Альянс за единство призывает к проверке действий полиции Толедо

Black/Brown Unity Coalition calls for review of Toledo police conduct TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The Black/Brown Unity Coalition met at the headquarters of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, known as FLOC, on Tuesday to voice concerns about the conduct and de-escalation practices of some Toledo police officers. The coalition is calling for a detailed review of how laws are being enforced. The group wants police and residents to see eye to eye on respect and on the law. The coalition says trust between police and Toledo’s communities of color has come a long way, but there is still work to do. “It’s imperative that we have a good rapport with our local police department. We’ve had a very good rapport with them since we signed the agreement in 2017. They’ve been very cooperative, but every once in a while, there are some people that do activities that are questionable,” said Baldemar Velasquez, founder of FLOC. The coalition plans to invoke a tool from the city’s 2017 code of conduct called the “Alternative Dispute Resolution and Grievance Mechanism.” It is designed to let officers and the community work together to improve policing. “If we have a handful of officers that don’t conduct themselves in an appropriate way, it creates an additional amount of fear in our community,” Velasquez said. The coalition has asked Toledo’s next police chief, Assistant Police Chief Kevin Braun, to address concerns about certain officers’ conduct and to explain how the department plans to improve training. The group is calling for a follow-up report examining how officers enforce the law. One Toledo resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said his own experience was a good one. “A police officer stopped me, but he was very nice with me,” the resident said. His advice for others was to comply during a stop. “Sometimes when the police stop you, the best thing you have to do — you have to obey,” the resident said. Coalition organizers say the message goes both ways. “We have our Homies program — we had 20-something kids in the last program. They were black and brown kids, mostly — some white kids have been in the class. We teach them what their rights are, and to conduct themselves in a calm way, to not use language that would cause a response. So, it goes both ways. We want to respect the police officers, but we want to respect us too,” Velasquez said. Latest Local News | First Alert Weather | Crime | National | 13abc Originals Copyright 2026 WTVG. All rights reserved.