Office of Mayor Pete Buttigieg, South Bend, IN
It is not often in one’s life that the Mayor of their small, Rust-Belt hometown runs for President of the United States. Even slimmer still are the chances of that Mayor vaulting from relative obscurity to serious candidacy on the national stage at the age of 37. Mayor Pete doesn’t listen to the conventions. This past summer I had the opportunity to serve my hometown of South Bend, Ind., and work as an intern in the Office of the Mayor.
As the summer began and I arrived at the office, I had no idea what to expect. There was a job description that I had read but considering that had been written before my supervisor ran for President, I had a feeling it was subject to change. For the first few weeks, all of the interns would collaborate on the ‘Clips,’ an email sent out every morning to city employees summarizing the previous days’ news. We also would help with any tasks or projects that the staff may have. Each of the interns had a specific focus. My specific focus was working with the Director of Community Outreach, Cherri Peate, to improve police and community relations. We worked with a Community Roundtable made up of local community leaders, faith leaders, and the police chiefs. For the first meeting, I was tasked with drafting the questions that the police chief was to ask the Roundtable. I tried to draft questions that would draw out the emotions at the root of the problem, and allow people to speak, to create vulnerability, but not to drive anyone away from the table. The meeting was very productive, and we were gearing up for another event; but then a tragic event that would change the course of the summer occurred.
Early on Father’s Day at 3:30 in the morning, Eric Logan, a 54-year-old black man and father, was shot and killed by a white police officer, Sergeant Ryan O’Neill. Mayor Pete would go on to cancel his campaign events for nearly an entire week in the immediate wake of the shooting to return to South Bend. For the weeks after the shooting, I worked essentially as the right arm for Cherri Peate. We would come in to the office at 6 a.m. so that we could finalize whatever draft that she would present to the Mayor at 9 a.m. We crafted many different documents, from deliverable action items to planning community input events on policy. When Cherri and I weren’t furiously scribbling at the whiteboard drafting plans for the Mayor, we were attending events with him. On the Friday after the shooting, Mayor Pete attended a protest outside of the police department, and we marched to the County-City building, where the Mayor’s Office is located. Community members were calling for reforms to the police force, but primarily voicing their hurt and anger. In response to the outpouring of emotion, the Mayor promised a public town hall in two days’ time meant to answer the questions of the public. As we rode back from the event in the Mayor’s private escort, he turned to Cherri, myself, and Phil (another intern) and said, “Are you guys ready? I’m going to need your help so assemble a team and let’s get to work.”
The following 48 hours would be perhaps the most intense two days of the summer. We arranged for a venue, planned the course of the evening and communicated the plan with the Mayor. On the day of the Town Hall, we arrived several hours early to set up, deal with the national media, and iron out any last-minute logistics. CNN sent an entire truck to live broadcast the event, and every major news channel had at least one reporter and a camera present. As the event unfolded, it was clear that the raw anger, pain, and frustration was still fresh in the community. Many used the platform that the media provided to scream and shout at the Mayor, disregarding the
process we had planned to utilize the microphone for a productive community dialogue. When it became
clear that the event was not going as planned, Cherri pulled me and Phil aside, handed us a massive stack of note cards and said “I need you to execute.” We began methodically passing out notecards and pens to all of the people in attendance, telling them that we were trying to get everyone’s voice heard.
Since then, the work around the office has calmed, if only slightly. We are awaiting the decision by the special prosecutor on whether any criminal charges are to be brought against Officer O’Neill. There is no concern regarding discipline from the police department because O’Neill resigned just a few weeks ago, citing mounting stress from the national spotlight. Moving forward, I have helped plan and implement a series of seven meetings, called the Community Action Group. These meetings are open to the public and feature small group discussion and review of the existing South Bend Police Department Policy Manual, in hopes of both educating the public on how the department operates now and also learning what the community would like to see in the policies that govern them.
Over the course of this internship, I have had the incredible opportunity of being able to help work to solve the problems that are hurting my community. The treatment of black men at the hands of white police officers is an issue that has consumed the nation, and most recently South Bend. This internship has given me insight as to how these events unfold, and many of the legal and political implications they may have. I have seen the pain and hurt of family members, the community, and our city. I have seen our police officers voice their discontent with the Mayor. I have seen the national media amplify the voice a few, while ignoring many. I have seen the Mayor try to help console the community with both hands tied behind his back by ongoing investigations and legal concerns. Ultimately, I have gained a new understanding of all of the different factors that are at play in national social issues.
The opportunities I have been provided have reinforced my desire to major in political science and to pursue politics after graduation. I have gotten an inside glimpse at the operations of a major Presidential campaign, the workings of local government, and just how important both of these are, all at the same time. Government touches everyone’s life, and because of this it remains important to ensure that these influences are positive, helpful, and assist in growth.
I would like to thank Mark Bode and Cherri Peate at the Mayor’s Office, the ’68 Center for Career Explora- tion and the Estate of George Mead for making such an incredible internship opportunity possible. Without these key players, I would not have had the opportunity to learn, grow, and further my interest in politics.