Black Lives Matter protest in Wichita changed to cookout with police

[applegrove]

Black Lives Matter protest in Wichita changed to cookout with police

http://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article90247307.html

"SNIP............



WICHITA – What was originally planned as a protest march turned into a cookout where Wichita police and a diverse group of residents broke bread together.

The Wichita Eagle reports that organizers of the protest met with Police Chief Gordon Ramsay for several hours, ending with an agreement for the cookout, which took place Sunday at a city park. Several Wichita police officers took part.

Black Lives Matter protesters had planned to march on Sunday, but after organizers met with Chief Ramsay for hours, according to the protesters, they agreed to break bread together instead.

The goal was to open communication and build trust between police and the communities they serve. The crowd at the cookout included people who were white, black and Hispanic.


...............SNIP"

[applegrove]

1. Would be great if it became a trend.

[Gabi Hayes]

18. that was exactly my first thought. it actually caused a warm

rush through my body. it feels SO good to hear things like this. Rodney king was so right. RIP.

[840high]

28. Agreed. Made my heart feel happy.

[whathehell]

70. Agreed...Super nice.

[AgingAmerican]

2. Finally some sanity

Bravo!

[cstanleytech]

67. I dont think sanity has ever left but sanity like the story of a kitten being rescued by a cop

for example rarely generates as much interest as a cop shooting someone so you hear more about cops shootings someone more than you do about kittens being saved.

[Quackers]

3. That's awesome!

[tenderfoot]

4. Now that sounds fun.

That's how it should have been all along.

[dhill926]

5. big K & R for this...

[zz-la]

6. Police Chief Gordon Ramsey at a cookout

Love the name. Very nice to see this.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

7. Chief Gordon Ramsay:

What the hell is wrong with you people? Where did you learn how to cook? Is this what you call food?

The brats are crap! The burgers are dried out! The hot dogs must've been made from the scraps lying around the processing plant floor! All the buns are hard and stale!

THE CRISPS ARE OUT OF A PLASTIC BAG, FOR GOD'S SAKE!

You people don't know what you're doing!

[Duckhunter935]

12. Lol, love it

[Gorgatron]

50. Love this story, and love that the Chief's name was Gordon Rasmay! nt

[Else You Are Mad]

51. Haha

I just thought the same thing after reading this.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

53. My first thought too when I saw the name!

Wonder how many folks at the cookout kidded him about it?

[mwooldri]

55. ehe.... no f-bombs?

This must be the Masterchef version...

Love it

[ChisolmTrailDem]

56. I thought about adding a couple of GR f-bombs but didn't want certain people...

...to sprain their arm/hand reaching for their pearls.

[kacekwl]

8. Good on both sides

This is how you mend fences and make friends.

[1StrongBlackMan]

52. And it makes it difficult for "Helpful Supporters of the Movement" ...

to throw bottles ... and it makes it difficult for "citizen journalists" to fan flames.

[Travis_0004]

14. How is having a civil conversation a joke?

Both sides can get to know each other, and learn a bit more about the other side.

[WhiteTara]

16. WTF?

[Ms.Lib]

10. Best news I've read all day!!

Good for you Wichita!! Makes me believe there's hope after all.

[Duckhunter935]

11. Awesome

I hope this happens more often and hosted by both sides around the country, share a beer, good food and be friends.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

13. Yup, with you there. nt

[radical noodle]

15. That's a BLM group who is getting the job done

Good for them! That's the best way to make change.

[mysuzuki2]

17. Well good!

[Gabi Hayes]

19. those were the days.....

?

[KrazyinKS]

20. I have been saying that for a while-

Lets have a picnic together, make it a pot luck. Get to know each other over good food. The kids go out in the field and play baseball or something. Even bring a keg, or hang out by Uncle Joe's car and nip off the whiskey in his trunk. Like a real family picnic.

[Egnever]

21. More of this please

[jtuck004]

22. Why not both? Instead of riot gear the cops could set up charcoal grills, the BLM walkers could help

cook, everyone could talk at the end. They still get the message out that needs to get out - that Black Lives Matter - and it is not submerged into "cookout with the police". And the police get to talk with people and record them and make notes and stuff, like they would anyway. Well, they did in the 60's, and hearts don't change. Not really.

Anyway, probably cheaper than all that rioting and stuff.

[applegrove]

23. If i was rich I would so fund those picnics. Free food for everyone and beer for the parents. Twice

every summer.

[840high]

30. This made me feel so good - if

I was rich I'd do it every month.

[applegrove]

31. Yeah. That would take a whole heap of money to do it across the country every month. But that would

be ideal.

[Skittles]

24. this would produce better results than blocking traffic would

[nikto]

25. This is the way to go, IMO

[bluestateguy]

26. I'm all for protests

but talking to each other and listening are important too.

[demtenjeep]

27. it was a pretty cool event

and I hope it becomes more of a trend.

Everyone felt it was successful and helped a lot.

