During its meeting on Sunday, September 13, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) Board of Directors will discuss a resolution titled “End Police Brutality” submitted by the Central Ohio Academy of Family Physicians.
WHEREAS, the current president of the AAFP and OAFP member Gary LeRoy, MD, released a statement on May 31, 2020, entitled “The AAFP condemns all forms of racism,” and stating that “as a healthcare organization, the AAFP considers racism a public health crisis;” and
WHEREAS, the events over the past month in the United States have laid bare the racism in the police forces; and
WHEREAS, police are more likely to use or threaten to use physical force with Black people than white people; and
WHEREAS the average annual rate of police killings in Ohio of all people is 2.662, but the average annual rate of police killing of Black people is 8.12, a rate nearly four times higher; and
WHEREAS, police brutality disproportionately affects Black people, and is a form of structural racism; and
WHEREAS, in 2016 the AAFP Congress of Delegates passed a resolution stating that the AAFP recognizes that “discriminatory policing and the use of excessive force pose health and safety hazards to individuals and communities of targeted populations, particularly people of color and other minority groups,”
BE IT RESOLVED, that the OAFP publicly support legislation that addresses the demilitarization of the police and other policies meant to eliminate police brutality in Ohio
BE IT RESOLVED that the OAFP support efforts to reallocate funds from police budgets to schools, health care, and social services in Ohio.
OAFP members are invited to submit comments about this resolution. Comments submitted will be considered by the board as part of the discussion.