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Mesa protest, prayer gathering focus on police | News | eastvalleytribune.com – East Valley Tribune

The tone of two events in Mesa aimed at addressing systemic racism was remarkably different, with one a prayerful rally for change and the other the first protest over the slaying of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

But in the end, the goal of the protest last Tuesday and the prayer gathering on Wednesday was the same: to work towards more equality in the way people of color are treated by police.

The prayer vigil sponsored by Rev. Andre Miller at New Beginnings Christian Church in Mesa was focused on unity, while the march sponsored by Rev. Reginald Trotter of Phoenix was aimed at reigning in excessive force and racial profiling.

 “God has brought us here for such a time as this. Change is here. Change is knocking at the door,’’ said Rev. Tyronne Stowe, a former National Football League linebacker with the Arizona Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins.

“If we don’t get it right here, don’t expect to make the trip,’’ he said, alluding to heaven. “There ain’t going to be no segregated heaven.’’

Miller, who said he has served on a Mesa police use of force advisory committee, said his goal in sponsoring the prayer event was to bring people together.

It drew Mesa Mayor John Giles, Councilwoman Jen Duff, Tempe Mayor-elect Corey Woods and Tempe Police Chief

Sylvia Mohr.

Giles and Duff knelt on the asphalt in the church parking lot in prayer, joined by at least 200 others, including some Scottsdale Police officers.

“The message is, ‘it takes all of us to fix all of this,’’’ Miller said. “We have to get together to do the hard work to make America better.’’

John Goodie of Gilbert, a retired Mesa park ranger and a longtime Mesa civil rights advocate who helped establish Mesa’s Martin Luther King Day celebration, said he has been victimized by structural racism his whole life as a large black man.

Recently, Goodie said, he was standing behind an elderly white couple at an ATM in Gilbert. The woman noticed him and quickly became so nervous that they bolted toward their car, leaving their debit card behind.

Goodie said he followed them to the car. At first, the woman refused to roll down her window, but when she noticed Goodie holding her ATM card, she gladly accepted it and apologized for her reaction.

“Together, we are all better,’’ Goodie said. “That’s what I have been about my whole life, to celebrate our differences and our likenesses.’’

Pastor Palmer Chinchen, of The Grove Christian Church in Chandler, spoke at the event and encouraged church members to attend.

“We wanted to come as an act of solidarity with our African American brothers and sisters. We want to make changes to end racism,’’ he said.

Alluding to Floyd’s death, Mohr said, “the shield can be tarnished by the acts like we saw,’’ but tragedy can spawn “true transformative, systemic change.’’

She added, “There is no one who despises bad cops more than good cops.’’

By all accounts, the protest march a day earlier through downtown Mesa was peaceful, starting at Mesa City Hall and heading down Main Street before ending at Mesa Police headquarters.

Trotter said the focus was on improving Mesa police interaction with blacks, who he said have suffered excessive force and racial profiling.

“Nothing was happening in Mesa,’’ despite a series of protests in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Trotter said. “What really motivated me is that Mesa has a lot of problems, a lot of issues.’’

“Mesa has a history, a tendency, to be very aggressive,’’ he said, with relatively small violations turned into major problems because of racial profiling.

“I would say they need more training on de-escalation rather than using excessive force,’’ he said. “The racial profiling has to stop.’’

He said he has invited Chief Ken Cost to address the protesters at a follow-up protest, after Cost declined to do so at the first protest, citing scheduling conflicts.

Trotter said Mesa also needs a civilian police review board similar to the one recently established in Phoenix. Phoenix City Council last week voted to provide more than $3 million to fund the panel’s operation.

Trotter’s son, also Reginald Trotter, alleges he was the victim of excessive force by Mesa Police in November 2018 when he fought with police while they were arresting him for cutting through a park after hours and cocaine possession. A notice of claim is pending against the city.

Rev. Trotter said there were similarities in police tactics used against his son and against Floyd by Minneapolis police, but Assistant Ed Wessing said he cannot comment because of pending litigation.

“As you know, Mr. Trotter has filed a notice of claim with the City of Mesa related to this incident.  It would be inappropriate for the Mesa Police Department to provide any further statements related to this incident due to pending litigation,’’ Wessing wrote in a response to an inquiry by a TV station. 

“The Mesa Police Department continues to be progressive and is committed to process improvement,’’ he added.

