Transcription
Right now at 11, more calls for change in New Haven after a prisoner was paralyzed in police custody. Dozens of people spoke out tonight, and police, along with leaders from several communities, say they are listening. Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Christian Colon was at that meeting. It was at First Calvary Baptist Church. Christian is live right now with the new details tonight. Christian, hi there.
Marquette, it's the first of many meetings that the church is planning to have, and the goal for tonight was that for officials to listen to the community and vice versa. And overall, at the end of the meeting, it was clear that by taking action and also by listening and taking action, that is how people will avoid to make sure that what happened to Randy Cox does not happen again.
A room filled with people wanting compassion, transparency, and respect from police. "My neck hurts. If I say I can't breathe, guess what? I can't breathe. You have to give voice to people doing the process." Others with personal stories of when the system hurt their life. Back in June, Richard Cox was arrested and placed inside a police van with no seat belts. When the officer stepped on the brakes, Cox slid and smashed his head. Cox is still at the hospital, paralyzed. Officers were placed on leave, and their leaders admitted wrongdoing since no immediate medical help was given.
Tonight, the new Chief promised to change by following a philosophy called procedural justice. "And I don't blame them, especially the black community, for not trusting us. But I promise you, we're going to do everything possible to get your trust back." And what procedural justice says is the first pillar is give everyone a voice, dignity, equal treatment, and building trust is also part of the new mission.
As for the nearby towns, they also felt the need to change after watching Randy Cox. "The Chief came to me and said that he ordered seat belts, um, and we can, we can learn from each other's mistakes." Tonight was not only to address what happened to Randy but also to try and reduce the violence in the city. Some residents say many kids are missing parental figures, and the lack of resources to address that loneliness isn't helping.
"The root of the issue is the young people and be able to change the trajectory of where they're going. They have no hope. They have no vision." And these conversations are expected to continue. The church plans on having more over the next year, and they say the next one is scheduled for August 22nd at six o'clock in New Haven tonight. Christian Colon, Channel 3 Eyewitness News.