Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Denounces Governor Carney’s Misrepresentation of Racial Justice Efforts for Campaign Reelection Bid

Carney’s Executive Order for police reform has been criticized by social justice groups and local Democratic politicians for being inconsequential

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD), denounced Governor Carney for misrepresenting his administration’s efforts combatting COVID and orchestrating social justice reform as a deeper investigation showed no significant support for communities of color. Black people in Delaware make up 21% of its population but more than 29% of the known infections and are currently experiencing case rates of more than double their White peers.

Governor Carney also touted his administration’s quick action on racial justice action with motivation from the legacy of Congressman John Lewis but the Governor’s Executive Order #41, which came a month after George Floyd’s murder, lacked significant change. As of this weekend, protesters continue to fill the streets in search of effective police reform only to be met by Delaware State Police in riot gear, nearly two months after Delaware residents began protesting and the Governor requested that protesters find “a different way”. In response to the Governor’s Executive Order, the Executive Director of Delaware’s ACLU, Mike Bittner said “much more needs to be done” and called for simple yet meaningful reform that was missed in the Order like limiting use of law enforcement for low-level violations and ending the use of the Governor’s Council which fuels mass incarceration rates.

Local Elected Officials also balked at the Governor’s press conference to promote police body cameras but the lack of funding to support city budgets. Mayor Robin Christiansen of Dover, Delaware’s second most populous city, responded to the call for police body cameras with confusion saying, “If they’re gonna mandate and make such a promise to the community just to get people off their backs, they should follow through on that. And like I said, in a state this size, buying power of one entity will certainly make is cheaper and easier to maintain if the state takes the bull by the horns and follow through on promises of the Governor and Attorney General.”

Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD) Campaign Manager Chris Coffey said, “Governor Carney has taken the opportunity on several occasions to make public announcements regarding police reform, even including statements like ‘talk is cheap’. However, participating in press conferences and passing a toothless executive order to check boxes for his reelection campaign is negligent. In a state where Black people are incarcerated at a rate of nearly 5:1 and have more than double the Covid-19 infection rates than White people, the Governor is failing and Delawareans, especially Black Delawareans, deserve better.”

Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org.