YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio (AP) – Dave Chappelle is urging progressive policing in his southwestern Ohio hometown, where questions have been raised about police tactics at a New Year’s Eve celebration.
The comedian spoke at a meeting Monday in Yellow Springs, where he and other village residents listened to a review of police behavior. Residents have complained about the use of a police cruiser to disperse the crowd and police handling of stun guns that night.
The Dayton Daily News reported that hundreds of complaints about what critics called heavy-handed tactics at the celebration led the police chief to resign.
Chappelle said in his remarks that the village council should take a “golden opportunity” to prove local governments matter when searching for a new chief and to become a leader in progressive law enforcement.