by Tony Ganzer, ideastream
Today we have another piece in 鈥淥ur Land鈥�: a conversation on community policing in Cleveland. This occasional series is featuring many diverse Cleveland perspectives always beginning the same way: asking what should community policing look like, and how far are we from it? Today we hear from Stephen Williams, the youth minister at Cleveland鈥檚 Glenville neighborhood.
WILLIAMS: 鈥淚 believe we鈥檙e getting close there in this community, because we have police officers walking the beat now. That鈥檚 community policing to me: having the police officers walking the streets, checking on the business owners, the citizens, getting to know the youth in the community, all those type of things. And for the last few months or so we have seen officers walking the daily beat here in the community on 105, so that鈥檚 really good, I think that鈥檚 some forward progress.鈥�
GANZER: 鈥淭he police union criticized that, saying this is just for show having officers walk down the street. But you think it鈥檚 actually making a difference?鈥�
WILLIAMS: 鈥淚 think naturally when folks see police walk by they鈥檙e going to either stop doing what they鈥檙e doing, or even run away, you know, depending on what type of business they鈥檙e involved in. But just that presence, because you know a police officer can talk to you, arrest you, and all those types of things, so that makes a huge difference for safety.鈥�
GANZER: 鈥淭hese young people, especially in this neighborhood, they face a lot of pressures from gang elements, but also just socioeconomic pressures. How are they responding to the changes of the police? Do you see any reaction, I guess, to all the discussion that鈥檚 going on at City Hall and the Justice Department, or not so much?鈥�
WILLIAMS: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that that鈥檚 making a huge difference with our youth, particularly with our young black males, because they鈥檙e in the belly of the beast. A lot of the young males we work with here at Bethany, which is prevalent throughout our low-income communities, they don鈥檛 have a father figure in their lives. We鈥檙e dealing with some youth that are in foster homes. They are kind of raising themselves out here, and they鈥檙e looking for love, so a gang that鈥檚 where they feel comfortable. So the conversations that鈥檚 happening at City Hall and things like that I believe don鈥檛 really affect them per se鈥︹��
GANZER: 鈥淲hat would affect them? What needs to happen and is not happening to affect them?鈥�
WILLIAMS: 鈥淥ur fathers needs to step up, especially for our young black males, anybody who doesn鈥檛 have a father especially in a low-income environment. We need fathers to step up, be positive role models, be God-fearing brothers who teach our young brothers to go in a positive direction. A father鈥檚 there to protect, to lead, to guide, to instruct. When fathers are being put out of the household, now you鈥檝e got these young brothers and sisters you know just going whichever way they鈥檙e being led. You know, and if we don鈥檛 have the fathers in place, we need mentorship programs for our young brothers and our sisters, where they can have somebody that loves them, and looking out for them, and praying for them, and conversing with them, talking about issues, taking them out, all those type of things so they can get a positive alternative to what they鈥檙e facing on a daily basis on the streets.鈥�
GANZER: 鈥淚 heard you did reach out to some young people, and there wasn鈥檛 much interest to talk about this. Why do you think that is?鈥�
WILLIAMS: 鈥淚 believe there鈥檚 just an unnatural relationship with, especially with our young folks and police officers, well, the black community with police officers, especially with a lot of things that鈥檚 going on, because they know about the shootings. That might affect them in a way where they, even without having direct contact with a police officer and getting to know someone personally, they just have that anger and angst with police. And depending on what a young person is doing, what they鈥檙e involved in, they鈥檙e not trying to be involved with police at all. There鈥檚 a lot of factors in play, but when you don鈥檛 have a good relationship with police officers, you鈥檙e going to tend to, or anybody, any type of relationship, if you don鈥檛 have a good relationship, you鈥檙e going to sometimes stay away.鈥�
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