Pastor strives to ‘Bridge the Gap’ between law enforcement and minorities

Submitted Anne H. Oman
Reporter-at-Large
January 6, 2015 8:10 p.m.

Some two hundred people – blacks, whites, Latinos, police and sheriff’s deputies in uniform, clergy from churches in Fernandina Beach, Yulee and beyond, two sitting city commissioners (Johnny Miller and Tim Poynter), and concerned citizens – crowded the small, historic Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church on South Ninth Street Monday night for what its pastor, Rev. Anthony C. Daniel, called a service “to find a common ground for bridging gaps” between law enforcement and the minority community.

“Your attendance shows your support of bringing our community together,” Rev. Daniel told the gathering, who signaled agreement with the various speakers’ calls for justice, peace, understanding and love throughout the service by shouting “amen.”

Rev. Daniel expressed appreciation to the police and sheriff’s deputies “for the work you do” and stated that “a law enforcement officer on the street cannot afford to lose a fight,” and that “when they tool up, they tool up for our benefit.” At the end of the service, young men from the Madedonia congregation presented blue wreaths to Fernandina Beach Police Chief James T. Hurley and Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper to represent “the thin blue line” that keeps the public safe.

But along with appreciation for law enforcement officers, the Macedonia pastor also raised a question: “Is there a bias among local law enforcement toward minorities?”

He did not answer the question, but alluded to “a culture of violence on both sides” and told a story about a well-dressed, well-groomed man in a light-colored raincoat who told passing strangers that he had lost his wallet and asked for help with his train fare. The man met with a courteous and generous response. Later, he returned to the same place less well-dressed and groomed and wearing a dark-colored coat, and was met by hostility.

The way to bridge the gap between law enforcement and minorities, Rev. Daniel told the group, was to be “preventive” rather than “responsive.”
“We have the power to stop the next act of violence,“ he said, “by improving the conditions that breed crime and violence. We can’t wait for the next tragedy, the next senseless act of violence.”

Both Police Chief James Hurley and Sheriff Bill Leeper echoed the sentiment that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

“We don’t want to mend fences after the fact,” said Chief Hurley, and referred to his 25 years of previous experience with minority communities in South Florida. “It seems strange to me that this is the first time we’ve had this kind of event. I’m open to any future dialogue.”

“In view of what’s been happening around the country, we need to maintain a dialogue,” said Sheriff Leeper. He reminded the gathering that law enforcement officers “deal with society’s worst, and that a police officers is killed every 58 hours…. He’s called ‘sir’ to his face, and ‘pig’ to his back.”

Later, in a telephone interview, the Sheriff said that “a dialogue with community leaders is the key to keeping the community as safe as possible.” For example, he said, when a young black man was shot and killed by a deputy last year, “we met with all the pastors in the area and put out all the facts. We let them know what happened.” He added that his officers meet monthly with five Citizen Advisory Teams in different parts of the county to keep citizens informed and to listen to their concerns. In addition, the Sheriff’s office is currently developing a program geared to youth in the community.