By Dante Miller & Ashley Nwagbara

Yard Editor & Register Reporter

Let Us Speak was a collective conversation on social justice and economic matters. This was utilized to help the community have a better understanding on different obstacles the community felt they didn’t have a voice in. The room was packed as students, alumni and community members asked hard hitting questions about improvement and how our police force was going about it. Not only was Police Chief Wayne Scott in attendance, figures such as Congresswoman Alma Adams, Mayor Nancy Vaughn, and Pharmacist Dr. Martez Prince were in attendance as well.

One of the biggest questions of the night came from a student. Their inquiry was directed towards Police Chief Scott asking him what measures the Greensboro Police Department were taking to ensure our safety. Police Chief Scott went on to express that Greensboro has some volatile areas in the city. He said police officers partner with programs and go out to communities to meet individuals. Sometimes, they are met with people who won’t open the door but they still make the effort. He felt that there were many issues in the surrounding areas the police weren’t involved in. By connecting when tensions aren’t high, the GSO and the community can build bridges.

Pastor Greg Drumwright went on to express the reasons behind African Americans in particular protesting incidents involving police. While telling a story on how he was randomly stopped in Atlanta, he told the audience why he was ultimately stopped. The officer admitted he stopped him because he was a black man in a Mercedes Benz. Police Chief Scott expressed that if this had been a man on his force, he probably would’ve fired him. Protesting white people is not the goal. We are protesting white privilege. The police chief went on to say that the state of North Carolina requires 4-8 hours of de-escalation training and he does 40 hours. When asked how he makes sure his staff knows when to use their weapon versus not, he said they have various psychologists for the officer candidate. If the candidate doesn’t pass, they aren’t allowed to be on the force.

While the forum had an informative and interactive atmosphere, the guests of the forum brought out good points for all of us to consider. One of the important points were that none of the state representatives were in attendance and they were the ones that could have things sanctioned. It is our job as a community to vote out the ones that don’t want to help. Not only that, we have a citizen review board. Although they do not have subpoena powers, they are allowed to pull personnel files. Let Us Speak was truly a groundbreaking conversation that needed to be had. Not only for the city of Greensboro but for the lives that have been targeted by police brutality the most: #BlackLivesMatter.