(ChurchLeaders) In Episode 9 of his series, “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” former NFL player Emmanuel Acho sat down with members of the Petaluma, California, police department. Acho and the officers had a transparent discussion about topics including George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, and the movement to “defund the police.”
“I would say that proximity breeds care and distance breeds fear,” said Acho. “There is not enough proximity between people who don’t look like each other.” This distance, specifically between white police officers and Black individuals, leads to more fear and less empathy. That is why conversations like the one he and the officers had “is what we need more of.”