Kent County residents came to Dover City Hall Wednesday night to express issues with city government and police they believe are rooted in racism.
Dover council members Brian Lewis and Roy Sudler Jr. called the meeting after receiving complaints from citizens.
“There is a perception that systems in the City of Dover are somewhat biased or perceived to be prejudiced," Sudler says. "And systemic racism is real and systemic and structural discrimination is real.”
Residents like Devin Willis shared their experiences with police in Kent County. He says he was arrested by Wyoming PD with no explanation at the Redners in Camden last week following a shooting, and police thought him to be the suspect.
“One black guy might have a bad record or do something but you can’t treat all of us the same," Willis says. "One bad apple don’t always spoil the bunch. Just like with the cops, y’all wanna say that just because one is bad that y’all aren’t bad, it's the same for us. Just because one is bad, we all aren’t bad.”
A trainee at the Dover Police Academy spoke about his experience within the agency, claiming he and his black classmates were treated unequally from their white counterparts, and several, including him, were terminated from the academy with no explanation, despite passing each test and challenge.
Reverend Mishoe Page, 4th District Human Relations Commissioner, says Dover PD needs to be “exposed.”
Dover resident and local business owner James Owens says Dover police approach situations with aggression, and says "it's not just a race thing," claiming officers of color harass citizens too.
One of Owen's businesses, a clothing store on Loockerman, was destroyed in a fire last year, and he says he believes police unfairly suspected him, then "quiet quit" their job to investigate.
Zionna Adamolekun says she battled the city for eight years over a property she is restoring. She says council voted to demolish it several years ago based on false claims of mold, asbestos and structural soundness and she has lost thousands of dollars fighting vacant property fees and other violations.
She adds she hasn’t been able to successfully restore the property because the city refuses the permits.
“I don’t believe that everybody is being treated as I am being treated in regards to real estate," Adamolekun says. "I believe that there are some people that come in and get permits with no issue. I would like somebody to get to the bottom of it. What is their endgame? Why is it that I feel like I’m being targeted? Does the city want my property?”
Sudler says their next step is bringing together all of the elected officials, advocates and clergy that attended the meeting as panelists to create realistic goals and identify top priorities.
