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Erica Techo
(left to right) Community relations officer Gabe Ferguson and Deputy Chief Bob Copus talk with Avee-Ashanti Shabazz, a local Black Lives Matter organizer.
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Erica Techo
Avee-Ashanti Shabazz, a local Black Lives Matter organizer, talks with Homewood police officer Victor Sims.
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Sydney Cromwell
Officers at the Homewood Police Coffee talk with Avee-Ashanti Shabazz, a local Black Lives Matter organizer.
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Sydney Cromwell
Officers at the Homewood Police Coffee with a Cop event watch as Avee-Ashanti Shabazz, a local Black Lives Matter organizer, talks with other officers in the parking lot.
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Sydney Cromwell
Avee-Ashanti Shabazz, a local Black Lives Matter organizer, talks with officers outside of the Homewood Police Coffee with a Cop event on July 29, 2015.
Homewood Police Department’s Coffee with a Cop event resulted in an attendee filing an incident report.
Avee-Ashanti Shabazz, an organizer affiliated with the local Black Lives Matter organization, attended the morning event to talk with officers about Kindra Chapman and the investigation surrounding her death at Homewood City Jail.
When Shabazz first came to Demetri’s BBQ for the event on July 29, he talked to Officer Victor Sims outside of the restaurant. Shabazz later came into the building and spoke with a few of the officers.
Sims said the fact that Shabazz came was a good thing. The event is geared toward answering community questions about policing and allowing citizens to sit down with officers to have a conversation. The department reached out to Shabazz in the past, Sims said, but was not able to speak with him.
“It’s good that he’s here,” Sims said. “Now I think he’s doing what he should have done.”
While talking to Deputy Chief Bob Copus, Shabazz discussed the issue of transparency with the police department. He said the department could answer community questions to build trust.
“Why not clear up something that’s so easy to clear up?” Shabazz said.
Copus said the police department has had to deal with inaccuracies spread through social media, including some saying Chapman’s body was “dragged lifeless” to a police car following her arrest. These rumors were one reason the department released the video of Chapman’s arrival at the jail, Copus said.
Homewood Police Chief Jim Roberson arrived about halfway through the event. He said the goal of these events is to “build relationships one coffee cup at a time,” but some conversations are limited based on on-going litigation.
“If a member of the public wants to talk, we’ll talk to a certain extent,” Roberson said.
After Roberson arrived, Shabazz attempted to engage him in a conversation about Chapman. While Roberson was speaking to other people, Shabazz got loud and a waitress asked him to leave. He stepped outside without incident with an officer and filed an incident report.
“He had a one-item agenda, and I’m not going to be a part of it,” Roberson said.
Officers also walked up to diners throughout the event and answered questions from community members. One woman asked officers about the patrol patterns in her neighborhood, and families picked up the informational pamphlets, stickers and coloring books provided.
-Sydney Cromwell contributed to this article.