There seems to have always been violence between the police and the African American community. The rise of social media and video has brought these images to our front door. This has led to the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement.
A particular incident that has no doubt stayed within everyone’s mind is the Baton Rouge shooting that left three officers dead, where the BLM movement has been falsely blamed of driving this by the mainstream media.
In hopes of creating a better sense of community, police and Black Lives Matter activists in Kansas hosted a BLM Police BBQ.
With this spark of brilliance, activists were able to have conversations with the police, bringing up issues that are behind the tension in the community. To prove that this BLM Police BBQ was not an attempt to buy people off with free food, Chief Ramsay of Wichita’s police department made plans to better the relationship between the police and the rest of the community.
One of his strategies is to ensure officers are equipped with cameras so that every interaction with citizens can hold both parties accountable for their actions.
By the end of this BLM Police BBQ, it seemed that for the moment, both the activists and the police had managed to disseminate the hostility in the community.
Although Chief Ramsay admitted changes will not be done overnight, the success of the barbeque goes a long way in providing hope and mending the trust that was broken due to recent horrific events.
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