by Melanie Jongsma
LANSING, Ill. (August 22, 2021) – The Lansing Community Coalition (LCC) will offer a workshop to the community to give helpful tips when interacting with law enforcement officers. The workshop is free for teenagers and young adults.
Registration will be required. Interested participants are requested to email [email protected] to register or request additional information.
The specific time, date, and location of the workshop will be determined by the number of registrations received. Organizers are planning to schedule the workshop in September, virtually or in person. The workshop will provide guidance regarding:
- Conduct while on the street
- Conduct at home
- What happens when you are arrested
- What you should and should not do when approached by the police
The 45-minute workshop consists of a PowerPoint presentation, video, and time for questions and answers. It is not intended to give legal advice, though an attorney might be available, or a referral can be given to those who have legal questions.
“Of course, we hope that any encounter with law enforcement will be mutually respectful and peaceful,” said LCC president Elvis Slaughter. “We are all about community-building. Going through these helpful tips and adhering to them while interacting with the police might save you from making mistakes that affect the outcome of your encounter with them. It is crucial to support effective law enforcement, but we must also exercise our constitutional rights while doing so. This ensures law enforcement functions as it should — offering enough protection for all Americans of all ethnicities and races. We strongly encourage families, schools, groups, churches, and organizations to urge their youths to take advantage of these workshops.”
The Lansing Community Coalition can be contacted directly at:
- [email protected]
- facebook.com/LCCStrong17
- 708-858-0637
So many people are ignorant of the power of the constitution and it’s timeless protections against tyranny that are afforded to citizens. This workshop is an excellent idea and a step in a very necessary direction. Creating opportunities for citizens and law enforcement to interact in a non-confrontational and educational setting can only benefit the community. There are opportunities here to reduce the ignorance regarding citizens rights and provide a more humanized perspective to both sides. I hope that this workshop will inspire our citizens to further educate themselves regarding their constitutional rights. Citizens need to feel less powerless and vulnerable while being empowered to hold law enforcement accountable. I would also like to point out that the LCC is providing a tangible example of the power of the citizen. Citizens are not at the mercy of local government and it’s ability or inability to address issues that currently impact the community. The constitution provides citizens the right to organize to affect change. It is good to see citizens exercising their rights.
Teach the children their rights when “interacting/getting stopped” by cops.