The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Police chief speaks on social justice
The current class for Leadership Lorain County gathered Nov. 7 at the Spectrum Resource building, 713 W. Fifth Street, to learn a lesson on social justice from Lorain police Chief Cel Rivera.
“When I was asked to speak on this subject, I was like, sure,” Rivera said. “It’s a subject that I’m really interested in.
“I did my research, however, and found the subject has become more complex than I originally thought. It means different things to different people. The subject has made some people hostile toward each other.”
Rivera said he stopped the research and focused more on what the subject has always meant to him.
“Social justice has always meant equality, compassion, lifting each other up and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you,” he said. “It’s something that can be best handled when looking internally.”
Rivera said his viewpoint on the matter is a product of his own life experience.
“I come from a family of Puerto Rican immigrants,” he said. “My mother died when I was 5 years old, and my father had a drinking problem.
“My family was separated and sent to different foster homes ... and I ended up dropping out of school when I was 16 and joined the military. I then joined the police force when I was 21.
“I’ve seen the best and worst in people through the years. That experience has shaped my opinion on the subject.”
Rivera said some in Lorain County have grown indifferent to the struggles surrounding them.
“A lot of people live comfortable lives in this county,” he said. “There are some, however, who have to beg for food and have to sleep outside in the cold.
“No one should have to beg for food or be without shelter. No one should have to sleep and live in a tent along the Black River.”
Rivera also touched on the subject of detained immigrants.
“There are undocumented immigrants that are being deported after committing minor offenses,” he said. “The drug crimes they deal with in Texas and California are real, but it is not something you see here.
“When they get to Ohio, they are in the fields working hard. They can’t open bank accounts or get driver’s licenses, so they are exploited.”
Rivera said social justice can be obtained by looking at what is “going on around us.”
“Instead of taking a national view, we need to focus on our neighbors,” he said. “Focus on our own circles of people we see daily.
“Often, those circles overlap with other people’s circles, and we can find ways to work together to help people in our community.”
Jennifer Gercak, director of programs, marketing and communications for Leadership Lorain County, said the
presentation by Rivera was one stop as part of a larger activity for the class.
“The group here is part of our class that is comprised of leaders in local companies,” Gercak said. “Today’s theme is social justice, so we had Chief Rivera talk about the subject, and now the group is going to Second Harvest for a poverty simulation.”
Gercak said Leadership Lorain County was formed in 1985 for the purpose of connecting company leaders with their community.
“Class members are exposed to a thorough look at the county so they can better understand Lorain County as a whole,” she said. “The class is a 10-month course where class members meet once a month for a day of activities.
“We have had some people in the class who had been in the county their entire lives, but still learned something they didn’t know about Lorain County.”
“Social justice has always meant equality, compassion, lifting each other up and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you,” he said. “It’s something that can be best handled when looking internally.”
— Lorain Police Chief Cel Rivera on social justice