Framingham Democratic Committee Calls For Firing of Police Officer Who Shot Eurie Stamps Sr. & Removal of School Resource Officers

The following is a press release submitted to SOURCE media by Justice for Eurie.

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FRAMINGHAM – The Framingham Democratic Committee is calling for the Framingham police officer who killed Eurie Stamps Sr. in 2011 to be fired from the City of Framingham’s police department and for police officers in the schools to be removed.

In a resolution approved Sunday,Septemebr 13, the Framingham Democratic Committee, called for an independent review board to be created to review complaints about police actions and make recommendations to city officials.

The resolution called the killing of Mr. Stamps, 68, in a raid by Framingham Police in 2011, “an example of unacceptable police violence that remains without consequences to the officer who shot him.” Mr. Stamps was not a suspect in any crime, and was following police orders, laying on his stomach on the floor of his home, when officer Paul Duncan shot him in the head. The Middlesex DA later ruled the shooting an accident. #JusticeForEurie have demanded a new investigation into the shooting.

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“The death of Eurie Stamps has not been adequately addressed by the City of Framingham and the officer responsible for the death of Mr. Stamps remains on active duty as a member of the Framingham Police Department,” the resolution states.  It calls for the city to “acknowledge that the tragic death of Eurie Stamps is indicative of bias and general lack of empathy toward Black and Brown communities; that excessive use of force is too often reserved for such communities and must end; and that Paul Duncan, the Police Officer who fired the fatal shot and was allowed to remain on the Framingham Police Dept., be dismissed from said Department.”

The resolution recognized the work of the Framingham High School Black Student Union, which has complained that students find the presence of police officers in school intimidating. It calls for money spent on school resource officers be reallocated toward “qualified community and psychological health workers for deployment into the schools to address psycho/social and substance-related issues in our student population.”

 The resolution will be delivered to Mayor Yvonne Spicer, 11-member City Council, 9-member School Committee, state legislators, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

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Resolution Pertaining to Racial Equity and Social Justice Framingham Democratic Committee September 13, 2020

WHEREAS, race-based violence by police officers against Black and Brown people throughout our country continue to create terror in communities of Color with little or no consequences to the police officers; and

WHEREAS, the killing of Eurie Stamps on January 5, 2011 by a Framingham Police Officer is an example of unacceptable police violence that remains without consequences to the officer who shot him; and

WHEREAS, the untimely and tragic death of Eurie Stamps was the result of the militarization of the Framingham Police Department, who dispatched a SWAT team to arrest an individual alleged to have committed a non-violent drug offense; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stamps was not a suspect. He was shot and killed while lying on the floor in his home, unarmed, non-threatening, and in full compliance with officers who knew him and that he was innocent; and

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WHEREAS, the death of Eurie Stamps has not been adequately addressed by the City of Framingham and the officer responsible for the death of Mr. Stamps remains on active duty as a member of the Framingham Police Department; and WHEREAS, the Framingham High School Black Student Union (BSU) has indicated that the presence of School Resource [Police] Officers in our public schools is intimidating to the students; and

WHEREAS, the BSU believes social justice programs and services to Black and Brown students should reflect an investment in their wellbeing, without the perception of criminality; and

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WHEREAS, the Black Lives Matter movement continues to advocate for non-violent protest against police brutality and significantly elevates awareness of the shameful institutional and systemic racism found in our country and community.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

The Framingham Democratic Committee calls for immediate action to be taken by the appropriate authorities, including:

1. That the Legislature establish a state-wide independent review board similar to the one described in H2068 to review complaints emanating from police actions or procedures and to take appropriate actions based on its findings;
2. That until a state-wide independent review board is established, the City of Framingham establish its own independent board to review complaints and evidence emanating from actions and procedures of Framingham Police Officers and, based on its findings, to make appropriate recommendations to the Chief of Police, the Mayor, and City Council;

3. That the City of Framingham formalize its commitment to diversity and inclusion in its Police Department so that it more accurately reflects the city’s diverse population;
4. That the City of Framingham formalize its policy of requiring the widespread use of body cameras for police;
5. That the Legislature reform the judicial doctrine of “qualified immunity” by denying its use unless a Police Officer can show that his or her conduct was reasonable under the circumstances, even in novel cases where the law is not clearly established;
6. That police officers and assistant district attorneys be prohibited from applying for a “no knock” warrant without first obtaining approval by the District Attorney;
7. That the City of Framingham acknowledge that the tragic death of Eurie Stamps is indicative of bias and general lack of empathy toward Black and Brown communities; that excessive use of force is too often reserved for such communities and must end; and that Paul Duncan, the Police Officer who fired the fatal shot and was allowed to remain on the Framingham Police Dept., be dismissed from said Department; and
8. That funding now applied to the School Resource Officers be reallocated and used in the hiring and retention of qualified community and psychological health workers for deployment into the schools to address psycho/social and substance-related issues inour student population.

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