At South Jersey forum, seeking lessons from the carnage

Dejenaba Gordon, 33, of Lindenwold, had a question for the police and community leaders gathered in Gloucester County on Monday evening in the aftermath of the deadly, racially charged sniper attack on police in Dallas.

"I'm glad that this is happening," Gordon said to the room, and then, addressing the dozen police officers present, she added, "But my question is, when Alton Sterling was shot, did you gather and have a conversation about what's happening in the black community? What do we need to do to ensure our community feels comfortable?"

Sterling is the Baton Rouge, La., man shot dead by police as he was being arrested. His death July 5 was followed the next day by the killing in Minnesota of motorist Philando Castile during a traffic stop. Both men were black, and their deaths have sparked days of protest across the nation.

Monday's forum at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology in Sewell, titled "Justice for All Matters," was organized by the Gloucester County NAACP to enable a dialogue between authorities and community members on policing issues.

A panelist, the Rev. Charles Boyer from Bethel A.M.E. Church in Woodbury, said it was important to shine a light on such problems now.

In New Jersey, he said, a black person is 12 times more likely to be incarcerated than a white one. "Our communities and our people are snatched up off the street, unjustly," he said.

Without pressure, he said, "change will not come."

Responding to such critiques, Paulsboro Police Chief Vernon Marino said his department was working toward "building those bridges" with the community.

"I don't want to see us become a Dallas," said Barbara Wallace, mayor of Washington Township, who also was on the eight-person panel. "But we will if we don't do something about it."

"Hopefully," said Loretta Winters, president of the Gloucester County NAACP, "this open dialogue and successful evidence-based practice can serve as an example to the rest of the country."

While Gloucester County has not seen "egregious" events such as those elsewhere around the country, Winters said, officials and members of the community must unite to prevent such events.

Among the issues the panel, including county Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton, addressed were how the news media portray police shootings and the biases people bring to reports of such incidents.

Dalton said it was important to focus on the partnerships between communities and authorities to head off tensions.

"The purpose of tonight's forum is to take a lesson from some of the incidents across the country and what we can do together collectively," he said. "The more we can do to illuminate problems, the better off we all will be."

Wilfredo Rojas, communications chair for the county NAACP, said everyone has faults and biases - overt or covert - that need to be addressed. The county and country cannot stand in denial, he said.

Gregg Zeff, a civil rights lawyer, suggested the need for training for both police and citizens on how to interact.

Winters said her NAACP chapter has had a conversation with the Prosecutor's Office at least twice a month for the last few years on a variety of issues and programs.

"What can we do to sit down and have an open dialogue to stop this madness?" Winters asked the audience.

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