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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

CoastLine: Community Conversations Aim to Foster Understanding Between Police and Citizens

Wilmington Police Department
A Wilmington Police Officer talking with a citizen

It was just last year that concerns around violence between law enforcement officers and, mostly, people of color coalesced into a series of community conversations.  The intention:  to foster understanding and to build trust.  The conversations have gone through something of an evolution and are now formalized as a  series shaped by facilitators from the community and professors at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.  The program is funded by the City of Wilmington and includes participation by the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office and the Wilmington Police Department.

On this edition of CoastLine, we explore what these conversations are accomplishing and where organizers would like to see them go.

Guests: 

Segment 1

Ralph Evangelous, Chief, Wilmington Police Department

Deborah Dicks Maxwell, President of the New Hanover County NAACP and District Director for Bladen, Brunswick,  New Hanover, Pender, and Onslow County NAACP

Segment 2

Dr. Thomas Barth, Professor of Public Administration, University of North Carolina - Wilmington

Frankie Roberts, Executive Director, LINC (Leading Into New Communities), Community Conversation Facilitator

Segment 3

Deborah Dicks Maxwell, President, New Hanover County NAACP

Ralph Evangelous, Chief, Wilmington Police Department

Frankie Roberts, Executive Director, LINC; Community Conversation Facilitator

Rachel hosts and produces CoastLine, an award-winning hourlong conversation featuring artists, humanitarians, scholars, and innovators in North Carolina. The show airs Wednesdays at noon and Sundays at 4 pm on 91.3 FM WHQR Public Media. It's also available as a podcast; just search CoastLine WHQR. You can reach her at rachellh@whqr.org.