Kokomo Police Maj. Brian Seldon said as a police officer and a black man, he sometimes feels torn between his race and his job.
He said he felt that acutely last week watching the news and hearing about the two black men who were shot and killed by police in Minnesota and Louisiana, and then watching as five officers were gunned down in Dallas, Texas, during a protest against police violence.
“As a police officer and an African American, I’m kind of caught in the middle,” he said. “I see the frustration of the African American community. I also understand the law enforcement perspective.”
Even so, Seldon said, he knows racism is real. He said even now, he still feels concerned when driving in cities outside of Kokomo – concerned that he will be profiled and prejudged by police for being a black man.
Seldon was just one of dozens of people who spoke Tuesday during a town hall meeting at Bind Café during an open discussion looking at the long-standing tension between police and minorities that reached a boiling point during last week's violence.
The large group gathered inside the café was nearly evenly divided between black and white residents who showed up to express their concerns about the distrust that has developed between police and the communities they serve.
DeAndra Beard, who owns the café and organized the event, told the crowd the meeting was a safe space to have a conversation, and encouraged everyone to talk openly and honestly about the issues.
“This is not a night of observation,” she said. “This is a night of participation. It’s going to be difficult, but we’re going to work through that and have a real discussion.”
Beard broke up the crowd into groups of three, and asked them all to talk about the question of how the community can “shift from fearful interactions to fostering helpful relationships with police.”
The groups then shared their thoughts with the rest of the crowd.
Kokomo resident Yolanda Hill said as a black woman, she knows many in the community are afraid to even pull over for police anymore after watching officers shoot and kill two black men last week.
“Some people don’t even want to stop for the police anymore,” she said. “They’re thinking, ‘Should I pull over under a light? Should I get on the phone and call someone?’ You don’t know what you’re getting stopped for. You have fear of the police, so you don’t even want to stop.”
Kokomo Councilman Bob Hayes said police violence has to be taken into perspective, especially when looking at Kokomo.
He said growing up in the 1960s, he remembers race riots “when this town was on fire. Blazing. Gun shots.”
He said Kokomo has come a long way since then, and is a peaceful place compared with cities like Ferguson, Missouri, where one of the people in his discussion group was from.
“Kokomo, to her, is a lovely place without any issues compared to a place that was on fire,” Hayes said.
But that could quickly change, Seldon said.
“We are just one incident away from turning into Ferguson,” he told the crowd. “We have a lot of work to do. We’re out here every day fighting crime, but we’re just one incident away.”
Many in the crowd spoke frankly about the racism they experienced from police officers, and how they felt targeted for being black.
A theme between many of the comments was the need to develop relationships not only with police, but with people from different backgrounds and ethnicities.
Seldon said the police department was doing everything it could to stay connected to the community, and said officers try to be transparent when interacting with the public.
Police Capt. Kevin Summers told the crowd officers need help from residents to keep the city safe, and encouraged anyone with concerns about police to contact him.
“We’re going to strive to be better, but we need you to help us,” he said. “We want to keep Kokomo as a great community.”
Beard said the discussion Tuesday was just the first step in bridging the divide between the community and police, and asked everyone to keep on talking about the issue outside of the event.
“I want you to know how remarkable this conversation is, talking openly and honesty,” she said. “But this is what it takes to build community.”