Carolyn DiPaoloMembers questioned the sheriff and two county commissioners.
More than 1,000 members of PEACE gathered in Jupiter last week to challenge Palm Beach County leaders to make bold changes for the least among us.
Why it matters: The faith-based coalition is focused on three areas where it has identified unbearable inequity: law enforcement traffic stops, affordable housing and mental health.
Back story: PEACE, which stands for People Engaged in Active Community Efforts, was founded in 1991. It is made up of 25 congregations of various denominations in Palm Beach County. Each year, it calls out leaders to support its priorities.
- On April 7, at its annual meeting at JupiterFIRST Church, the organization focused on:
Law enforcement
Last year, PEACE asked Sheriff Ric Bradshaw to track and report on who is being pulled over by his department.
They wanted to minimize racial profiling because excessive traffic stops can escalate into police brutality and unnecessary arrest, even if it doesn’t make the news, Annie Ruth Nelson of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in West Palm Beach said at the meeting. “Data analysis and public transparency can show our community that law enforcement agencies can be trusted,” she said.
Bradshaw told the audience traffic stop data is being collected and the department is working with criminal justice expert Jack McDevitt to analyze the data. The department also invited the Northeastern University professor to review their procedures, Bradshaw said.
What’s next: PEACE and the sheriff agreed to a meeting this summer to review the data.
Housing
Al Benson of St Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Boynton Beach shared the story of Lindsay, a Palm Beach County woman with a bachelor’s degree who is making $50,000 a year. She doesn’t earn enough to participate in the county’s home ownership assistance program. The threshold is $62,400, which is 60% of the county’s median income.
Stunning stat: About a third of all Palm Beach County workers do not live there.
PEACE members want the county to require builders to set aside affordable rental units for people like Lindsay. It would be similar to the county’s workforce housing program, which requires builders to set aside units for renters earning more than $62,400 or make a payment to the county. PEACE wants builders to be required to set aside housing that is affordable to people earning less.
Of the seven commissioners invited to the meeting, Commissioners Bobby Powell and Gregg Weiss attended. Powell said he would support such a requirement.
- Weiss said he could not support it because it would increase the housing costs for everyone. Developers are struggling to meet the county’s workforce housing benchmarks. For builders to include housing for the lowest-income renters would be unworkable, he said.
- “I’m happy to make the money available to build affordable housing,” Weiss said. “I can’t tell you that I am going to make it a requirement.”
Of note: Commissioner Maria Sachs, who did not attend, has pledged support, PEACE members said. Commissioner Joel Flores accepted an invitation but did not attend.
What’s next: PEACE plans to meet with Sachs and county staff to refine a housing measure to present to county commissioners in May.
Mental health
PEACE members are focused on the county’s teams of medical professionals and social workers who step in when severely mentally ill people are in crisis.
The organization contends that the teams are severely understaffed.
Last year, PEACE heard from Ann Berner, CEO of the Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network, which oversees state Department of Children and Families spending on behavioral health in Palm Beach County.
Berner did not commit to expanding the team’s resources. “I don’t quite have the power that you suggest,” she told PEACE, according to The Palm Beach Post.
This year, PEACE asked a DCF representative to investigate the effectiveness of the health network’s management.
Asta Trinh, DCF’s director of regional operations, said the department is reviewing the staffing and performance of the teams.
What’s next: Trinh agreed to report her findings to PEACE by June 1.
I am a co-founder, writer and editor for Stet News. I am also a former senior editor at The Palm Beach Post. For 20 years, I oversaw some of the most consequential stories published by the paper, including the “Corruption County” reporting project that led to multiple arrests of elected officials. I am a member of the Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2013. I live in West Palm Beach with my husband, Bill DiPaolo.
