Coaches, Cops and Community Event Gathers Public to Talk About Gang Violence

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Community members continue to gather with Chattanooga Police to address gang violence in our city.

An organization that aims to open channels of communication held an event this evening on McCallie’s campus.

“What’s the problem with you letting me see your hands?”

“This is a dialog that ‘s long overdue, and people have been trying to do this for years, but a long came a spider called National Center for the Development of Boys, and we were here at the right time to help create a channel for this.”

Troy Kemp executive director for the National Center for the Development of Boys, helped organize Coaches, Cops and Community.
It’s an event that’s geared toward reducing gang activity and violence, by improving communication between inner city youth coaches, and the Chattanooga Police Department.

“You have coaches who help provide an experienced mentor on one end, and you have the police force, who really want to become more allies than advocates, verses how people tend to see police today. So this is developing a dialog of communication between both groups, because they’re all interested in the same thing.”

“Let me see your hands…Let me see your hands! What’s your name? What’s your name?!”

Coaches, Cops and Community was held in the McCallie School dining hall, allowing dozens of coaches, police and community leaders to have an open and safe dialog.

“The law enforcement right now are not necessarily seen as advocates, in some communities, and that’s one of the major goals of Chief Fletcher, and then on the other side you have coaches that are actually getting tired of burring someone, I mean just to be honest, and they’re saying what can we do on the–can we create more offense on both sides? As opposed to offense and defense, how most people see law enforcement versus coaches.”

Organizers say they don’t want Coaches, Cops and Community to become an annual event, but rather a monthly or quarterly discussion in order to see real change take place.

For more information on the National Center for the Development of Boys, click here.