[LongtimeAZDem]

29. Beautiful

nt

[7962]

32. Outstanding for all involved! nt

[ChazII]

33. Best news of the day. n/t

[mountain grammy]

34. More of this, please!

[BlueStreak]

35. Bravo to all involved. Now can we have some "copy cat" action on this?

It has occurred to many of us that the vast majority of these mass shooters are not highly-trained, deeply committed ISIS terrorists. They are deeply disturbed people -- many of whom act out in response to what they see on the news. When the cable channels carry 24x7 hyperbole on the subject, nobody should be surprised that a small number of sickos "copy cat" just what Bill O'Reilly and others are saying.

Here is a case where the parties have come together. It is a shame that so many innocent civilians, mostly black, have been killed by a small number of bad cops, most of whom are sickos who graduated from our national war machine. And it is a shame that so many cops -- probably very good men and women -- have been killed by sickos responding to what they see on Cable News.

So the payoff question is whether the media will give this Wichita event the same 24x7 coverage that they give the shootings? We need some "copy cats" copying what the people of Wichita have done.

We get what we deserve. When we allow the media to run rampant, this is what happens. We must hold the media accountable for their considerable role in these killings.

[King_Klonopin]

36. Does this mean the Race War that the nut-jobs have been threatening us about will be canceled? nt

[applegrove]

37. Giuliani was all about togetherness tonight. Seems the GOP is turning the

page on keeping races separate so they can play them off against each other and the police. I truly hope so. And then I remember they have chosen Trump to lead them.

[King_Klonopin]

38. Giuliani is about as trustworthy as a rattle snake.

And Trump views every issue through the prism of a demagogue.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

44. No dammit! I already bought an out fit for it!! nt

[BlueMTexpat]

39. Excellent!

[PatrickforO]

40. This is really good.

It is EXACTLY what is needed, for people to talk and see each other as real human beings.

[King_Klonopin]

72. This is why Catholics have "Mass"

Mass is Latin for meal.
It's hard to fight with people and hold grudges with people when you
are sharing a meal together. It breaks through the animosity and
brings out our common humanity.

[Javaman]

41. happiness is a full belly. :)

better to talk over differences on a full stomach than an empty one.

I like this idea and hope it starts a trend.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

42. How wonderful! I love this!

❤️

[Chemisse]

43. This is great!!

This is how it should be - police and community, working together.

[Hulk]

45. Now we're getting somewhere!

Dialowue is the first step. Bless their hearys....all of them!
There will be plenty of time for lines to be drawn, etc.

[NaturalHigh]

46. Good news for a change!

[WatchWhatISay]

47. Brilliant!

Perfect solution for fear of the unknown.

Why didn't someone think of this before?

[Nye Bevan]

48. Love this. K&R (nt)

[DemonGoddess]

49. K&R!

[hamsterjill]

54. This is what needs to happen!

Kudos to all involved who made this happen.

[Historic NY]

57. Brillant.........!!

[George II]

58. We're all in this together, folks.

[calimary]

59. THIS is how it should work.

Thank you, Wichita!

[Amimnoch]

60. Outreach.. it works!

When the people you are dealing with are human beings instead of somebody who represents some element of mostly imagined danger, less people will die.

Last week when I watched the protests in Atlanta I kept screaming at the TV screen that there was a PERFECT opportunity to build bridges instead of drawing lines.. if only the wall of law enforcement had just broken rank, joined in with the Protesters with hugs.. handshakes.. and decided to walk WITH them, so much good will could have been built.

As long as it remains adversarial, the rift will only continue to widen, and more will die.

[rollin74]

61. excellent idea! k & r

there needs to be more of this

[AgadorSparticus]

62. That is wonderful!!

[romanic]

63. Now this is a BLM protest I can get behind.

[lpbk2713]

64. There might be hope.

I hate to get my expectations too high.

[Eleanors38]

65. If it's in Kansas, there will be ribs.

[awoke_in_2003]

66. Excellent

The way to the heart is through the stomach. Breaking bread with someone is an excellent way to learn about a person.

[ailsagirl]

68. KICK

[Peaceful Protester]

69. Great Role Models

The American Baptist minister and activist, Martin Luther King Jr., became a great leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement through the speeches he made and the actions he took based upon principle.

After the shooting, members of The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church embodied these principles by immediately forgiving the shooter despite the immense suffering his actions caused (forgiveness purges the poison that is hate). The Emanuel AME Church is an awesome role model for the Nation as well as the principles of humility, love and forgiveness which Martin Luther King Jr. also studied.

It's not easy to do these things, but it is very necessary to heal and break the cycle of violence while also confronting and bringing attention to an injustice. It takes Humility, Love and Forgiveness. Whether or not you believe in God or read the Bible, the wisdom contained within these principles are sound universal truths.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" -- Romans 3:23

"Judge not, that ye be not judged." -- Matthew 7:1

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." -- Matthew 6:14-15

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." -- Romans 12:19

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." -- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." -- 1 John 3:15

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" -- Matthew 5:44

http://bit.ly/29Heene

#EnoughIsEnough

#LoveYourEnemy b/c #HateIsMurder

A #SoulfulCommunity + #UnitedWeStand = #IHaveADream

[whathehell]

71. This is great...Congrats to all involved...We need more of it.