Ash-Lee Henderson speaks at a meeting by the Concerned Citizens for Justice Saturday at the Eastdale United Methodist Church. The meeting was held to discuss community relationships with police in the wake of the videotaped beating of Adam Tatum by Chattanooga police officers.WHOM TO CALLConcerned Citizens for Justice has set up a website to document police behavior at www.chattanoogacopwatch.com.To contact internal affairs at Chattanooga Police Department, call 423-425-7300 or email them at CPDInternalAffairs@mail.Chattanooga.gov.
A group of about 50 people searched Saturday for solutions to end what they say is police brutality in Chattanooga.
Concerned Citizens for Justice called a community meeting after release of a video showing two Chattanooga police officers savagely beating a federal halfway house inmate at the Salvation Army in June. The two officers who beat Adam Tatum were fired but are asking an administrative law judge to order they get their jobs back. It’s possible federal authorities may press charges against them.
“We know the best solutions are right here in this room,” said Ash-Lee Henderson, a Concerned Citizens for Justice organizer, who stood at the front of Eastdale Village Community United Methodist Church, 1403 Tunnel Blvd.
Among the ideas suggested were amending rules for an existing civilian review board for the police department, educating residents about their rights and offering more legal training for police officers. The group encouraged residents to document encounters with police using cellphones and to get badge numbers.