CHARLOTTE, NC – Next week jury selection begins in the trial of a CMPD Officer accused of voluntary manslaughter. Randall “Wes” Kerrick is charged in the September 2013 death of Jonathan Ferrell.
New CMPD Chief Kerr Putney says the department will face challenges but is prepared for protests and demonstrations. “We just gotta fine-tune our plan. And execute,” Putney says.
The department teamed with the North Carolina Local Barbers Association for an Arms Around Charlotte rally Sunday. Putney says it’s important CMPD reaches out ahead of the trial, especially to young people.
“Because everything starts with dialogue and a mutual understanding. And then what we’re trying to build on from there is trust,” Putney says.
City leaders say Charlotte is different because the community is coming together now, instead of after violence. “Being pro-active will actually carry the day,” says Willie Ratchford, Executive Director of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee.
Ratchford says he hopes events like this will ensure peace during the trial. “In other communities like Ferguson and Baltimore, and other communities across the country, what we have seen is people reacting to things, but Charlotte has been intentional about being pro-active,” Ratchford says.
Uptown Charlotte resident Kim Blanding says she and other community members had a lot to take away from Sunday’s rally. “Come to some kind of conclusion on what we can do to react maybe a little more positively and maybe a little more unified,” Blanding says.
