Beginning a Parntership with the Police

After months of awaiting a response, then a cancelled meeting, HHH finally had a meeting set-up with Police Chief Rodney Monroe, on Wednesday, July 1st. Ten minutes before the meeting was set to begin, three Police Department employees arrived. They explained that they were there to represent Chief Monroe, who would be unable to attend. Ray Tarasovic, Monroe's Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief Harold Medlock, and Sergeant David Moorfield, who oversees the uptown area, joined HHH for our Wednesday meeting.

Their presence brought much interest - we had our largest HHH crowd to date with over 40 people packed in the room.

Much of the time was spent by the police, led Ray Tarasovic, (who could give any politician a run for their money), explaining the police perspective. There was limited time for q & a, much of which was spent on individuals expressing their personal experiences with police.

Deputy Chief Medlock stole the show, winning over the community by sharing his memory of the murder of Angela Davis, who though homeless, was robbed at gunpoint. When she refused to give up her purse, really her only possession, she was shot and killed. Medlock reminded the community that the police are here to protect and that he is haunted by that memory.

The meeting was certainly the beginning of a much longer conversation. Several interesting points arose - why homeless individuals get arrested for trespassing, why the homeless more likely to get locked up then to receive a citation, and that loitering is not actually against the law.

HHH decided to have a smaller group follow-up with a Deputy Chief Medlock to have a more strategic conversation about partnership.

We are still hopeful that one day the homeless community will get to meet with Chief Monroe.