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People in ����Vlog��ý and Beloit have demonstrated their outrage about Floyd’s death beneath the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, voiced their support for Floyd’s family and called for change. More demonstrations are planned, but so far there have been no broken windows, no looting, no injuries, no burning squad cars.

Local leaders and black residents interviewed by reporter Frank Schultz had positive things to say about ����Vlog��ý Police Chief Dave Moore and Rock County Sheriff Troy Knudson.

“I think Chief Moore has done a great job as far as engaging with the community,” Kerry Hawkins, a black ����Vlog��ý man, told Schultz.

That squares with what we know about these two local law enforcement leaders.

Moore and Knudson understand that what police do at the time of protests is only part of what makes a difference when tensions are high. What also counts is previous interactions and relationships between police and community members every day, on every traffic stop, during every arrest.

Although local police receive good marks, Hawkins’ wife told Schultz about her husband being pulled over in ����Vlog��ý for what they suspect was “driving while black.”

We have work to do.

An analysis of nondomestic disorderly conduct arrests by Beloit police, ����Vlog��ý police and the Rock County Sheriff’s Office shows a disproportionate percentage of blacks arrested. In Beloit, 12.9% of the population is black, but blacks made up 47.3% of disorderly conduct arrests. In ����Vlog��ý, blacks make up 2.1% of the population but were 26.8% of those arrests.

We have work to do.

For years, the Rock County Evidence Based Decision Making Committee has been examining ways to ensure decisions in the local criminal justice system are based on evidence, not on race or bias. But District Attorney David O’Leary agreed more people of color are needed on such committees essential to bringing about change.

We have work to do.

The ����Vlog��ý Police Department has no black officers.

“If you don’t have an officer who looks like us or understands us, then it’s kind of hard for the police department as a whole to relate to the black community,” Hawkins said.

Moore agreed. “We aren’t there yet.”

We have work to do.

It’s been repeatedly said Floyd’s death should not be in vain.

The iron now is hot. The attention of our community and our nation is focused. If change cannot be immediately made, then this is the time to at least agree what changes are needed.

Actions by a police officer brought this to a head, but law enforcement is not the only segment of society that suffers from implicit bias and inherent racism.

All of us have work to do.