NORTHAMPTON — A group of city police officers including Chief Jody Kasper gathered Thursday morning at the Starbucks on Main Street for “Coffee With a Cop,” an event designed to start conversations between officers and citizens.
“It’s a way to make ourselves as accessible as possible,” said Sgt. Corey Robinson.
Some of the citizens who gathered Thursday wanted access, but not conversation — at least not through the spoken word.
Five people sat inside the cafe during the event, holding signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and making a point not to approach the officers or speak to them.
Damia Stewart, a Northampton resident who went through the citizens police academy, came over to the demonstrators during the event and told them they should talk to the police.
“This is a really good opportunity to voice concerns,” she said.
Members of the group declined, with one saying their allegiance was with people who don’t feel safe being in a space with police officers. They wanted to provide solidarity to those people.
Most demonstrators declined to be interviewed by the Gazette, pointing instead to the messages on their signs. But one person, who gave only her first name, Natasha, said she was there to highlight the institutional issues she sees in policing.
“It’s a systematic problem,” she said. “It’s policing. Our institution is racist, and it needs to be dismantled.”
During the event, Kasper approached the demonstrators and asked if they wanted to speak with her.
“I think black lives matter is our main point,” one person said to her. “It shouldn’t be controversial.”
“Not at all,” Kasper replied.
“Thanks for coming over,” said one of the demonstrators.
A handful of people approached the officers with traffic concerns or to chat and take photos, but most of the people who showed up for the event were demonstrators.
Stewart told them she believes the officers in the department are generally good and tolerant, adding that it’s important for people in the community to talk to each other about the problems they see.
Some of the demonstrators told her the issue is not necessarily with individual officers or specifically with the Northampton Police Department. They said policing itself is a racist institution and said that speaking with officers wouldn’t help that problem. Why? Because individual relationships cannot dismantle an institution, they asserted.
When the event concluded at 11 a.m., the officers went back to work. The demonstrators, however, continued their conversation with Stewart for another 10 or 15 minutes.
“We’re sitting here and saying the system needs to change,” one said.
After speaking with the demonstrators, Stewart said she is interested in taking their advice to get involved with local groups serving marginalized populations to learn more about their experiences.
Still, she said she was disappointed the demonstrators did not speak to the officers.
“I was hoping they’d talk to police to address their concerns directly.”