Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins, Rapper Meek Mill Take Part In Town Hall Meeting On Policing In Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and Philadelphia-native rapper Meek Mill are among those who took part in a town hall meeting on policing. The forum is called the Player's Coalition Town Hall and Jenkins says the goal is to give Philadelphians a voice on who their next police commissioner should be.
The two-time Super Bowl champion was front and center at the Community College of Philadelphia to discuss policing in Philadelphia and hear what the community wants to see in their next police commissioner.
"What we want to see is a commissioner that comes in with the idea that there needs to be a radical change in the culture of policing in Philadelphia," Jenkins said.
The social justice and racial equality advocacy nonprofit organization that Jenkins co-founded called the Player's Coalition, hosted the town hall forum.
This comes on the heels of the appointment by Mayor Jim Kenney of Acting Philadelphia Police Commissioner Christine Coulter after former Commissioner Richard Ross resigned amid claims of mishandling sexual harassment accusations.
Just days ago, a high-ranking Philadelphia police official, Chief Inspector Carl Holmes, was charged with sexual assault after allegations of assaulting three female police officers.
Back in July, 13 Philadelphia police officers, including a sergeant, were suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss after a report by the Plain View Project revealed that more than 300 officers made racist, xenophobic and misogynist social media posts.
Jenkins says the new commissioner appointment will give the community a new chance to move forward.
"We constantly look for ways to change our environment and community for the better. To do that we must participate and not only through our votes, but being educated and being able to be heard," Jenkins said.
Joining Jenkins was rapper and criminal justice reform advocate Meek Mill, a former Philadelphia police officer, a pastor and the chief public defender of Philadelphia.
"We're looking forward to listening to what people have to say," Mayor's Office Managing Director Brian Abernathy said.
There were plenty of young faces in the audience and some shared what they would like to see in Philly's next top cop.
"Just daily traffic stops can go one way. Like me being black and young, I drive and they pull me over, I'm kind of scared for my life. It's situations like that where I want to feel more safe and secure," 21-year-old John Bennett said.
That's something everyone can agree on.
"As a cop, you're actually a public servant and they don't even understand the public. They don't even know where to begin. You can't change a problem if you don't even know where to begin," said Lason Miller, founder of Bad Environments Raise Kings.
Mayor Kenney was not able to make the event due to a prior engagement. There is no word on when the mayor hopes to make a decision on a permanent commissioner.
CBS3's Chantee Lans and Kimberly Davis contributed to this report.
