Forum focuses on Indianapolis police-community relations
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Thursday night, members of the community came together with law enforcement officers to talk about the relationship between civilians and police.
It’s a relationship both law enforcement and citizens said is at an all-time low in the city.
The strain comes after two officers from IMPD were cleared of wrongdoing by a merit board, after they shot and killed an unarmed black man, Aaron Bailey, last June.
The Indianapolis City-County Council organized the meeting at the Center for Inquiry School 27 designed to encourage an honest conversation about how to improve that relationship.
“At some point we have to stop pointing fingers at one another and begin to answer the question how do we stand together,” said Rick Snyder, the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police president.
Craig Bledsoe said he is an ex-felon and has seen ups and downs with police.
“They’re like, ‘How dare you run? How dare you not give me your hands?’ And when they get in that mode, you see what happens,” he said, when describing what he believes needs to improve on the police side.
But Bledsoe said he sees the need for improvement as a two-way street.
“We need to do our homework; we need to prepare our kids,” he said.
The ground rules for Thursday’s forum were: Don’t interrupt, be respectful and speak your truth. Police and the public split into smaller groups to share.
Organizers led the discussion, and people took turns speaking their mind.
City leaders were there to listen to people’s experiences. And experts from IUPUI took notes on the common themes.
Many citizens said they believed the issues began with IMPD’s training and implicit bias.
The groups then talked solutions. One person suggested IMPD should have a board to hear civil rights complaints. Another suggested more of these meetings should happen.
And the conversation is set to continue. The next forum will be in six weeks.
“We have the opportunity as Hoosiers to show other parts of the country how to get this done,” said Snyder.
City-County Council President Vop Osili said he hopes some of the suggestions that come from the forums could contribute to new ordinances in the city of Indianapolis.