Forum focuses on forging trust

Fifty Metro Denver community leaders, prosecutors, youth advocates and police chiefs squared off in a closed forum Thursday morning to hash out a growing sense of distrust between police and minorities following a spell of questionable police shootings of minority men and retaliatory mass shootings of police across the country.

The gathering at Centro San Juan Diego, 2830 Lawrence St., was the second such forum sponsored nationally by the U.S. Justice Department and was hosted 25, fatally shot five Dallas police officers during a demonstration against the police shootings; and Gavin Long fatally shot three police officers in Baton Rouge.

“People of color are more likely to be stopped by police than others. The fact of the matter is that people of color are more likely to be killed by police than others,” Yates said, shortly before the forum convened.

Addressing the 50 community leaders including Ron Davis, director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said that he, like many African-American parents, had a conversation with his son when he came of age about having interactions with police to ensure his safety.

“That is as essential as any I’ll have with my young man,” Hancock said.

Yates said the forum has a practical goal. The Justice Department wants concrete ideas of how to build trust between minorities and police.

“Folks, there can be no working together without trust,” Troyer said. He said there was a storm of mistrust approaching Denver from the East and West. “We have to be specific. We have to be candid.”

Denver police Chief Robert White said his department has worked tirelessly to train its officers how to de-escalate confrontations between police and citizens, as well as emphasize the sanctity of life.

After introductions, members of the media were asked to leave the building so that police and community leaders could have a frank exchange, said Jeff Dorschner, Troyer’s spokesman.