Mesa pastor addresses police brutality during sermon following Mesa police investigations – AZCentral

The pastor who last week called attention to footage of Mesa police officers beating an unarmed man addressed police brutality from the pulpit Sunday, calling for advocacy and unity. 

Pastor Andre Miller of Mesa’s New Beginnings Christian Church began his sermon at about 1 p.m., saying that all people are called to love one another as Jesus loved them.

“In our country today, we are so fractured on so many items,” Miller said. “We are fractured on so many issues … If we got rid of the mindset that it’s me versus you or us versus them, we could be in such a better place.”

Miller then moved to a passage in the book of Ephesians, which prompted his first reference to the outcry over the Mesa police footage. 

“Because you are my neighbor, I’ve got to have concern for you,” he said. “When my neighbor gets beat up by the police, I’ve got to stand up and say, ‘That’s not okay.'”

Miller said God calls all people to love and care for one another, regardless of racial, ethnic or economic differences. He said he hopes this generation can resolve social injustices to create a better world, where “people aren’t separated by badges and uniforms…color and size.” 

Toward the end of the sermon, he also spoke of the importance of representation in political leadership, saying he was considering running for mayor in Mesa.

Lei Sean Curtis, an associate pastor at the church, said Miller’s address was uplifting and appropriate given the recent police scandal. He said the purpose of Miller’s remarks was not to cause division or insinuate that all police officers are bad.

“It’s not to say all Caucasian cops are against all African Americans or all African Americans are against Caucasians,” Curtis said. “It’s a societal problem that we need to address.” 

Curtis said that the church regularly addresses social issues, deviating from some pastors’ policies of leaving politics out of the pulpit.

“I think it all depends on how you frame the conversation,” Miller said in an interview after the sermon. “Many political issues are framed in race and they’re framed as ‘us versus them,’ and that’s not the way I convey a message. The message is: If there’s an issue, it affects all of humanity. All of us.” 

Miller later praised Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista for working quickly to address the public’s concerns.

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Pastor Andre Miller to preach on police brutality after video of Mesa officers beating man – AZCentral

Andre Miller, the pastor who sent the video showing officers beating a man to the ground to the Mesa Police Chief, will hold a Sunday sermon on police brutality.

While the video has sparked national debate as well as protests in Mesa, Miller, a pastor at New Beginnings Christian Church in Mesa, said he plans on preaching a message appealing to humanity on Sunday.

“Jesus speaks to hope and love, loving our fellow man,” Miller said. “At the end of the day, none of this is being done to vilify police officers. It’s being done to highlight a problem that disrupts the harmony of humanity.”

Video that showed Mesa officers punching and kneeingRobert Johnson was released by Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista after Miller made Batista aware of the incident.

The night of the incident, May 23, Johnson was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and hindering police.

Responding to the firestorm over the officers’ actions captured on video, Batista changed the department’s use-of-force policy. On Wednesday, another man claimed abuse by Mesa officers. Terence Kirkpatrick said Mesa police officers used excessive force and called him the N-word during an incident last fall.

MORE: ‘We will fix this’: Mesa police chief calls for probe into use of force

Mesa police officers will be prevented from striking suspects’ face, head and neck “unless there is active aggression being exhibited by an individual toward the officer,” the department said in a statement.

The case has triggered scrutiny of the Mesa Police Department, which has faced backlash for its use of force in other high-profile episodes. The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil-rights violation investigation against a former police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man in January 2016 and was later acquitted of murder.

Miller hopes that Batista’s prompt actions will be a catalyst for national change, as the public demands rogue officers be held accountable and an end to police brutality.

MORE: Mesa police release body cam footage of officers punching unarmed man

Pastor calls for police reform nationwide

“My hope is that the reforms that I’ll be pushing for and other community leaders will be pushing for will also be mimicked across the country,” Miller said. “I think that this could be a great precursor to changes in across the nation.”

Miller said that he was satisfied with Batista’s response once he was shown the video.

“When I first sent him the video, he jumped right into action, as far as investigating, and he changed a policy right then,” Miller said. “At this point, I’m satisfied with actions of the chief.”

Miller said he wants those who attend his service on Sunday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the New Beginnings Christian Church near Main Street and Gilbert Road  to leave feeling restored in spirit.

“It’s something as a pastor I have to speak to…my main goal is to make sure that people are encouraged, that they’re edified with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Republic reporter Uriel Garcia contributed to this article.

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