CANA on WVON’s African Diaspora radio program this past Sunday

CANA’s president appeared Sunday February 27th  on WVON’s”African Diaspora” radio program. She represented a community view on the role of police officers in predominately African American communities. The program explored the way officers interact with our community and especially our youth. There is tremendous room for improvement by all officers, and particularly from African American officers who often times do not explore creative ways of reaching out to troubled youth before incarcerating them.  Former Officers stated that many new officers don’t have an identity when they join the force and are promptly given one.  All too often that identity is one that believes the only solution is to aggressively arrest instead of intervene.  A common theme was the need for better training and creating trust in the communities they serve.  All agreed that a return to the days when the police and the community worked together to intervene with troubled youth where incarceration was the last resort was desired.