A list of any group’s “demands” usually lands with a loud thud on the desks of officials with overall responsibility simply because of the pejorative nature of the word “demands.”
“Demands,” after all, carries with it an implied threat, as in if our demands aren’t met, this or that will happen.
We don’t know what threats are implied by of a coalition of protesting groups that shared their “demands” about local law enforcement, prisons and governance with the Times Free Press Saturday. But it will be interesting to see how deeply Mayor Andy Berke, the Chattanooga City Council and Police Chief David Roddy will consider the demands, and whether they will be substantially acted on.
The seven demands are a mixed bag of requests that either are already happening, are worth consideration or are unlikely ever to happen.
The No. 1 demand from the coalition, which includes the groups #ICantBreatheCHA, Concerned Citizens for Justice, The Unity Group, the African American Women’s Coalition and the Community Haven Chattanooga, is to “divest from the police department budget and reinvest into black and brown communities.”