:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/YM45VSUAY5H47F44TMRLUXQUEM.jpg)
Following the fatal police shooting of Donovon Lynch in March, his family, experts and activists on Thursday discussed how best to re-imagine community policing during a symposium hosted at Norfolk State University.
Some called for an end to police departments being immune from some lawsuits, while others stressed the need for civilian oversight boards to hold police accountable. Wayne Lynch, Donovon’s father, again pushed for transparency and accountability following his son’s death. He said he has heard virtually nothing from city or state officials since that night.
“From that point up until now, we’ve had no real conversations or explanations or updates or anything,” he said. “It’s been almost 80 days now. We have a lot to discuss and a lot to do.”
Jeff Reichert, the Lynch family’s attorney, said that they will be moving forward “very aggressively” with litigation in the near future, but that he could not add details before that.
Donovon Lynch, 25, was shot and killed by police on March 26, in a chaotic night of violence at the Oceanfront. Another person was killed and eight others were injured. Police have released little information about Lynch’s death. The department said he was “brandishing” a firearm at the time, a claim that his family has strongly denied.
The panel was hosted by the Donovon Wayne Lynch Foundation for Social and Economic Justice, a new organization that his family created for him, in collaboration with the Norfolk State University Center for African American Public Policy. The event kicked off a “Re-Imagine America” Historically Black Colleges and Universities tour.
One of the panelists, Rev. William J. Barber, a senior pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Goldsboro, North Carolina, said police shootings are another form of lynching.
Jennifer Carroll Foy, a former state delegate who recently ran for the Democratic nomination to be governor, said the state’s recent legislation around police reform, such as requiring bias and de-escalation training, is just a start.
“We have to talk about transformational change,” she said.
She called for “real accountability” for police, in the form of ending qualified immunity — a federal doctrine that protects government officials from civil liability while performing their job duties — and mandating civilian oversight boards for both local police departments and sheriff’s offices throughout Virginia. They need to have subpoena power and be able to dole out punishments, she said.
Foy, a former public defender, encouraged everyone to push for a Donovon Lynch bill that would mandate civilian review boards throughout Virginia. It is a concept that the Lynch family has started to push for recently.
Wayne Lynch said everyone wanted to be around his son when growing up. He was kind, compassionate and popular — the type of person his friends would come to for counseling.
Donovon Lynch attended a city college in San Francisco, where he played football and even won a national championship. At the event, Wayne Lynch, talked about how much of a go-getter his son was — the younger Lynch had started three businesses — and pointed to his son’s championship ring, saying he now always has it with him.
Today's Top Stories
“He did everything he was supposed to do,” Lynch said, through tears. “For him to be treated this way is appalling. It’s hurtful. It’s frustrating. It’s just difficult. But we know the kind of man Donovon was.”
After his son was shot, Wayne Lynch said he wanted to accomplish three things: restore his son’s “good name,” push for accountability and transparency and establish a civilian review board.
“We have to have oversight,” he said. “And it’s up to the people to do that. We have to vote our conscience.”
Tim Lynch, Donovon’s uncle, said the Donovon Wayne Lynch Foundation for Social and Economic Justice will give money to those who come up with the best ideas for helping solve issues around community policing or economic development.
That’s the way Donovon Lynch thought. In their last conversation together, Tim Lynch said Donovon Lynch said he didn’t just want to be successful — he wanted to change the world.
Tim Lynch said he’s struggled to sleep since his nephew was killed, emotionally calling for the community to come together to champion their own solutions: “The answers are in you,” he said.
Peter Coutu, 757-222-5124, peter.coutu@pilotonline.com