By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor

In the wake of the senseless death of George Floyd, members of the Pennsauken Township Police Department sat down with student-athletes from Pennsauken High School.

“Coach Clinton Tabb and I were talking for a while to get Charles Brewer to come out and work with the boys track team. He graduated from Pennsauken High School. He ran track for us, played football for us, now he’s a police officer with the Township,” explained Billy Snyder, head of student services for the Pennsauken School District. “Obviously with COVID-19, he couldn’t come out and work out. And now, in light of George Floyd and everything going on in the country, it’s the perfect opportunity to get Charles and some of our student athletes together.

“We talked to our superintendent, Dr. Tarchichi, and Chief Nettleton. Everybody thought it was a good idea to just have pizza with the police to start a conversation; let the kids talk, maybe listen a little bit. I want them to share a little bit more on how they’re feeling. Sometimes, they just don’t get to express themselves. And it’s a time they need to be heard.”

“The goal was to bridge the gap from what the kids may think about the police, versus what we do, our impact, what we really want the community to see from us, and get feedback from them. We want to listen to the concerns that they have with the police or the Pennsauken Police Department and address them,” said Brewer.

Over slices of pizza, these young people had an open and honest dialogue with Officer Brewer, Officer Linnette Ramos, Officer Lexus Matos, and Captain James Hartnett, all of whom grew up in town, about issues of race and how they can work together to foster an environment of trust and respect within the community.

“We do want to hear your opinion of the Township, your opinion of us. We want to build trust in the community,” said Pennsauken Township Police Chief John Nettleton, who addressed the students prior to the day’s discussion. “We didn’t prepare anything. We want our officers to speak from the heart.”

The conversation was highly productive; students listened intently to the officers and asked a variety of poignant questions. It was a dialogue worth having – and continuing.

“At the end of the day, they’re kids. They’re going to be the future,” added Brewer. “If there’s something that needs to be addressed, or something that they don’t understand, that’s our job to make sure that we communicate that effectively. We can try and stop the cycle of miscommunication with the public.”