Welcome back to The Neighborhood Table - your seat is here.

At The Neighborhood Table, we gather to think deeper, speak honestly, and build the kind of community the world keeps saying is impossible. Every issue is a moment, a mirror, and a practice. Pull up a seat. The conversation begins here.

Hey, Neighbor.
Pull up a chair for a moment.

I’ve been hearing something consistently as this newsletter grows.

Community organizations want partnership.
Community engagement officers want partnership.
But too often, we’re standing on opposite sides of the street, waving at each other, unsure who should cross first.

And somewhere in the middle, opportunity is being missed.

I’ve watched it happen over and over again.

Law enforcement is invited to events, but only to stand on the wall.
Only to provide security.
Only to be present when something might go wrong.

Rarely to belong.

And on the other side, many community organizations only know law enforcement through moments of crisis.
A call for help.
A stressful encounter.
A moment charged with fear, urgency, or loss.

That becomes the introduction.

Not the full story.

Not the whole picture.

So how could trust grow there?

Here’s the truth we rarely say out loud.

Community cannot be built through one-way relationships.

It has to be mutual.

If we only show up for enforcement, we miss connection.
If we only show up when something is broken, we never see what could be built.

Law enforcement is more than response.
Community organizations are more than recipients.

But neither side will know that unless we sit down and talk about it.

At the table.

Not to argue.
Not to defend.
Not to perform.

But to understand.

I know the weight this profession carries.

I know the split-second decisions.
I know the pain families live with.
I know the trauma that sits in communities long after headlines fade.

I don’t minimize that.

I live with it.

And I also know this.

Not every officer is what social media shows.
Not every department is what the loudest voice says it is.
And not every community organization knows how much support, education, and partnership law enforcement can actually provide.

But you don’t learn that from a distance.

You learn it when you peel back layers.

Let me say that again for the people in the back. YOU LEARN IT WHEN YOU PEEL BACK LAYERS.

When you lay bias down long enough to ask real questions.

When both sides reach across the table and say,
“What can we do for each other?”

That’s when the street becomes two-way.

Let me tell you about a moment that changed how I approach this work.

There was a pastor no one wanted to meet with.

The last meeting had gone badly.
His words were sharp.
His tone direct.
People felt offended.

The easy choice would’ve been to avoid him.

But I asked a different question.

Why don’t we talk to him?

He led a large church.
A large congregation.
A part of the community we could not afford to misunderstand.

So I went.

We met at a table in a restaurant.
Over food.

Two people with different perspectives sitting across from each other.
Two very different stories.
One shared goal.

To figure it out.

I asked him a simple question.

“Tell me about your experience. Why do you feel this way about law enforcement?”

And he did.

He told me about being mistreated by an officer.
About reporting it.
About the officer being reprimanded.

That moment stayed with him.

The offense never left.

And because that hurt lived unresolved, it shaped how he spoke to everyone else.

His words weren’t meant to disrespect.
They were meant to be honest.

But honesty without space can still wound.

Here’s what mattered most.

Once we laid offense down, we could hear each other.

That meeting didn’t erase his experience.
It didn’t demand agreement.
It didn’t rush forgiveness.

But it created understanding.

And understanding is where trust starts moving again.

This is what I wish more people knew.

When you come to the table, your feathers will get ruffled.
You will feel uncomfortable.
You may feel misunderstood.

That’s not failure.

That’s growth.

What matters is what you do after the offense.

If you only sit with people who celebrate you, you will never grow.
If you only engage with those who already agree, you will only see part of the community.

True community requires courage.

It requires inviting people who challenge you.
People who don’t clap for you.
People who see the world differently.

That’s where the real work happens.

So here’s the first step.

Pick up the phone.

Call your local police department.
Call a community organization.
Call a neighborhood group.

Not to ask for presence.
But to ask for partnership.

Invite law enforcement to your events, not just for security, but for conversation.
Invite community leaders to the table, not just when there’s conflict, but when there’s opportunity.

Sit down. Listen. Ask questions.

You don’t have to agree.

But you do have to respect.

Community won’t be rebuilt by waiting for the perfect moment.

It will be rebuilt when we show up in the middle of tension, pain, and uncertainty and choose to stay.

I know it’s hard.

I also know it works.

I’ve seen it. And I believe we’re overdue.

So, Neighbor, don’t wait until tomorrow.
Don’t wait until the timing feels right.

Pull up a chair now.

Because the only way forward is together.

If this conversation sparked something for you, I’ve created a simple partnership outreach script for organizations and departments who want to start these conversations the right way. You can download it here.

P.S. If this issue made you pause, question, or see trust differently, invite someone else to the table. This neighborhood grows through conversation.