Faith leaders in Lawrence unsettled with process of Black police chief’s departure
Anger and mistrust continue to brew in Lawrence months after the unexpected resignation of Gregory Burns, who was the city’s first Black police chief.
Burns left the police department June 12 after the city passed a “separation payment” of $106,805.
What led up to Burns’ departure remains shrouded in secrecy, but a group of Lawrence’s faith leaders believe race was a factor.
“We felt that Chief Burns was not treated fairly,” said Pastor Leo Barbee, Jr.
Barbee, president of The Ecumenical Fellowship, was one of seven Black pastors in Lawrence who signed a letter to city manager Craig Owens.
In the letter, the group wrote that they were encouraged when Burns was hired in August 2017. At the time, he had more than 20 years of law enforcement experience and was the assistant police chief in Louisville, Kentucky.
Barbee said Burns made strides as chief by being out in the community more, pushing for more diverse hiring and advocating for more transparency.
“He was really the man for the times, for the job,” Barbee said.
So it came as a shock to Barbee when he read a story in the Lawrence Journal-World saying the police officer’s union had taken a secret no confidence vote on Burns with 92 out of 100 voting no. The story cited a “lack of leadership” at the department.
In May, Barbee and others met with city manager Craig Owens to show support for Burns.
But days later, the city commission passed an agreement severing ties with Burns.
The official statement said Burns left “to pursue other opportunities.” According to Barbee, Burns has since moved out of state.
One clause in the agreement said the city and Burns are barred from making negative comments about his departure.
Barbee said it was a “tragedy” that the “truth cannot come out.”
A “subtle racism” pervades in Lawrence, Barbee said, and the way things transpired with Burns didn’t go according to proper protocols. He wondered how it got to the point of the no confidence vote and why voters in Lawrence weren’t more informed about what was happening.
Clergy from 13 other Lawrence organizations have also voiced concern. In a letter, they wrote it appeared that Burns’ resignation was “forced” and noted that systems at play in Lawrence have “historically not functioned for the benefit of all residents, especially not the community of color.”
They encouraged Owens, the city manager, to make future personnel decisions with input from a diverse group of stakeholders.
City spokesman Porter Arneill said the city is hiring a consultant to study the police department. Their report will be used in the recruitment process for a new chief, he said.
“It has never been more important that we build trust in our community related to police and criminal justice,” Owens said in a statement to The Star. “We have initiated important conversations and evaluations about policing in Lawrence and what our community expects for the future. It is my intent to hold any recruitment until we have worked through some of this community engagement and built a clearer picture of where we, as a community, want to head.”
The Lawrence Police Officers Association did not respond to a request for comment.
Burns was not able to be reached for comment.
