Plum officials address racism and police at Monday night's council meeting

Plum officials denounced racism and police brutality Monday night at council’s first voting meeting back in the borough building during the covid-19 pandemic.

Council President Dave Odom sat at the center of the elected board’s table in council chambers Monday night with other borough leaders spaced out more than usual to practice social distancing.

He welcomed attendees and those watching online during his president’s comments segment, and then addressed what millions have been marching about for close to two weeks.

“It’s impacted the country, and we all have seen what’s been going on on television. It’s certainly something that’s very disheartening,” said Odom, the first African-American councilman and council president in borough history. “We’ve gotten a number of emails sent to individuals, as well as our police chief, asking to know what the position is association with the issue of racism.

“We denounce any form of racism against any race or ethnic background. Period. I’m a fundamental believer that actions speak louder than words. We can make all the statements that we want, but at the end of the day it’s the actions that matter.”

Millions have taken action in the form of protests.

Demonstrations across the country and world started more than a week ago after George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer May 25. Protesters have taken to the streets in Pittsburgh and surrounding communities for the last 10 days.

Odom, while continuing to address racism, pointed to his colleagues’ actions in January when they unanimously appointed him council president. He also praised police Chief Lanny Conley and the department for its proactive community policing programs, updated use of force guidelines as well as diversity and cultural training introduced a few years ago.

“I think it’s very important for folks to understand that our police force is very serious about the manner in which they conduct their policing and make sure that everybody’s going to be treated equally,” Odom said.“I am somewhat dismayed by the fact that it seems, in some cases, that the misguided actions of the few have, unfortunately, characterized the character of a number of police officers in the country. We all need to make sure that we understand that the vast majority of police officers are here to protect and serve. We certainly appreciate their dedication in that matter.”

People can watch more of Odom’s comments, as well as the rest of the meeting, on the borough’s YouTube page.

Thousands of people have taken to local streets as part of the protests. One is planned for Monroeville on Tuesday.

Allegheny County officials recently proposed banning the use of tear gas and rubber bullets about a week after they were used against protesters in East Liberty.