A black woman was talking with a white policeman about the protests that flooded Pittsburgh after the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II.
They were sitting across the table from each other in a new community room on the first floor of a pint-size police station that just opened in Northview Heights, the city’s largest public housing complex.
Olivia Bennett, 40, of Northview Heights recounted how a car ran into protesters on the North Side and said police let the car through on purpose; Sgt. Joe Lewis, who’s in charge of the new station, disagreed.
“Number one is protecting people, whether they’re protesters or anyone else,” he told her.
“Right,” Ms. Bennett responded. “Well, that’s what they say. However, I will say, being out at protests, I’m not sure the message matches the action.”
They went back and forth for a few moments.
“That was a fun one though,” Ms. Bennett said of the protest, which she attended.
“See, your sense of humor is different than mine,” Sgt. Lewis said. “I don’t think walking out into traffic is enjoyable.”
“Well, the point of protesting is to be disruptive,” Ms. Bennett countered. “Let’s start here. The fact that we have to go out and protest for our civil rights and rights that are automatically given to other people — no one should have to go out on the streets to get equal justice.”
“See, that’s where we agree,” Sgt. Lewis replied.
“Ok, yes,” Ms. Bennett answered. “That’s a good starting point.”
They talked for about an hour Thursday evening, part of an ongoing dialogue they’ve kept up through texts and meetings since the spring, when the mini-station in which they met Thursday was just an idea.
Now, it’s a reality. Sgt. Lewis and nine other officers are stationed in the 400 block of Mount Pleasant Road, and they’re tasked with patrolling solely Northview Heights and Allegheny Dwellings, another public housing complex that’s nearby.
Sgt. Lewis hopes that having the same handful of officers patrol those neighborhoods will allow them to build relationships with residents, conduct investigations that specifically target the people carrying out the crime, and generally solve problems for the neighborhoods they serve.
“It’s inherent in every single officer, being a guardian,” Sgt. Lewis said. “And the only way to be a guardian is to be out in the community. So if they’re here on a regular basis, they have that sense of this is their neighborhood, as well. That really means a lot to the officers and also the residents.”
The public safety center officially opened in early December, but Sgt. Lewis said his officers have been working in the communities since September. He already has seen a change, he said.
“When we first started up here, we were getting looks like, ‘Why are you guys here?’” he said. “It was a look of, ‘You don’t belong here.’ The officers continued to do what they do, be police officers, work the problems and issues, as well as getting out there and talking to people. Within about a two-week period, those original looks of hostility turned into acceptance and they let their guard down.”
Neighbors are starting to realize that the officers are there to keep people safe, not take everyone to jail, Sgt. Lewis said. That has been a deliberate approach at the center, he said, because early surveys of residents made it clear that while residents wanted police officers around, they had no interest in being over-policed.
The assignment also has been a breath of fresh air for the officers, he said. Instead of hurrying from 911 call to 911 call, they’re able to engage with residents and curate positive interactions. That also happens with regular officers who patrol in the zones, he said, but it can be harder to do and maintain.
“On the North Side, there are 18 different neighborhoods,” he said. “So one day, you have a call and they may see one officer, and then they may not see that officer again for a year-and-a-half, 30 or 40 calls later. So the community and the officers don’t get that sense of neighborhood. Up here, my officers are seen. So people know. ‘Oh it’s those guys; they’ll take care of the situation.’”
Sgt. Lewis and Ms. Bennett hope to meet weekly — it has been hard to keep to that schedule so far, they both agreed — but each sees their personal connection as a window to broader understanding.
“He’s like my guinea pig for having ...,” Ms. Bennett began.
“Hold on, you couldn’t think of another word?” Sgt. Lewis interrupted with a laugh, objecting to the oft-used slur of calling police officers ‘pigs.’
“Oh! Oh, that is true,” Ms. Bennett said as Sgt. Lewis chortled. “I’m sorry. OK, he’s my test dummy for having tough conversations in a digestible way. We have very interesting conversations.”
Shelly Bradbury: 412-263-1999, sbradbury@post-gazette.com or follow @ShellyBradbury on Twitter.
First Published: December 24, 2018, 12:30 p.m.