Although it was branded as a Black Lives Matter protest Sunday in downtown Monroe following the shooting deaths of two black men by police officers and subsequent mass shooting in Dallas that resulted in the deaths of five police officers, it really was more of a unity rally. However, local public safety officials made sure a plan was in place to ensure the safety of everybody. Public Safety Director Keith Glass said he was very pleased with the way everything went down.
“We began planning as soon as we received information that a protest was possible. We had an operation plan in place with several contingency plans,” Glass said. “We had the opportunity to talk with the group at the beginning concerning everyone’s safety during the event. All went well. I appreciate the cooperation and behavior of the group voicing their concerns. We were very well prepared.”
The community members involved in the protest also felt good about the outcome.
“I personally think it had a good impact on the community, because more people began to come and there were many people to stop to give out water and hugs and gave us encouraging words from different races,” said Shiquana Colquitt, one of the organizers of the protest. “Our purpose was to come together as one not for a certain race and that happened. The police department also saw that we did not want violence and we are not promoting that. We need their help go make sure nothing that has happened in others place happens here.”
Glass said that he believes Monroe authorities have a good relationship with the community.
“We are fortunate to have a solid relationship with our community, we support our community and they are supportive of their public safety professionals,” Glass said. “We address issues and complaints ethically and openly. This has been key to and will allow us to keep our relationship with our community solid.”
This was evident in the wake of the Dallas shootings with people dropping by the Monroe Police Department to show appreciation, including two ladies on Monday who stopped by with donuts and to pray with the officers. A video of the prayer circle can be seen on the Monroe Police Department Facebook page.
However, plans are under way to ensure that those lines of communication remain open and any potential problems are addressed. A Bridging the Gap forum between the police and the community is currently being put together in Walton County with local clergy, police chiefs, judges and attorneys being invited to be part of the panel. Colquitt said she would like to participate.
“We would love to be a part of anything that will help our community and the justice department come together,” she said. “I hope we inspired people to be heard.”
Monroe City Councilman Norman Garrett said the panel is made up of church and community leaders, several attorneys and judges, including Loganville Municipal Court Judge Lori Duff and Monroe Municipal Court Judge David Dickinson. Also included are the police chiefs from Loganville, Social Circle and Monroe. The forum, which will take place on at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 21, 2016, at the Community Building, Church Street, in Monroe, is open to the public. If anyone feels they would like to be included in the panel, they are asked to contact Pastor Edwin Beckles of First African Baptist Church at 770-375-1149 or Norman Garrett at 770-362-9896.