Those wanting to foster better dialog and understanding inside the community met at Hutchinson Square in Summerville for a new grassroots effort put together by the Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy called the Dignity Project.
“We’re here today and we got great police department and very few problems but the town is growing rapidly,” said Summerville District 1 Councilman, Aaron Brown. “As the town grows people come in; all kinds of people good people and bad people. I’m trying to build a firewall against future problems.”
It’s an approach that will allow different voices and experiences to be recognized. The plan is to begin some bridge building, engineered with empathy. The hope is in the future it will help some of those living in a shared community better understand where others are coming from and how they arrived.
“This whole program is about having really grassroots conversations with our community,” said Police Chief Jon Rogers. “See what’s out there, what people are thinking and what people are feeling what people are thinking, so we can do better.”
Young and old will be participating. Those who represent efforts to take on social injustices will be in the mix and at the same table with law enforcement, faith leaders and business owners. Concerns and different points-of-view will be shared so more people are involved in the process of progress between law enforcement and those they serve.
“The purpose is to delve into deep conversations that need to be had about some of those hard topics,” said Chaplain Rich Robinson, Executive Director, Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy. “Things that may have a national perspective but certainly have a very local perspective and experience and then delving that into a dedicated collaboration.”
The Dignity Project will continue for the next year and those involved will meet twice a month.
