Build bridges with community and police
asked Rodriguez It seems like every week there’s a new viral video showing law enforcement applying force onto a Black man. Last week, the viral video came from Asheville. In pre-2020 fashion, the System seems to have signed, sealed-shut, and case-closed the actions of law enforcement officers captured on video. Nothing to see here folks. The community mobilized in protest, not because there was clear-cut malfeasance, but because there was no discussion to be had. This is a recurring story. One that has become part and party to the growing desensitized norms. Adverse community experiences dominate the media, which fosters distrust and burns bridges between law enforcement and the communities they police. Every new incident traumatizes the community once again. After the beating of local resident Johnnie Rush in 2017 by overly-aggressive officers, the conversations went...
