Community Breaks Bread At Bash Naacp’s Watkins And Police Seek To Clear The Air

The Rev. Percy “Happy” Watkins hopes the glue to fuse fragmented cities contains at least a little barbecue sauce.

The local NAACP leader donned a chef’s outfit Saturday and helped whip up ribs, burgers and beans for about 200 people at the East Central Community Center.

Many of those bellying up to the tables were police officers and firefighters.

The idea behind what Watkins hopes will become an annual event is for police to sit down with members of the African American community - just to have a good time.

Smiles shared around a meal, Watkins thinks, could help turn “us” and “them” into “we.”

“What happens if we come together, police officers with their families? We’ve still got some differences, but we’re never going to resolve these until we can talk,” Watkins said.

The reference is to allegations that Spokane police treat blacks unfairly, targeting them for traffic stops and arrests. Earlier this year, the NAACP demanded an investigation into the arrest of a man who claimed he was attacked and handcuffed by police outside a relative’s house.

Watkins didn’t think a deliciously messy dinner would be the fix, but he said: “Look around at all the people. There’s no stress.”

Especially not among the kids. Some rode a fire truck. Others watched as Elvis, the bomb squad robot, performed pirouettes at their feet.

“We’d rather get the robot in to deal with bombs instead of live people,” said police Lt. Al Odenthal, operating the cross between R2-D2 and a Tonka toy.

An 11-year-old piped up. “Has Elvis ever got blown up?” Nathan Plata asked. He was covered in foil “Junior Police” badges.

No, Elvis lives.

Nearby, other kids crammed into a squad car. One boy spun the wheel. The red lights flashed on.

The Rev. Lonnie Slater watched. “Any time you can get people to dialog intelligently and rationally,” he said, “only good things will come of it.”

If either the NAACP or police try to solve problems alone, they will fail, he said.

“We need to be joint heirs in building cities,” Slater said.

Carolyn Johnson spoke of what she’s learned in the citizen’s police academy. She was one of six NAACP members to enroll, hoping to better understand cop work.

Johnson learned that it’s during traffic stops that most police are shot. She said she now has a better idea of how stressful law enforcement is.

“I have great respect for the police,” she said. “I wish everyone could go through something like this.”

Officer Kim Thomas shooed everyone off of his police motorcycle and mounted it to leave.

“I think everyone has their stereotypes,” he said. “Once they meet us, they see we’re human beings.”

Watkins hopes it’s a two-way street. “We haven’t solved the problem,” the pastor said. “But at least we’re sitting down, having a conversation.”

, DataTimes