About an hour into the Pomona African American Advisory Alliance’s town hall-style meeting to discuss policing on a recent February evening, a woman’s voice rose from the audience.
“Why is there a war on us?” she asked. “It seems like you’re specifically targeting young Black males.”
Her question was directed at Pomona Police Lt. Vince Terrell, sitting a few feet away. Dressed in uniform, he came to answer questions about equity and reconciliation between the Black community and police.
For a moment, the hubbub of the meeting quieted.
“We can do better. Absolutely, we can definitely do better. And as far as ‘the war,’ it may seem that way, but I can speak from a Pomona standpoint. There is no war,” Terrell said, before continuing to answer questions about everything from traffic stops to police training and background checks.
The two-hour meeting encapsulated long-simmering tensions between Black and Brown communities with police, exacerbated by decades of highly public, nationwide incidences of police brutality — from the beating of Rodney King to the killings of Tyisha Miller, Breonna Taylor, Tyre Nichols, and many more.
For Chará Swodeck, this meeting was one of many she hopes will promote a badly needed dialogue aimed at promoting reconciliation and healing between local Black residents and police.
The Alliance, or “four A’s” as Swodeck calls it, was first organized in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. The recent meeting in Pomona came just days after the release of a video depicting the fatal beating of Nichols by five Memphis police officers now facing murder charges. Those officers, who have since been fired, pleaded not guilty to charges Friday.
While Terrell decried Nichols’ death – calling the accused officers “beasts” – he encouraged attendees to assess departments and officers on an individual basis.
Not all agreed with that guidance.
Phelisha Licerio, who…
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