Jordi Gassó Photo
Over a plate of rice and chicken, Rosa White, a plucky retiree, looked at Newhallville top cop Lt. Herb Sharp straight in the eye.
“I couldn’t do your job,” White told Sharp. (They’re pictured above.)
A man clad in purple gear, sitting across from her, questioned her statement.
“I’m asking you,” he said, “would you actually do what he does?”
“She’d hurt somebody,” Sharp interjected. People exploded with laughter.
Such was the jovial atmosphere on a recent afternoon at the Yale Shared Services building on Science Park, where Newhallville neighbors ate lunch side by side with police officers.
This is the second time they’ve sat down for food and conversation, with the goal of getting to know each other better. The first of these get-togethers happened in July, organized by the Newhallville Community Resiliency Team. (Read about the previous meeting here.)
“We’re hoping to build upon the relationships that began at the first meeting,” said Teresa Hines (at left in photo), one of the current team co-chairs. These “community conversations” hope to dispel mistrust of the police force and encourage informal communication.
The gathering was a more intimate affair, drawing a smaller crowd — two cops as opposed to eight last time. Sharp said an ongoing case was keeping his officers busy.
Still, Sharp and Officer Mark Taylor came and grabbed their plates, served themselves with some meat, pasta and salad, and took their place at their tables.
More often than not, rather than voicing their concerns, neighbors made it a point to pat their cops on the back.
“You are really not the enemy. You are just doing your job,” said Sarah McClain, White’s daughter.
A sign-up sheet for the Newhallville block watch was also passed around during the meeting. Hines said neighbors are aiming to rejuvenate the languishing program as a way to bolster how neighbors engage with local issues.
After lunch, members of the resiliency team gave away tote bags — brandishing the motto “Putting the Neighbor Back in Hood” — with a resource handbook, a water bottle, a whistle, a keychain flashlight and a small basic first-aid kit.
Hines, Sharp and Taylor addressed those in attendance before they left, citing improvements in community morale and decreasing crime rates in the area.
“I promise that I’m here for you,” Sharp said.
The next community conversation will take place early next year, Hines said, since police officers want ample time to schedule the meeting and ensure a better turnout.
