INDIANAPOLIS — From the outside looking in, it could be just another busy night at a local barbershop. But on the other side of the door, you'll find an impactful conversation about the state of our community, all coming from our youth.
While IMPD works to solve homicides and prevent crime, they're also reaching out to the community in the hope of building trust.
Youth poured out their feelings and expressed their reality in a forum called "Barbershop Talks"
For the past three weeks, Antonio Patton, founder of Men Of Vision Empowering (M.O.V.E.) has created a safe space for young people through the forum.
One teen brought up a concern saying he did not feel safe in his community and said he lacks trust in officers because he only sees them in his neighborhood when things are bad.
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"The lack of communication is the main reason why all of this goes on," said Elijah Snow.
IMPD Sgt. Tamar Harper related to those experiences, saying she was not fond of police growing up.
"Any time I would see them I would roll my eyes. I grew up in a setting where some of my family members got in a lot of trouble. So, I didn't always see the police in the best image," said Harper.
Patton said he was inspired to host the talks after a child told him that adults weren't listening.
"I had a youth in the car, taking him home and the youth said, 'Mr. Patton, you hear us, but you never listen to us', and that plague my heart. The spirit of the Lord let me know that if we as the adults don't understand if we don't create a space for our youth, even our children to share their good, their bad their ugly and nasty on how they feel and how they see life without questioning and ridicule, that we are not a part of the solution, we're a part of the problem," said Patton.
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Officer Samone Burris, a spokeswoman for IMPD, said that while it's sad that there is a need to have such a conversation, it's rewarding in its own way.
"It's also rewarding to know that the children are paying attention, the children are listening, and the children are aware of what's going on in their community," said Burris. "They're going to bring the adults to the table, and they are going to say, 'This is why it matters, Mom. This is why you have to give them a chance. This is why you can't be upset at a crime scene. This is why. I know an officer personally and I was able to talk to them and communicate with them,'" said Burris.
Those who spoke with WRTV said this is a positive start and they are hopeful that this is a step in the right direction to build the community back up.
"I feel like everyone is listening, but they're not understanding. I don't just want you to listen I want you to tell me how you can help the situation," said Dwayne Proctor.
The Barbershop Talks are a collaborative effort between IMPD, Lawrence Police Department, The Indiana State Police, and the Wayne County Sheriff's Department. It's a 10-month initiative that will focus on many community issues all from our youth, at the end, they hope to see progress made and how we can continue to bridge the gap.
