Members of Tucson’s black community met with high-ranking officials within the Tucson Police Department and Pima County Sheriff’s department on Friday, July 8, to discuss their relationship following the deaths of five Dallas police officers the day before.
The talks were initiated by DaMond Holt, senior pastor of Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church and president of Ministers Alliance in Tucson.
“We reached out to the Sheriff’s department…and we reached out to our civil rights leaders,” he said. “We’re here to come together in solidarity…to be more strategic and intentional in building stronger relations between our law enforcement community and community of color.”
During a press conference following the meeting, members of the community along with Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, Tucson Police Assistant Chief Ramon Batista and Capt. Chad Kasmar expressed their condolences for the attack in Dallas as well as innocent lives lost at the hands of police officers.
“I believe and I hope and call and pray that this can now open a dialogue between the African American community and the law enforcement community so that we no longer see each other as adversaries but as friends,” said Grady Scott, a senior pastor of Grace Temple MBC.
While the department has not instituted new procedures in light of the attack in Dallas, Deborah Embry, president of the Tucson Urban League, said the group is working on a national movement to address the disproportional amount of police violence against black people.
“The Urban League movement has put forth a plan…that includes review and revision of police use of deadly force policies, comprehensive retraining of police officers, the appointment of special prosecutors to investigate police misconduct and widespread use of body cameras and dashboard cameras,” she said.
Much of the conversation centered around the TPD’s new focus on community policing in which officers participate in activities beyond enforcement and crime prevention in order to become more engaged in the community.
“Tucson was picked as one of 15 police departments across the country to advance the ideals and recommendations of 21st policing.” Kasmar said. “Our officer’s ability to engage in non-law-enforcement-related activities such as stopping and playing basketball with a group of kids or reading to a group of kids while another group of officers was cooking burgers.”
TPD has put more officers in the field in the last six months under the command of Chief Magnus, which has improved response times to calls and allowed officers to partake in more recreational activities with the community.
Holt created a program called “Hoops with a Cop” through which Tucson police officers visit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson and help children with their homework, answer questions and play basketball in order to establish and enhance the relation with the community.
Though relationships are improving, Holt said there is still work to be done as the effects of national police violence towards black people reverberate throughout the Tucson community.
“It has increased tension in our community,” he said. “Often we’ve seen these deadly shootings take place and we get indictments but we get no convictions. So it’s more of the same and it appears that justice matter to all people except African Americans. That’s why we have Black Lives Matter.”
Several of the leaders present at the press conference attended a Black Lives Matter vigil on July 9 held for Alton Sterling and Philando Castile who were shot by police earlier in the week.
“People are concerned. If we can get this many people together on short notice it shows that things are happening in America that are concerning for people of all colors,” said Doris Snowden, president of Tucson NAACP, at the rally. “The only thing I think that will cure racism in America is love, understanding and forgiveness. We can’t live in yesterday with the hatred we see on bumper stickers or the hatred we see in our political parties today.”
Demonstrators met in Armory Park where speakers addressed the crowd before marching down Fourth Avenue and returning to the park.
Herb Buckner, a pastor with the Divinely Inspired Ministry and teacher at Utterback Magnet Middle School, said he agreed with the sentiment of vigil.
“Both groups have fear,” he said. “The same fear a police officer feels when he walks to a car is the same fear a black motorist feels when the policeman is walking to the car. So the fear is common. The fear is the biggest issue right now and I think both parties need to recognize and honor each other’s fear.”
This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2016.
Instant outrage is a byproduct of instant gratification. Can anybody wait for real facts? The levels of ignorance is astounding
What happened to the presumption of innocence? For everybody. Cell phone camera convictions? Shame on us.
With all due respect, Rat T, you are the one here expressing “Instant outrage.” It appears to me that your instant outrage is fired off before reading this article – an article that I find expressive of hope and a desire to find understanding and virtually devoid of outrage – except for your comment.
Nothing about the rush to judgment of the two people mentioned that were shot? When we find out the truth and that the shootings were justified will the race baiters, the “hate whitey” crowd stand to be counted as what they are, haters?
So if no one sees the problem here I’ll make a quick observation for you, first as a retired Veteran, we only had green, while society aligns themselves by race because they want segregation, not sure why but they do. My black friends do not all themselves African American, yet I have a few good friends that actually are, they joined the Army to gain citizenship, and trust me, the black people in America calling themselves African American that were borne here, you are not liked by most Africans, nor would you make it there because they are a hard working caring people. that said, we will never be a united people until we remove all the tags people have given themselves to gain some sort of special treatment, if you are here, and you claim this to be your country, you are American. Now for racial profiling everyone talks about like its a bad thing, its an important tool in survival and security, if I’m at an airport, I want the middle eastern man scrutinized, not the 87 year old woman in the walker, and right now today, I want the BLM and Black Panthers taken down as domestic terrorist organizations, which they are. And yeas, when a black organization preaches hate towards white, they have indeed proliferated racial profiling against the black communities, as I said, I have friends of color, and the BLM and black panthers have made their lives hell also because they are scrutinized more because of these two groups actions and threats against innocent Americans. So if you want to call yourself African American and you were borne here, you irrigate yourself and that’s fine, but if you want to be treated without being profiled, get rid of the hate organizations, they are not good for anyone. I applaud the interactions between the community and the Police, I think its necessary, however, one protest that gets outta control, and I believe that all bets are off the table, so the African American communities should be aware of who is in their neighborhoods and kick out/call the police about anyone preaching hate and talking about rallies because it affects the entire community.
Calling for peace calm and patience is outrage in your world David? Pitiful.