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Phoenix police, local Black Lives Matter chapter prepare for community meeting Monday

Posted at 5:19 PM, Jul 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-18 22:29:47-04

Community organizers with the Black Lives Matter Phoenix organization planned a ‘Moving Phoenix Forward’ town hall Monday to bring the community together and engage in dialogue with Phoenix police and city officials.

ABC15 talked with a handful of attendees prior to the event starting at 6:00 p.m., some getting emotional.

"It just makes me sad," said Desiree Rivers. "I have children. I have 17-year-old and a 7-year-old and this is the world they are going to live in and I know it breaks God's heart. He doesn't want to see people fighting."

"We need peace, we need a meeting of the minds and we need the community to come together and stay together," said Bishop Jeff Metcalff.

"Just an understanding from both sides, you know - not, don't look at my skin color and see me as a weapon and don't see the uniform and think I should be scared because both are incorrect and not the way we should be thinking," said Danielle King. King is the 2016 Miss Black Arizona US Ambassador.

Sunday’s violence in Baton Rouge, LA., where three officers were killed and three others injured, is also on organizers’ minds.

Sunday afternoon, Rev. Reginald Walton, who will be leading the town hall, and Asst. Chief Michael Kurtenbach, greeted each other with a hug as they talked about Monday’s meeting. The hug—a simple, but meaningful gesture.

"You see here today Black Lives Matter and Phoenix police here working together for the betterment of our community,” Rev. Walton said.