Greensboro has seen its fair share of protests for student rights, equal treatment and other civil rights issues. Although recently, civil rights leaders in the city have been dealing with a more wide spread issue of police brutality.

Several complaints have been filed against the Greensboro Police Department. Two weeks ago, Bennett College graduate Ashley Buchanan was charged with assaulting a police officer. Although she filed a complaint with the police department after allegedly being harassed by an officer, she was ultimately found not guilty of all charges.

“I do believe there was excessive force used,” said Bennett alum and mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson. “You should handle them in a way and you talk to them in a way that exhibits they are human beings and you are going to treat them like human beings.”

Katelyn McCray, a Charlotte native and political science major here at N.C. A&T is a resident in the same apartment complex in which Buchanan’s incident took place. “I was aware of [Buchanan’s] story,” said McCray. “It made me feel as if we were not being protected by the police.”

McCray said that although she feels safe in her residence, she feels unsafe whenever she sees police.

The Beloved Community Center is playing its part in trying to resolve police brutality. The center has published a book entitled Our Democratic Mission that discusses past cases dealing with the Greensboro Police Department as well as steps that citizens should take into consideration when dealing with the authorities. Their website also has information on police accountability.

Town hall meetings have also been held to raise awareness.

A petition to form a Citizens Complaint Review Board has been formed by Beloved as well.

“Seeing as police have a number of lawsuits that are coming up and seeing that there’s a rise in police activity within the communities that are on the east side of Greensboro, there is a stronger need for transparency and truth within our police department,” said Joe Frierson, a staff coordinator for Beloved.

Rep. Gladys Robinson believes that some officers in the police department lack necessary training. “To me it’s about training, it’s about sensitivity, it’s about not saying that one community is too violent and you should go over there and not respect people,” said Robinson.

Local youth activists have formed a group called The Youth and Student Coalition for Police Accountability. The group meets at Beloved Community Center on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. They are focused on educating youth and college aged citizens on their rights and police conduct.

“It’s important for young people to know that they do have a place where they can go when they are violated or feel harassed or feel targeted by the police department,” said Wesley Morris, a member of YSCPA and Beloved.

Morris has had his own experiences of police misconduct. The youth activist says that he has been profiled more than once and has filed numerous complaints with the police department, all of which have been overlooked.

Frierson believes that it is extremely important for college students to get involved in the Greensboro community.

“Young people need to be seen having a strong justice voice. College students have always been a strong conduit by which a lot of social actions have transpired,” he said.

“We believe that now more than ever it is important for the community to aggressively see this as a key component to us, really grasping a true spirit of democracy in our city,” Frierson said.

Contact the Beloved Community Center at (336) 230-0001 for more information.

• LACI OLLISON Contributor