Ohio forums seek to heal divide between blacks, police

CLEVELAND (AP) - Gov. John Kasich and others are hoping public discussion at forums around the state will help build trust between minorities and law enforcement after a series of deaths among blacks at the hands of police in Ohio and elsewhere.

The first of four gatherings was scheduled Tuesday in Cleveland. Others are planned for Toledo, Cincinnati and Wilberforce near Dayton.

Last month, Kasich announced he was forming the Ohio Task Force on Community-Police Relations whose work would include public forums to give people a chance to express their frustrations with police and the justice system.

The task force also will collect information and identify community concerns in developing recommendations on educating and training police in community outreach and "interaction with people in communities of color."

"This has been an excruciatingly difficult time for members of the minority community, especially the African-American community," the Republican governor said at the December news conference.

He said that while white people may not understand why a task force is needed, they must realize "you're not in their shoes. You're not in their community."

The deaths of unarmed black men by white officers last year in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City and subsequent grand jury decisions not to indict any officers set off protests nationwide. Two deadly police shootings of blacks in Ohio also have been cited in the public outcry.

Twelve-year-old Tamir Rice was fatally shot in November while holding a pellet gun outside a Cleveland recreation center. The shooting remains under investigation. John Crawford III, 22, was shot and killed by a police officer while holding an air rifle in a Wal-Mart store in the Dayton suburb of Beavercreek. A special grand jury cleared the officer who shot Crawford of wrongdoing.

Police-community relations in Cleveland have come under scrutiny with a U.S. Justice Department report last month that concluded city police have engaged in a pattern and practice of using excessive force.

Kasich announced the formation of the task force the day after meeting with then-Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland; Rep. Sandra Williams, D-Cleveland; and Rep. Alicia Reece, D-Cincinnati, all of whom are black.

Turner, who was appointed to the group, said at the December news conference: "We must create conditions for action."

Attorney General Mike DeWine also has created a task force. It is charged with coming up with recommendations on possible changes to police use of deadly force.