City officials meet with ministers. Photo courtesy of the city of Asheville
Press release from the city of Asheville:
In response to the violent acts against a city resident, Mayor Esther Manheimer, Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler, and Police Chief Tammy Hooper met with the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA) and the Baptist Ministers Union (BMU) this afternoon.
The participants had an open dialogue about the video and agreed to meet again on March 22, 2018.
The pastors expressed their concern about the impact this incident has had on the relationship between police officers and the African American community. While progress has been made with the implementation of body worn cameras and the adoption of a use of force policy that emphasizes de-escalation, City representatives recognized that this incident is a set-back to progress and apologized on behalf of the City.
The City is committed to working with the community to further improvements in relations and the practices of the police department. The City representatives further stated that the Council will conduct an immediate review into the circumstances of this incident, the release of information, and the status of the investigation.
Since the meeting, a timeline has been compiled and shared. A hotline has also been established where community members can leave comments that will be forwarded to the Citizen’s Police Advisory Committee. The Community Engagement Hotline is 828.259.5900.
Graphic courtesy of the City of Asheville
SHARE
About Community Bulletin
Mountain Xpress posts selected news and information of local interest as a public service for our readers. To submit press releases and other community material for possible publication, email news@mountainx.com.
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.