Among those planning to attend tonight's event is Khalid Samad, who is with the community group "Peace in the Hood." He says these are opportunities for constructive dialogue.
“You don’t know anybody wanna live in a city without a police department, without law enforcement, without public safety, without fire, without EMS, so these things are essential," he says. "And there should always be an effort to improve relationships and have the spirit of cooperation that’s needed for the city to move forward. For the most part, the vast majority of people who work in law enforcement are people of good will, and that’s what we want to see in our community.”
Recent incidents have strained relationships between Cleveland Police and the communities they serve.
Samad says for him, the one that has fired up questions about CPD training and protocols was the November 2012 high-speed chase which ended with officers firing 137 rounds into a suspect’s car, killing him and his passenger. Neither was armed.
An officer involved in that incident has since been charged with voluntary manslaughter.
Tonight's listening session will be held at Elizabeth Baptist Church, beginning at 6pm. The fourth and final session will be held next Tuesday at Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church.