The Cincinnati EnquirerMediation session finds shared goals: First group explores its hopes, fearsBy Kristina Goetz, June 26, 2001After a Monday morning of Shared stories, frustrations and hopes for Cincinnati, more than 120 religious and social Service leaders developed seven goals to improve police-community relations in the uneasy city.Among them: Minimizing violent confrontation, educating the community about police procedures, and reforming the police division's recruiting and hiring practices. Rashad Abdullah of the Cincinnati Islamic Center (right) said he was surprised at the candor of the session. With, him is Rabbi George Barnard of the Northern Hills Synagogue. |
photo by Michael E. Keating
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| The session was part of an unprecedented mediation to settle a class-action
federal lawsuit accusing the city of decades of discrimination against
blacks. "As a pilot (effort), I think it was great," said Jay Rothman, president of the Aria Group, the conflict resolution firm heading the process. In the undercroft of Christ Church Cathedral downtown, participants sat in small groups. They told stories of white privilege and racial profiling. They talked of fairness and distrust. The Rev. Kwasi Thornell of Christ Church Cathedral was in Detroit when the riots broke out there in 1967 and he was here when the riots erupted in April. For his son's sake, he wants to see change. "Black people wake up every morning and wonder how the world is going to respond to them because they're black," the Rev. Mr. Thornell said to members of his small group Monday. "It'd be nice before I die to wake up and not worry about that, not feeling judged because of who I am racially." Paul Davis of Eastgate has a son and daughter-in-law on the Cincinnati police force. The graduate student was in class at the University of Cincinnati the day the indictment of Stephen Roach - the officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teen, sparking the April riots - was announced. An African-American woman in his class said she wanted to get home to make sure her children were safe. "It hadn't hit me until then that I had the same concern for my children," he said. Rabbi George Barnard of Northern Hills Synagogue in Springfield Township said he felt bonds forming Monday. "In the first circle there was an African-American who said he wanted to feel safe," he said. "I want to feel safe, too. We come at it from a different angle, but we want the same thing." Monday's session will be followed by seven other such "feedback" sessions, in groups of 100 or more people - classified in "identity" groups. In their own words, This first After four hours of debate, participants in Monday's Aria Group session listed seven goals to help bring the police and the community together: * Minimize violent confrontation. * Create new community-police relations and understanding by strengthening community-based policing. * Reform the Cincinnati Police Division, including recruitment, hiring, training and accountability procedures. * Do justice, pursue equality and seek peace, recognizing social, economic and political factors throughout the region. o Build relationships of respect, cooperation and trust within and between police and our communities. * Educate the community on appropriate law enforcement efforts. * Establish systems and structures for equitable treatment and respect by officers for all individuals and all communities. group - considered a pilot group for future sessions - ran out of time to list its goals in priority. "We're going to have to figure out how to manage the time for youth," Mr. Rothman said, referring to the next "identity" group organizers will reach out to: People ages 14 to 32. Other identity groups include African-Americans, police officers and their families, and business leaders. Later, representatives from each of the eight "identity" groups will hone the goals further, followed by analysis and recommendations from Aria Group pro- fessionals to reach a settlement. If all sides of the lawsuit agree to Aria recommendations, it will be presented in December to U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott for approval. The federal lawsuit was filed by African-American activists and the ACLU on behalf of 29 complainants who say Cincinnati police discriminated against them during traffic stops and other incidents. Rashad Abdullah, a member of the Cincinnati Islamic Center, said he thought the process was off to a good start Monday.  "I thought everyone had a chance to give input, which is important," he said. "We're actually able to formulate the process. We got a chance to create it." Mr. Abdullah was surprised at participants' candor and the connection he made with his group members. One white woman, he said, told the group she believes the white community needs to understand white privilege. "I always felt that there was a dual system, but I didn't believe Caucasians were aware of the injustice," Mr. Abdullah said. Grundi Moore, a member of New Prospect Baptist Church in Over-the-Rhine, explained the importance of the storytelling to another group member this way: "When you start hearing testimonies, you will feel something," Ms. Moore said. "Then the only difference between us will be two things: that you're a man and I'm a woman and you're white and I'm black. "Other than that, we're the same." top |
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