Barber Shop Becomes The Meeting Place For Airing Community Concerns To Police Chief
DETROIT (WWJ) - The pulse of the community; the barber shop. A melting pot of ideas and woes spill out in between shaves and shears.
Rarely is it an opportunity for the police chief to listen in to the concerns of the neighborhood but Detroit's police chief James Craig looking to change that.
"This is were people that we don't normally don't get to touch - they come here - as you heard - these young folks, many of them will use social media as a platform," said Craig, "many of them may not even watch the news."
Craig answered questions from a barber's chair at 'A List Salon' on 6 Mile near the Southfield Freeway for about an hour on Thursday.
"We're not afraid to talk with the community," said Craig, "not to the community - that's the difference - when you talk to the community, it's like, we're going to tell you what we are going to do for you but what we are doing we're talking with the community, we are having real talk with the police chief, real talk with the police department."
Victoria Allen owns the salon and she told the chief she often fears coming and going to the shop.
"Especially people who are out here, mentally disturbed, we see them all the time walking up and down the street - and he answered the question for me -- they don't belong in the prisons, but maybe we'll get there," said Allen.
She says she was pleased with Craig's plan to address crime in the area.
"I have had one of my windows bust out of my truck before - thank God I've never been robbed or anything, but it's just little small things that happen," said Allen.
