EXCLUSIVE: Chief Gemme Cancels Community Forum on Race Relations

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Thursday, April 19, 2012

GoLocalWorcester News Team

The WPD and The Worcester Clergy and Police Community Partnership (WCPCP) city wide forum scheduled for tonight at 6PM at the Claremont Academy is cancelled. The cancellation is due to Chief Gary J. Gemme being unable to attend. At this time, there is no reschedule date. A new date will be posted when it becomes available.

After several protests around the city, Worcester faith leaders and the Worcester Police Department had come up with a plan to host a community forum to address race relations and youth violence.

The result of the Worcester Clergy and Police Community Partnership (WCPCP) meeting with Police Chief Gary J. Gemme and his administration is an open forum for citizens to raise complaints and suggestions pertaining to police-citizen interactions, youth and gang violence, race relations, and the like.

“Listening to members of the clergy and hearing their concerns about recent issues on both the national as well as the local level are a call to action. Their desire to have a broader dialogue with the community to discuss the issues of race relations and the culture of violence among some of our young people is timely,” Police Chief Gemme said. “I look forward to the opportunity to listen and hear directly from members of our community.”

Those who attended the meeting said this first forum will be the beginning of an important set of dialogue in Worcester.

“Productive, constructive and effective dialogue is essential to the overall health of any community. That dialogue must happen at all levels: within our administration, among organizations and partnerships but most importantly at ground level with all concerned residents of any community,” said Rev. Jose Encarnacion, Senior Pastor and Executive Director of the Christian Community Church.

Earlier this week, About fifty protesters gathered outside City Hall before Tuesday night’s City Council meeting to raise the issues of racial profiling and administrative accountability. Police cars were parked on the sidewalk as demonstrators carried signs and gathered together. The goal of the rally was to push action by Council concerning the arrest of David Russo, and to push for changes in how the administration and Police Department communicate with residents. Russo was arrested last July and many people in the community believe it was racial profiling.

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