Together Baton Rouge says there are "two versions of 'community policing.' One of them is a powerful tool for change. The other is an exercise in public relations. Over the next few months, we'll have to draw some hard distinctions to bring about the real thing, and not the PR version."
A piece by the Christian Science Monitor digs into the question and includes a quote by Rev. Lee Wesley: "Policemen are going to have to get out of their cars, walk the street, and have a conversation with the black guy on the corner – the black guy who has his pants hanging down – and get to know him as an individual, not as a stereotype. Until we get those types of relationships going, we're never going to get our community moving forward."
Another piece by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report includes a useful quote from Rev. Patti Snyder: "We, as a city, will need to practice listening to one another. We will need to practice speaking to one another...and we will need to practice moving forward consistently and standing together so that racism and the systems that hold that system up are brought down and we move forward as a city."
Calls Resume for Community Policing, Christian Science Monitor
Together Baton Rouge Urges Community to Show Mutual Respect, Begin Difficult Dialogue to Start Healing Process, Greater Baton Rouge Business Report