Missouri police shooting: Follow-up to Nov. rally planned in Gainesville

GAINESVILLE - A followup to November's rally in Gainesville in the aftermath of the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Mo., is planned Thursday night at a local church.<br /> <br /> The Interdenominational Black Ministers Alliance (IBMA) will convene a "Church and Community Leaders Conversation with Local Law Enforcement" at Antioch Baptist Church at 6:30.<br /> <br /> November's rally followed a Missouri grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer in the fatal shooting of a black teenager in Ferguson and was held in response to the grand jury action, other events happening across the country and local community concerns.<br /> <br /> For about an hour, participants took turns voicing their worries about racial profiling, the potential for police brutality and the need for unity in the Gainesville-Hall County community. (See earlier story. Link below.)<br /> <br /> Rev. Matthew Little of Gainesville, is the President of the IBMA, and he said "the purpose of this much needed community dialogue is to explore ways to improve police community relations through church and law enforcement partnerships."<br /> <br /> Little said the meeting not only will allow community leaders to learn more about the policies law enforcement officers use, but also will enable law enforcement to hear concerns from pastors and other leaders in the community.<br /> <br /> While the meeting is open to the public, Little said the dialogue will likely be restricted to law enforcement and community leaders. Other meetings are planned for the future.<br /> <br /> "We do not believe you can address all issues in an hour and a half - that's not going to happen," said Little. "But, we will have set a foundation."<br /> <br /> (AccessNorthGa.com's B.J. Williams contributed to this story.)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/1/284269