CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After making controversial comments about police officers, Charlotte City Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield led a special event Friday night to bring police and the community together.
In a video posted on the city's Twitter account, Mayfield said Charlotte can do more to improve racial healing and how police interact with the public.
There's been a lot of talk about what's been said and tweeted after a controversial post made by Mayfield on social media that compared police officers to terrorists.
“I've never said we don't have good cops,” Mayfield said. “I've been one of the biggest champions for CMPD for the entire seven years I've been in office, but that doesn’t mean I'm going to turn a blind eye to those who have taken some idea of authority and misused it and abused my community.”
Past coverage:
- Charlotte councilwoman sparks controversy with tweet
- Councilwoman defends herself in tweet following speech by CMPD wife
- CMPD chief on Mayfield's controversial tweet: 'It's hard to stomach'
- City councilwoman won't resign after Facebook post questioning 9/11
Mayfield promised community discussions after she posted a controversial tweet equating police to terrorists. Several wives of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers confronted her at a City Council meeting last month.
“These conversations are important, a space for all of us to share our distinct experiences, learn from others who have walked a different path and, most importantly, work together to find solutions for the future,” Mayfield said.
The forum on Friday was held at Saint Luke Missionary Baptist Church on Norris Avenue in north Charlotte.
Mayfield invited the community and several panelists to join her in a forum about healing relationships between officers and communities of color.
Panelists included an activist, a minister, a mother and retired Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe.
Monroe serves as a consultant with the Police Foundation, the national group which works independently to try to make the profession better through science and innovation.
Foundation members debuted one of those ideas at the forum through virtual reality that allows officers and community members to see what the other sees and feels.
“If we avoid one another and we don’t try to have the real conversations that's needed to better understand each other, than I think we will never be able to move forward,” Monroe said.
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