A coalition combining Greensboro city officials and community members has presented its recommendations for improving relations with local police. More than 200 people showed up to hear what they had to say.
The Community-City Working Group was organized last year by Mayor Nancy Vaughan and Rev. Nelson Johnson.
The News and Record of Greensboro reports the group held their first public meeting Thursday night at Shiloh Baptist Church.
Members urged police to stop what is known as “contact policing”, which they called a “disguised form of racial profiling”.
The group also suggested police stop charging people with delaying, obstructing or resisting arrest unless those charges are linked to more serious crimes.
And they proposed that marijuana possession should no longer be considered a high-priority crime, calling it a justification for targeting young black men.
Some attendees, while agreeing with the proposals, expressed concern that there was no timeline for implementing them.