My Commitments to Police Reform and an Equitable City Budget for El Paso

By Carlos Gallinar

The senseless murder of George Floyd, and the countless deaths of Black and Brown people at the hands of law enforcement, remind us of the change we need in our country and our local communities. We can no longer wait for genuine and comprehensive police reform. As a father and candidate for Mayor of El Paso, I recognize the responsibility I carry to show the community how I will lead. On June 10, I was the first candidate to hold the first public forum on race and police reform; I met with the El Paso Young Democrats, the Black Student Union, El Paso Young Black Leaders, and concerned citizens. This was the start of a community conversation to reform our city’s police department.

Read my statement of the murder of George Floyd here.

Watch our Community Voices: A Conversation about Race and Reform here.

The time to act and rebuild trust with the El Paso Police Department and City Hall is now.

Here’s a start of what we can achieve together:

Increase accountability and engagement

To seek meaningful long term change, we must begin to acknowledge the realities and complexities of our region and be unafraid to speak out about the changes required of all of us. As mayor, I will work on the following:

1. Sign the Mayor’s Pledge. The Obama Foundation set out an outline for what cities and mayors across the country can do through the Mayor’s Pledge and El Paso has yet to sign on. I will sign on and commit to engaging with the community to reform our police use of force policies.
2. Establish a civilian advisory board to ensure the public has a role in oversight and accountability.
3. Ensure that all police officers have body cameras. At this time only a small portion of our police department has body cameras. We need to ensure that we make this technology available to everyone.
4. Require training on equity, mental health, and social services for all personnel.
5. Appoint an LGBTQI+ Police Liaison to the department as previously outlined in our El Paso Plan for Equality and LGBTQI+ Rights. You can read the full plan here.
6. Establish a representative Police Department by creating Community Policing Programs.
7. Support the Equity Fund: Following the murder of George Floyd, I created the Equity Fund at the El Paso Community Foundation to support projects addressing systemic racism, equity and equality in El Paso. The first project is to change the street name of Robert E. Lee to Buffalo Soldiers. As Mayor, I will continue to support ongoing efforts and projects.
8. I support providing mental health services for police officers and their families. I understand that our police officers are under duress. I want to make sure we are providing them, their spouses, and children the necessary counseling resources and ensure that we prioritize their quality of life.
9. I will support cite and release for marijuana possession.
10. Replace Police Chief Greg Allen and establish an employment contract for the police chief.

End ‘Use of Force’ Policies

We must ensure that the police department does not use tear gas or military-style weapons on our residents. We must also ban chokeholds and demilitarize our police force. We will work to implement the recommendations of the 8 Can’t Wait campaign, working with activists and community leaders to ensure meaningful reform.

Create an Equitable City Budget

At this moment, while we face a public health and economic crisis and a budget deficit, the city’s budget will increase for the El Paso Police Department, while there are proposed cuts of 30% and 27.5% to museums and parks. Our priorities must begin with an equitable budget. One that prioritizes quality of life items such as parks, hike and bike trails, museums, mental health programs, and after school activities for youth and families.

When elected mayor, I will work with the community to further develop these strategies. I will also listen to community members to hear their concerns. I recognize that this is an important conversation that requires serious consideration from the mayor’s office. I look forward to starting this dialogue.

About Carlos

Carlos is a native El Pasoan, the first person in his family to attend and graduate college. He has dedicated his life to improving the lives of El Pasoans. His work includes affordable housing development, community master plans, modernizing school facilities, and international philanthropic work. For the last three years Carlos has managed his own small business — Gallinar Planning & Development, LLC focusing on community development and urban planning. His goal is to improve the quality of life for all El Pasoans through a more sustainable and healthier city.

Carlos has been married for 15 years to Janine, a social worker and mental health professional. They met while volunteering at Annunciation House, an immigrant shelter and refugee advocacy center. They live in El Paso’s historic Sunset Heights neighborhood with their two young children, Olivia and Joaquin.

You can learn more about Carlos and his run for Mayor of El Paso at www.gallinarforelpaso.com.