Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke and Police Chief David Roddy answered questions about policing and ongoing reforms from local clergy Tuesday night during a virtual town hall.
The officials spoke about efforts by the city to engage community members, including the recently announced Office of Community Resilience, which is part of an alternative budget the City Council approved on Tuesday night. The office uses resources transferred away from the police department.
“We’re having a much needed dialogue about what is the proper role of policing in our country, not just our community, and also how do we make sure that we keep people safe and how do we stop the systemic racism that has been with us since the founding of our country?” Berke told the pastors. “These are really weighted, difficult topics.”
Around 380 people watched the livestream, which included Berke, Roddy, Public Safety Coordinator Troy Rogers and an all-male group of eight pastors from Kingdom Partners, a local organization focused on ending racial divides in the church. The pastors later apologized for not having any women on the panel.
Many of those watching were critical of the discussion, particularly the lack of conversation about funding and reallocating money away from traditional policing.