The meeting was led by Jordan, who invited Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal to address racism in the city and how she deals with it. Bilal said that when she first went for law enforcement training, she saw racism, but she made sure to speak up about the issue and has worked her way up to the sheriff role. Joanna Hightower, founding partner of EduConfident, who started a charter school in North Philadelphia, said that it’s important for minorities to get out the vote in their communities and to try to build the communities “to be entrepreneurs and uplift each other.” He said if police targeted a college campus for drug activity, the arrest rates would rise there as well. He also noted that police departments that put criminal investigation resources into Black communities would naturally find that the crime rate is higher. Ross said work needs to be done with educational officials and police departments to try to change this. Ross III, a partner with the firm of Mincey Fitzpatrick Ross, who spoke of the needs within the Black community. He often represents minority men accused of crimes and he said that data shows their interaction with law enforcement often begins in school - “the pipeline to prison” - where they are targeted more often than other students for disciplinary actions. “You can’t do everything, but you can do something,” said attorney Riley H. John Jordan, chair of the Philadelphia NAACP, who directed the event, and No Longer Bound spokeswoman Damita Harvey, and said more dialogues are planned. ![]() ![]() Their comments were meant to start the dialogue on how to improve human relations and to allow young people of color to achieve their goals in life. Many of the speakers said racism must be dealt with in a more upfront way if it is to be overcome.
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