A police officer said to me one day, "there are a lot of good officers that are concerned about crime in the neighborhoods. However, when they go into neighborhoods to fight crime, they are constantly being regarded as the intruder, and are strongly criticized in their actions." There are a lot of good police officers working with communities, how else would you explain the capture and arrest of the individuals in the murder of Tyesha Edwards.
We need strong, grounded and "SINCERE" leaders, in the community such as the Urban League and the NAACP, dedicated to being consistent, and not seeking the 15 minutes of fame. Meeting with the neighborhood folks on issues the "neighborhoods" sees as top priorities.
Also, the Citizens review Board, should adopt and initiate a hotline for people to call and make and/or file a complaint of police harassment. By reviewing badge numbers and squad car numbers, this will help to identify law enforcement who continually harass citizens, because of geographic area or the color of the skin.
In conclusion,
The last thing we need is a "Here today and Gone Tomorrow approach to community relations, this just makes it worst. Until we have the "REAL" issues brought to the table and dealt with, we will continue to see areas of hostile attitudes toward law enforcement. What people say to me is "everyone comes when there is trouble, but no one sticks around to the end result."
Vanessa L. Freeman
Northside Hawthorne
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