of City data, had already provided its report in time for the meeting this week) and the Mayor indicated that it should appear on the agenda as old or new business (allowing a vote).
We highly recommend watching the video of the presentation and ensuing discussion. Patrick’s presentation starts at about 42:45. There has also been significant coverage in the news, including a Fox Carolina TV news segment, the Citizen-Times, and Mountain Xpress.
The next Council meeting is May 15. Please continue to sign and share the petition until then. We have almost 900 combined signatures online and in person, and have the endorsement of 23 organizations / businesses. Let’s keep it going!