Comm Voice
Tiger Bay: Coming Together: A discussion on race, equity and the future of policing in Pinellas County [Video]
The virtual Suncoast Tiger Bay Meeting was held July 8. The topic was Coming Together: A discussion on race, equity and the future of policing in Pinellas County.
The discussion was moderated by former WTSP-10 Tampa Bay reporter Garin Flowers and included four community leaders:
- Bob Gualtieri, Pinellas County Sheriff
- Jabaar Edmond, Community Activist, Writer, VP Child’s Park NA
- Belinthia A. Berry, Director, Corporate College at SPC and president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Tampa Bay Chapter
- Dr. Dawn K. Cecil, Professor of Criminology at USF’s St. Petersburg campus
The panelists share brief introductions and what they hope to bring to the table during the discussion. They also answer moderator questions regarding how citizens and law enforcement can coexist, the 8 Can’t Wait campaign and the reasons behind the cancelation of reality TV shows Cops and Live PD.
Audience questions included what a productive and nonviolent response to disruptions during protests would look like, what it means to defund the police, how video footage of the killing of George Floyd influences the conversation surrounding race and what each panelist envisions a safe community would look like.