Circle of Brotherhood seeks solutions to community problems
MIAMI--In the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis officers, police training-- or in some cases, the lack thereof-- is once again top of mind.
On Friday, dozens of cadets in Miami-Dade got some specialized instruction on how to better serve their communities.
The Circle of Brotherhood's Civil Servant Training brings cadets and kids together. Kids like Stanley Johnson, who says he didn't always trust police, but now has a better understanding of them.
"You don't have to hate the police," Johnson said after the training. "The police do the best they can. Just stay out of trouble, one day you might be police or a lawyer or a judge. Don't give up."
The Circle of Brotherhood's mission is to involve Black men in solving community problems.
Lead organizer Leroy Jones says these trainings have been working.
"The training is not only to help all parties come together but to make sure the police is not using excessive force," Jones explained. "That they learn to communicate with residents so we don't have any biased things taking place."
"Every academy class that goes through MDPD does a session here," said Police Director Alfredo Ramirez. "It's the most realistic training they can go through before they serve the community out on the streets."
Trainees learn about the racial make-up of the community, address misconceptions, and are taught to be patient, to protect themselves, but always try to de-escalate.
"It's real, it's not rhetoric, it's not talk, it's not slogan or a piece of paper. It's going on in there," Ramirez said of the training. Cameras were not allowed inside during the actual instruction.
Jose Ortega was one of 38 Miami-Dade Police trainees who took part Friday. He said it's not just about enforcing the law, but also connecting with the community.
"I want to be able to approach someone in the community and talk to them," Ortega said. "Not just a citation here, this or that. But find out what the actual issue is and be able to solve that problem."
