ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (NBC 26) -- A day after the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, the state released recommendations for policing reform.
"It's a joke if anything," said one Ashwaubenon man. "They're not even requirements. They're recommendations."
That's what Chauncey Hughes and some locals alike are saying about the the state assembly's racial disparities task force recommendations for law enforcement practices.
"You shouldn't need rules and regulations from a special committee to do the right thing," Hughes said.
The recommendations ask police and other agencies to publicize policies and actions requiring use of force. Hughes says he's not impressed with the task force, which formed after a white officer shot a black man in Kenosha.
"They take the lives of minorities, black and brown every day," Hughes said about law enforcement in the United States. "And nobody's held accountable. They're not going to change anything."
Northeast Wisconsin police say they've been following the assembly's recommendations.
"Policing has to evolve, because we deal with society and how society changes and what they need from us," Appleton Police Department Chief Todd Thomas said. "So we have to have those conversations continue."
But Hughes says hate and fear cause problems in law enforcement.
"Most of them [police] feel like they don't even need to do anything to change," Hughes said. "They don't see any wrong in what they do. This is indoctrinated into them."
Appleton police say they're open to hearing community feedback.
"It's not the time to really sit back on your heels and shake each others' hands and say 'good job, we're done,'" Thomas said. "We're not done. Like I said, it's a conversation that has to continue."
Even with recommendations, both law enforcement and Hughes say there are ways to agree.
"As long as that conversation continues and people are brought to the table that don't feel like they have a voice and giving input into what policing should be in their community, we're gonna continue to make those positive steps forward," Thomas said.
Hughes says his hope for change lies in the future of children across the country.
"Stop killing black people," Hughes said. "Stop hiring racists. Stop hiring people that are inept... I think they need somebody out there that helps to deescalate the situations and not use deadly force."
But Thomas believes the set of recommendations reaffirms his department's goals.
"This is a good opportunity to keep the conversation going and look for new ways and better ways to do things," he said.
But discomfort for Hughes still remains, for now.
"Every day I get up, I tie my shoes, I go outside and I wonder 'will I die today at the hands of a cop?" Hughes said.
