City Manager Julio Avael hosted an invitation-only "public" meeting Wednesday morning at the Holiday Inn Beachside to provide input on whether the City should create a Police Civilian Review Board. Avael determined who would be on the invitation list and no member of the public was allowed to speak unless they had an invitation. The press was not invited, but some members of the media showed up anyway.
Most of those at the head table were law enforcement officers or were connected in some way to law enforcement. For the most part, they opposed the idea of a Civilian Review Board and said so.
Former NAACP President Peggy Ward Grant was there and expressed support for civilian review. But, she said, " felt that I had walked into a meeting that was a stacked deck."
Perhaps she was right in thinking that. Key West The Newspaper has learned that there was a "pre-meeting" in Avael's office on Tuesday morning to plan how to manage the meeting in favor of those who oppose civilian review.
Stay tuned.