Community, law enforcement get together to start conversations

by Sarah Thomack

St. Joseph Post

While it was hot outside and some of the conversation was also heated, a cookout Tuesday night at John Lucas Park in St. Joseph was an overall peaceful event. 

The event was put on to bring together law enforcement officers and community members to have conversations.

“With everything that’s going on around the community, with Minneapolis… we (want) to help people understand that we’re here for you, we understand what’s going on, we don’t agree with what happened, we don’t train that way, we don’t educate that way,” says Sgt. Brad Kerns with the St. Joseph Police Department. “And what happened, not only affects the community, it affects us. A lot of officers are saddened by it, upset by it.”

Sgt. Kerns, who is also president of the Fraternal Order of Police in St. Joseph, says they wanted to bring everyone together to open a dialogue with the community.

“At the end of the day, we have a really good community and I think everybody is open to listening and we want to hear what your thoughts are, hear what your concerns are and just have an understanding and be there with the community,” Kerns says.

Tyann Rowland Jones of St. Joseph and Ashley Steverson of Cleveland, Ohio, who have been part of the peaceful protests in St. Joseph over the past four days were instrumental in making the cookout happen.

“(I'm) pretty proud,” Rowland Jones says, “I just think it’s a huge start. We needed this. I’ve been here all my life and it’s a racist town and I think this is good. Really good.”

Terresa Parks has also been part of the peaceful protests in St. Joseph that have been at various places including the police station on Sunday where the group started some conversations then with officers.

“Since then, the culture around the protests has even changed, more people are now, since they’ve seen that, it’s not about tearing up our city, it’s more about justice and speaking up for something globally, even though it may or may not be in our face, but globally we all feel it,” Parks says. “Once they had the talk with them at the police department… there was not really anything negative said to any of us on Monday so I told them (the group, ‘You guys have spent three days in the streets… you’ve already changed the culture in St. Joe. ”

Parks says for anyone wanting to know how to get involved or is unable to attend any of the protests locally, they have a Facebook page, ‘United We Stand-St. Joseph, MO’ that has more information.