CINCINNATI — A long-time Cincinnati police officer on Friday looked to begin a dialogue between officers and the communities they serve and dispense potentially life-saving lessons to young Black people as part of ongoing seminars hosted by GRO Communities.
Andre Ewing, a 29-year police veteran, spent Friday teaching young people the dos and don'ts of police interactions as both an officer and a Black man who has been stopped by officers himself.
"The main situation is to get you home safe, and, if you feel you've been violated or disrespected, then we will take care of that at a later date," Ewing said.
WATCH: Andre Ewing teaches young people to interact with officers during stops
Ewing taught the teens and children in the audience the C.A.L.M. principle.
- C - Calm
- A - Alert
- L - Listen
- M - Mindset
The acronym teaches those behind the wheel of a car or otherwise to remain calm no matter what, be alert to the officer's actions and demeanor, listen to all commands attentively and keep a positive mindset throughout.
Those things, Ewing said, could prevent a shooting.
"I understand that tensions are high," Ewing said. "I've told a lot of people that I'm not here to take sides. I'm here to save lives."
The lesson comes at a time of high tension between Cincinnati-area police and some communities they serve, following the police shooting death of 18-year-old Ryan Hinton and the death of Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy Larry Henderson, which prosecutors say was at the hands of Ryan's father, Rodney Hinton Jr.
That tension was clear before the seminar began as a coalition of people who police shootings have impacted, the Building Bridges Coalition, came in before the meeting began and asked to be interviewed by WCPO.
Samaria Rice was the first to speak with us and share the story of her son Tamir Rice's 2014 police shooting in Cleveland.
Rice said she came to Cincinnati with the coalition because of Ryan's death.
"We don't want Ryan's case to get overshadowed with what the dad demonstrated and whatnot," she said.
The coalition left before the GRO Community seminar began, but we asked representative Marquell Bridges if he thought the divide between police and the communities they often find themselves at odds with could be bridged.
"The Building Bridges Coalition's stance on functions like this is that we're willing to fight, die, kill and go to jail so these conversations aren't necessary," Bridges said. "We don't want to live in a world where we have to train our kids what to do when they encounter police."
Ewing said conversations like the one he had with young people and their parents Friday should continue even if tensions ease.
"I think it's going to take time, and it's going to take the right people in the right places," said Ewing.
