Op-ed view: Jerry Dyer not qualified to become Fresno’s next mayor

Mayoral candidate Jerry Dyer posits that the vandals who defaced his campaign billboard did so because they harbor a “deep hatred for law enforcement.” He is wrong. Instead, people have a deep hatred for governing through crime. What is more, his comment betrays what many of us know to be true. First and foremost, Dyer is a cop, one who led a department that has failed our community by killing youth of color and mentally ill adults. “One Fresno” requires better leadership. A vote for Dyer supports a man who has routinely dismissed his moral, legal, and leadership failings and evaded calls for reform. Once a bad cop, always a bad cop.

One major problem with Dyer’s campaign is that he still considers himself a cop. He has given the public no reason to believe that he is capable of bringing anything other than a cop mentality to address a myriad of complex, noncriminal challenges facing this city of over 500,000. Indeed, as police chief he consistently led the charge to defeat non-law enforcement programs to improve our city’s well-being. We offer three recent examples and we invite readers to list more.

First, as police chief he aggressively lobbied to defeat Measure P (a highly popular tax initiative to support parks) by creating a false narrative that the public had to choose between parks or police protection. This was demonstrably false. It was a blatant move to feed the insatiable appetite of the bureaucratic machine of law enforcement, the primary objective of which is to expand itself, not eliminate crime. This is governing through crime, not creating “One Fresno.”

Second, as police chief, Dyer was afraid of the Advance Peace initiative. He did not want to even give it a chance. Again, he created a false narrative to oppose a program (with measurable success in other cities) that would address gun violence outside the purview of law enforcement; therefore, no funds to the law enforcement machine. This program had the support of many groups working to end gun deaths and had the support of the public. Can we trust someone who ignored these voices? This is governing through crime, not creating “One Fresno.”

Third, in response to the recent and horrific mass shooting in Fresno, which took the lives of four community members, in his official statement, candidate Dyer had not one word to say about gun control. Instead, he offered prayers and confidence in the police response to this violence. This is governing through crime. It does not create “One Fresno.”

Make no mistake. Electing Dyer will only forward a hopelessly unimaginative civic agenda that aims to prioritize the aims of law enforcement as a violent, self-interested bureaucratic entity over the needs of our community. Clearly Dyer’s only response to community problems is more cops on the street, more weapons, and a bigger SWAT vehicle.

We need a leader, not an enforcer. We need somebody who understands the challenges of a complex and diverse city, not somebody who shoots first, asks questions later. We need somebody who can offer up more than prayers.

This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Op-ed view: Jerry Dyer not qualified to become Fresno’s next mayor."