INDIANAPOLIS — Racism has been declared a public health crisis by resolution of the City-County Council. The council voted unanimously to pass the resolution Monday evening.
The resolution is essentially a commitment to study all city policies and throw out any policies that cause racial inequity.
“We’re calling on all city and county departments to continue with amazing urgency, a review of policies and procedures to eradicate implicit and explicit bias that we put in place, that may have been put in place that have built towards this sort of racial inequity,” said council Pres. Vop Osili, on News 8’s Daybreak.
Marion County Health Officer Dr. Virginia Caine praised the vote.
Osili said further in an emailed statement:
I want to thank my Council colleagues who stood together tonight to address the public health crisis in our community caused by pervasive and systemic racism. Our city is calling for frank, meaningful dialogue and action on the impact of systemic racism on Black lives, and tonight was another important step forward in answering that call.
