After Black Lives Matter march, organizers meet with Columbia police

After a Black Lives Matter march drew 800 people to the S.C. State House on Sunday, briefly blocking Interstate 126, activists and law enforcement sat down together Wednesday to discuss issues in policing.

Patrick Tate – who said he organized the Sunday march – reached out to law enforcement and brought several Black Lives Matter organizers to meet with Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook, Deputy Chief Melron Kelly, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, and other Columbia officers.

Going forward, Tate said folks with Black Lives Matter will work with Columbia officers and Richland deputies to reach out to local communities.

“You have to start by educating each other and you have to start by taking steps,” Tate said. “We can’t expect things to be fixed overnight.”

The meeting, which lasted almost two hours behind closed doors, left law enforcement and activists alike looking pleased.

“I think the most important takeaway for law enforcement ... was establishing some lines of communication,” Holbrook said.

This cooperation, Tate said, is an example other cities can benefit from following. Black Lives Matter organizers intend to meet with law enforcement on a regular basis, he said.

But in order to build better relationships, Tate said, certain misconceptions must be overcome – such as the notion that there’s a war between African Americans and law enforcement.

“You’d be surprised at the message that will spread if you just show unity and get that message out rather than something negative,” Tate said.

The sit-down also gave activists a chance to raise concerns about comments by the sheriff about gangs disrupting the march.

“You had some gang members there who were not there for the right reasons,” Lott said. “I don’t want them to interfere with what Black Lives Matter is trying to do.”

Tate said that everyone at the rally came together to display a united front.

“Gangs aren’t a sidebar, like there’s black people, there’s white people and there’s gang members,” Tate said. “No – there were so many different races there, there were so many people there with different affiliations. We all stood together.”

In addition to providing a forum to discuss issues in policing, the police chief said the meeting helped cops and activists see each other’s human side.

“I think it elevated the degree of trust,” Holbrook said. “It’s encouraging to know we can move productively forward, so when we have events, we’re on the same page – working together.”

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 2:31 PM with the headline "After Black Lives Matter march, organizers meet with Columbia police."