CINCINNATI -- Activists have held protests, marches, vigils and all sorts of community conversations around the shooting death of Sam DuBose at the hands of former University of Cincinnati Police officer Ray Tensing in July 2015.
But how do we get beyond the trial and ensure our community doesn't find itself in this position again?
That's what the the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio's Partnering Center hopes to figure out with a problem-solving community meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Urban League office at 3458 Reading Road.
“We recognize that our city is polarized at this point and time, and we really want to bring people together to think about what the responses are to addressing the issues that people see and have concerns about as far as the trial is concerned, around our criminal justice system, around our judicial system. It’s really to say what can we do to not find ourselves in this position again,” said Partnering Center Executive Director Dorothy Smoot.
The goal is to engage the community in building trust, transparency and equity in Cincinnati's law enforcement, criminal justice and judicial systems.
“How we structured this event, it won’t be a town hall," Smoot said. "We’re going to have small groups so everybody’s voice can be heard. We want to make sure that we hear their concerns. That we hear their solutions. That we think about how we can blend everyone’s idea and really get to the best response.”
Watch WCPO Anchor Julie O'Neill talk with Smoot in the video player above.
Read all of WCPO's coverage of Samuel DuBose's shooting and Ray Tensing's two mistrials at WCPO.com/TensingTrial.
