ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — Since starting The Resolution on June 3, Thurgood Brooks has had one goal -- "moving dialogue to action."
The organization is fighting for police reform and fairness for everyone, sharing a ten point platform with local, state and federal officials.
"We understand how this process works," Founder Thurgood Brooks says. "It can be complex."
But now, organizers say they are at a stalemate after a third meeting with police groups this week. The Resolution has decided to suspend dialogue with all city agencies with the exclusion at this time of Moline.
Thurgood says his group walked out of that meeting with Illinois Quad Cities police chiefs and Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos. They makes up the Quad Cities Law Enforcement Group, which previously addressed The Resolution's platform last month with a document called 'Where We Stand."
"Meeting and talking and asking questions cannot be done with us anymore," Brooks says. "It has to be done in chambers where people are elected to do and implement policies and changes."
Sheriff Bustos says they were given an ultimatum to agree with the group on a new list of issues -- one that he says they couldn't agree to without more discussion.
"These are real complex issues," he says.
Among the list of issues discussed at a meeting between the two groups on July 22nd, calling for speedier trials, creating a body cam program for officers, starting an education program for police recruits, discussing issues with legislature and adding more training money for law enforcement.
"One of their concerns was that cases was taking too long to get through court and with that we agree," Sheriff Bustos says. "Body cam programs for all law enforcement, we're almost there (with all of our departments), but not all the way."
But he says some things, like more police training dollars, are out of their control.
"A lot of it has to do w money. Because of our pandemic and so many other things, dollars for law enforcement are short," Sheriff Bustos says.
Both groups say the ball is in the other's court in terms of meeting again.
Brooks is encouraging the Quad Cities Law Enforcement Group to take and share a survey to get additional perspective on improving the relationship between the community and local law enforcement.
The Resolution is planning to unveil Phase Two of its mission in the coming weeks.