There’s more fallout from Monday’s firing of six Cleveland police officers, who were involved a deadly chase and shooting in 2012.
The Cleveland chapter of the NAACP wants the head of the city’s police union to resign from his post on the Cleveland Community Police Commission.
Cleveland NAACP President Michael Nelson sent Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association President Steve Loomis a two page letter on Thursday, calling his presence on the commission a conflict of interest.
In the letter, Nelson tells Loomis, “You cannot advocate for police reform and at the same time defend the individuals who for all intents and purposes violated every tenant of their training.”
On Thursday, Loomis said he would not resign until NAACP leaders do the same.
"No. I'm not stepping down. It's well beyond their authority to even make that assertion,” Loomis said.
The commission was created after the U.S. Department of Justice began investigating the Cleveland Police Department last year.
Matthew Barge, a government-appointed monitor for the city’s federally-imposed consent decree, said he understood the NAACP’s concerns.
"I, frankly, would just need to hear more from the NAACP and from the union about how Steve was selected versus someone else in the organization,” Barge said.
Loomis is not backing down. The Patrolman’s association even started an online fundraiser for those fired officers, that as of 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, had more than $20,000 in donations after just one day.
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