KALAMAZOO, MI — “I understand the emotion, the time, the climate we’re in right now, but we as a community have to come together and heal together,” said Kalamazoo Public Safety Assistant Chief Vernon Coakley.
Coakley, dressed in a Michigan State University jumpsuit, spoke briefly with a dozen or so people prior to a protest Saturday night outside of the Kalamazoo County Courthouse.
Related: Kalamazoo activists call for unity, accountability during protest outside county courthouse
The assistant chief said he made the decision to come to the event on his own as a member of the community, in order to speak with and listen to demonstrators who were protesting the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety’s handling of rallies and demonstrations that happened over the summer.
“I’m a member of this community, and also, my profession is about this community,” Coakley said.
"I care about this community. I’ve been in this community over 30 years. I work, live, play and worship in this community. So what affects this community affects us all.”
Coakley who turned down an opportunity to speak to the crowd as a whole, saying it wasn’t his show, said it takes dialogue on both sides in order to learn and do better.
“What is relationship building? It’s dialogue, you get to know someone through meeting them and talking with them at times, that how you build relationships, it takes not just talking, but listening, and that’s why I’m here today,” he said.
“We need to learn from each other, not talk at each other, but learn from each other. That’s what diversity is about, giving everybody an opportunity to speak. ... And then let’s take that and go where we can. What can we agree on, what do we disagree on? What can we change in that dialogue?"
Coakley said he reached out earlier in the day to one of the event’s organizers, Tamara “TC” Custard, and let her know he supported them invoking their right to assemble and work to create change.
After speaking to those who gathered, Custard told MLive she and three other area activists have a meeting scheduled with Coakley this week. She said she hopes the assistant chief will show them that he is genuine in that he stands in solidarity with them and wants to invoke positive change for the city and for KDPS.
“Change does not happen overnight,” she said, while addressing about 50 demonstrators on the drizzly night.
“This is the moment where we come together in a most crucial time to get the policy change that we need, to get the new ordinances in place that we need ... to not only protect us but to protect but to protect the future generation following behind us.”
One potential policy change Custard addressed is already being looked at by a subcommittee that was tasked with reviewing the public safety response to the Proud Boys rally Aug. 15. There was violence when the far-right group clashed with counter protesters in downtown Kalamazoo.
While discussing the preliminary report that came out Aug. 28, City Manager Jim Ritsema said potential changes to the city’s permit process or ordinances were being examined that would “help legally deter groups like the Proud Boys from selecting a city like Kalamazoo for their next march.”
The report showed several areas for improvement by the city as it plans for the possibility of future public protests, demonstrations and rallies.
Related: Activists say Kalamazoo ‘blew it’ with preliminary report on police response to Proud Boys rally
While many felt the preliminary report didn’t address the issues in the way they should have, Coakley said lessons were learned and the biggest lesson was there needs to be more dialogue with the community.
“Let’s make change together,” Coakley said. “Let’s be that beacon not only for the State of Michigan but for the United States of what change can be about in a community.”
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Also on MLive:
Kalamazoo police release videos from Proud Boys protest to the public
Police need to keep opposing protest groups separated, experts say after Proud Boys rally
Critics continue calls for resignations over Kalamazoo’s response to Proud Boys event
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