CHARLOTTE, NC – A concerted effort underway from local police to open up discussions following deadly officer-involved shootings in Tulsa and North Charleston.
CMPD and CMS Police spoke with teens at an event Saturday in West Charlotte. Organizers of the forum say they want teens to know what their rights are if they’re stopped or pulled over by police.
“Why? Why are there some things that have happened, that probably could have been avoided?” asks Sonia Ellis-Taylor, with the Charlotte chapter of Jack and Jill America.
Teen Savon Brathwaite says too often people in impoverished neighborhoods have a fear of law enforcement. “Make sure that you understand what people are coming from, so that you’re not building stereotypes up,” Brathwaite says.
CMPD Major Sherie Pearsall says the feedback is important to hear even if it’s not always positive. “Some a little scathing. But it gives you an opportunity for introspection. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know and you don’t see what you don’t see,” Pearsall says.
