A coalition of Town leaders is inviting community members to join the third event in the three part series “Connections: Cops & Community,” a discussion series that delves into policing in Needham and is intended to foster greater understanding and dialogue between police and the community.
This third session will be held Monday, June 13th at 7 pm in Powers Hall in Town Hall and remotely via Zoom. As a result of the feedback received by participants from the first two sessions, the third session will focus on engaging members of the Needham community in two-way conversations with members of the Needham Police Department to build trust and increased understanding. To facilitate this, the event will include small and large group discussions about the most pressing issues facing law enforcement today and identifying potential solutions.
The evening’s event will include speakers Chad Williams, the Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies at Brandeis University, and M. Quentin Williams, founder and CEO of Dedication to Community (D2C), a national non-profit that helps improve understanding and build relationships in communities through healing, reconciliation and unity. D2C experts work with government agencies and the private sector on diversity, belonging and equity, and advise on critical issues in public safety and law enforcement.
The Connections series aims to engage community members in conversations around race, diversity, equity, and inclusion, a key recommendation from the Needham Unite Against Racism Initiative (NUARI). The NUARI Working Group identified policing as a priority area of focus. Participants organizing these events include members of the Select Board, Needham Unite Against Racism Initiative Working Group (NUARI), Human Rights Committee, Needham Diversity Initiative, Needham Police Department, Needham Public Schools, the Interfaith Clergy Association and Town leadership.
Connections: Cops & Community is just one way the Town is working to ensure that Needham is a welcoming and inclusive community. The Select Board has adopted a vision statement for racial equity in Needham. Various Town Boards and Committees are partnering with NUARI to identify ways they can apply this vision to their work.
These conversations are intended to create and foster meaningful relationships and dialogue. If you are able to join in-person, we strongly encourage you to do so. Masks are welcomed but not required. Attendees will be able to participate remotely via Zoom. The session will also be livestreamed online and via cable on the Needham Channel and a recording will be available after the event.
For questions, please email kking@needhamma.gov with the subject line “Connections: Cops and Community.”
*** Registration for these events is not required, although it is helpful to help staff determine logistics. You may use this registration form. However, if you plan to participate via Zoom, you must register to receive the Zoom link.***
Connections: Cops and Community Event Details
Community Conversation
Monday, June 13
7:00 - 8:45 PM
Powers Hall, Town Hall and via Zoom
Session 1 was held March 1, 2022, and was focused on the history of policing in Needham and nationally. You can watch the recording of that session here. Sessions 2 was held May 17, 2022 and focused on policing in schools and the role of School Resource Officers. You can watch the recording of that session here.