BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood held a press conference Friday to address the recent resignations of several members of the Kern County Sheriff's Community Advisory Council.
Sheriff Youngblood said he felt the representatives from KCSO on the committee were working well with the council and was disappointed by the resignations Thursday.
Among those who resigned was Arleana Waller, the founder, and "ShEO" of both the ShePower Leadership Academy and the Circle of Life Development Foundation/MLK CommUNITY Initiative. In her resignation letter, she wrote that they have "reached an impasse in our ability to make a material change for the community -- that trust us to speak on their behalf."
The sheriff said it's unfortunate and they'll start over.
All of this coming less than a week after the debut of the docu-series "Killing County," which highlighter officer-involved shootings in the county. The sheriff said he hasn't seen the series and has no comment on it adding that he lived it.
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There were also questions about representatives with the ACLU and the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Youngblood saying they were disruptive, adding they didn't want to be on the committee. He says they were eventually invited but declined.
Youngblood added that he's looking forward to working with the core members that remain.
As for any mistrust between the committee and KCSO, he said they worked hard to break down barriers thru difficult conversations and had come a long way with this group.
As for Waller's letter, she added at the council's most recent meeting it was clear that their mission was being "subverted by politics and bureaucracy."
Youngblood says in the beginning he didn't look at color but at the geographic areas represented. He stressed the committee is independent of the sheriff's office saying they're a "member" of the committee.
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