Say Their Names Saratoga BLM Community Outreach Event

Say Their Names, a community outreach event, hosted by Saratoga BLM took place on Friday May 26th in Congress Park. Food, music and coloring activities were available. Samira Sangare, director of operations read a poem. Those who attended including Mayor Kim and Kristin Dart, Chair of the Civilian Review Board, heard speeches from BLM members Tiemogo TJ Sangare, Chandler Hickenbottom and Lexis Figuereo. Some concerns mentioned during the event were the importance of voting in the upcoming local elections. Also, the Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force recommendation outlined in the Reinvention Plan: Toward Community Centered Justice Initiative, requests that “…the Police Department be precluded from initiating no-knock warrants under any circumstance…” which has now been addressed in the revised resolution adopted by the current City Council in April restricting no-knock warrants under any circumstance to search residences for controlled substances. The exception in other cases with extreme circumstances must detail facts about why an announced warrant would cause imminent danger to a persons life . Saratoga Springs City Council restricts no-knock warrants https://www.saratoga-springs.org/DocumentCenter/View/15879/City-Council-Votes-to-Restrict-No-Knock-Warrants?bidId= The Resolution, 2021 https://www.saratoga-springs.org/DocumentCenter/View/12712/Amended_Resolution_203_V3?bidId=