After Golubski, KCK needs to heal. There’s a proven way to give victims a voice | Opinion

Like many in the community, I was very aware of the planned trials of former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski. As the reports of his malfeasance unfolded, I read about and was horrified by the stories of harm told by the victims of his inhumane actions. In addition, when I heard of, at best, inaction by the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department — and the probable complicity of many of its members — I felt sick.

I anticipated that it would all come out at the trial. However, as we know, Golubski is now dead. No one has to testify, and no victim gets to tell her or his story in court. It leaves a huge wound in our community, which will only continue to fester. How do we move forward?

I propose that the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City set up a truth and reconciliation commission to further examine what has occurred, allow victims to tell their stories and give a space to those who were at the KCK police department and the UG to tell what they knew and know to be true.

While best known for their use in South Africa after the dismantling of Apartheid, truth and reconciliation commissions have been established to deal with many traumatized communities throughout the world, including the United States. In Maine, such a commission was empaneled to look at the impact of past government policy of forcibly removing Native children from their homes. In Greensboro, North Carolina, a 1979 protest was violently broken up by the Ku Klux Klan and others, and while a criminal trial happened, the jury found the Klansmen not guilty. Years later, a truth and reconciliation commission was created to examine the incident. The survivors told their stories; the police acknowledged their part and a sense of healing was restored to the community.

Although it has yet to be passed, in 2020, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee of California introduced a bill to create a Commission on Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation here in the United States.

Truth commissions are justice-focused, and part of a worldwide movement called transitional justice. Like restorative justice, this initiative focuses on healing the harm created by offenders, whether they be government officials or anyone else. These commissions give victims and survivors an opportunity to be heard, and also create spaces to hear from those who caused the harm. While the goal is reconciliation, it does not replace other options for accountability of the harm that was done.

Experience has shown that truth and reconciliation commissions must be government-sponsored to be effective. They must be convened by people who are respected in the community. In South Africa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu provided leadership as chairman of his country’s commission.

Individuals can testify before a truth and reconciliation commission, and this can be in a public place or on video. People can submit written testimony to be included in a final report. In addition to individual testimonies, concrete policy changes or reparations are often part of the outcomes. Truth commissions are flexible and can be designed to meet the unique circumstances of the community. And they are always focused on the needs of victims and those harmed. As one participant in Greensboro’s commission put it: “It is difficult to heal without truth-telling.”

A truth and reconciliation commission would provide an opportunity to hear the truth in Kansas City, Kansas, and hopefully help the community move to a better place.