PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland nonprofit hosted a walking event in Southeast Portland on Tuesday, giving young Black leaders in the community and Portland police officers the opportunity to connect through the power of conversation.
The nonprofit Talk a Mile invited more than two dozen young leaders at Laurelhurst Park to go for a mile walk and simply chat.
"These days we hear the importance of conversation, about the importance of us having conversation, tough conversations, if we're gonna solve some of the challenges we face as a community," said Justin Fogarty, co-founder of Talk a Mile.
This walk was the fifth year organizers hosted the event. So far, they said the response has been positive.
"They feel like they've been seen and heard," Fogarty said. "They feel like they've been able to express a lot about their own opinions and their own life lived experience, and learned quite a bit about somebody they walked and talked with."
The organization connects police trainees from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) with students of color in hopes of building bridges between the bureau and communities of color.
"Essentially the goal is to really talk about how to make Portland safer and to really understand why did the police get into wanting to protect the community, how students can truly lift and have their voices heard in terms of voicing their thoughts and feelings on how to make Portland safer," said Erika Fogarty, co-founder of Talk a Mile.
Akylah McNack, a senior at Central Catholic High School, has participated in three of these walking events. She said these conversations and events change the narrative of how communities of color perceive authoritative figures in society.
"It kind of changes the narrative for both of us and blocks the stigmas that we have against each other," McNack said. "It gives us a personal connection with one another. And you get to see how does the person live outside their job when they take off their badge."
McNack said she believes these events not only help those from traditionally marginalized communities and police have a better understanding of each other, but also help community members feel more comfortable to not only be approached by but also approach officers.
Erika said that the nonprofit partners with each new cohort of PPB's Advanced Academy for new Portland officer trainees and that it's almost a new model of training.
Brody Sargent, equity program specialist at PPB, said he believes these events are opportunities for both parties to humanize each other.
"Often when people interact with officers, they're interacting with them in full uniform with a gun and that could create some barriers," Sargent said. "This is an opportunity for two people dressed in plain clothes to just talk to each other as human beings and touch on some of the big issues."
McNack said these events have inspired her to be a criminal defense attorney.
"I actually want to be a criminal defense attorney when I get older," she said. "I would kind of work hand in hand with police. It really helps me to know that, yes, you can go to them professionally, so you can create a relationship with them."
Past participants of the "Talk a Mile" event will be gathering at an upcoming Trail Blazers game in late December.
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