WESTLAND, Michigan (AP) — Leaders of more than a dozen Detroit-area police departments and other civic leaders are joining forces with the NAACP to host a listening tour following weeks of protests since the death of George Floyd.
“We know that men, women and children of all ages and all walks of life are rallying, they’re protesting. And they’re desperate for us to listen. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Belleville, Michigan, Mayor Kerreen Conley, chair of the Conference of Western Wayne, said during a news event Tuesday outside Westland City Hall.
The first listening session will take place June 24 at a high school auditorium in the Detroit suburb of Livonia.
The idea is to provide an opportunity for community members to interact directly with police and elected officials and offer ideas for solutions and change.
“Don’t just complain to your friends and your family. Participate in the conversations, so that your issue will be addressed. We all are here to listen. And that includes everyone,” said Gina Wilson Steward, president of the Western Wayne County NAACP.
Three weeks of protests followed the death on May 25 of Floyd at the knee of a white Minneapolis officer.
Westland Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik said he and fellow officers felt “disgust” when they viewed the Floyd video.
“The way you feel when you see a video of an unprofessional police officer, we feel that same way,” Jedrusik said. “That’s an embarrassment to our profession. And believe me when I say that there’s nobody that dislikes a bad police officer more than the good ones.”
