State Representatives object to IU vaccine mandates
19 Indiana Legislators sent a letter to Governor Holcomb in hopes that he will override the mandate Indiana University established which forces all staff and students to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 before returning for the 2021-22 school year. The protest seems to have been organized by Indiana State Representative Jim Lucas, who wrote:
“Nobody is disputing that COVID-19 is real, or dismissing the contributions of healthcare professionals over the past year; however, enforcing a mandate that students and faculty accept a vaccine that does not have full FDA approval is unconscionable. Students’ classes will be dropped, others will be ostracized from IU, and employees will be terminated per this new policy.”
A spokesperson for Holcomb stated that the Governor will review the situation when he returns on his diplomatic trip to Israel.
Community Members to Lead Future of Policing Task Force
A new resident-led task force has been named to review and make recommendations about law enforcement in Bloomington and Monroe County. The Future of Policing Task Force is being established as part of the City’s commitment to the reduction of racial inequities and continuous improvement of outcomes for all residents. The Future of Policing Task Force will actively work to develop a vision for policing that is:
- forward thinking;
- responsive to community needs;
- inclusive of diverse community voices;
- equitable in its implementation of policies and procedures regardless of race, age, gender, gender identity, economic, health, or housing status;
- and that provides appropriate protection for all residents, visitors, and law enforcement officers.
By evaluating all local law enforcement agencies’ policies, practices, and protocols (through focus groups, surveys, and other tools) and identifying current best practices in policing–in the US and abroad–the task force will create an optimal vision of law enforcement for Bloomington and Monroe County for the next three to five years. The group will gather for the first time this month, with a plan to offer reports to the community within 90 and 180 days after the first meeting. Within a year, the task force will present a report to community leaders, the City’s Board of Public Safety, and all law enforcement agencies of its findings and practical recommendations for rectifying inequities described in the report, which will be available for public review and comment. The task force will also evaluate the feasibility of national accreditation for those local agencies that are not currently accredited.
The Future of Policing Task Force will activate and channel the community’s own resources and leadership to assess and chart future goals for local law enforcement. The formation of the group is the next phase in a long-term, community-based collaborative process for addressing systemic racism and other forms of discrimination in Bloomington. The process was proposed in the December 2019 report by the Divided Community Project (DCP)/Bridge Initiative, a team of mediators based at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law engaged by the City in 2019 when issues surrounding racism led to the temporary suspension of the Bloomington Community Farmers Market. A team of eight City residents that developed the City’s racial equity plan and designed the task force process was trained at the DCP’s Second National Academy in March 2020 to facilitate the development of a community-led process.