Promising Modesto coaching series on race, culture to include other communities, agencies
More communities and law enforcement officers soon will be able to take part in a coaching series filled with honest talk of race and culture after a local pilot program showed it can bridge understanding between the two.
The conversations are a part of a 19-week program called the “Race and Cultural Relations Coaching Series,” in which dialogue and healing among several members of the Modesto Police Department and the community are promoted through activities and exercises.
Though the first cohort is mainly composed of Black residents of Stanislaus County, program founder and director Michael Baldwin said he’s seeking to make more people a part of the conversation.
“We want to start including the other ethnicities in this workshop,” he said, adding that community members of different backgrounds have reached out to say they, too, feel a disconnect from law enforcement.
The second cohort will be made up of 15 to 20 community members who sign up or have been selected to participate, he said. MPD officers who have yet to go through the training can also sign up.
Applicants will be vetted to ensure racial and ethnic diversity in the program. Those interested have until the third week of November to apply.
However, Baldwin asks the community not to be discouraged in reaching out past the deadline. In addition to creating a small wait list in case a participant from the second cohort drops out, he will continue to gather names of those interested to form more cohorts.
“The more (people) sign up, the more classes we might end up having to run,” he said.
The goal is for the program to run until all law enforcement personnel and community members interested in participating have their opportunity, he said.
New perspective on cops’ job
Before the program, Austin Grant said he despised police officers and didn’t understand their reasoning at times. The feeling stemmed from an encounter with police when he was 13 years old and riding in a heavily tinted car.
“I felt like because African-Americans … drive certain vehicles with tinted windows, that it was racially profiling,” the now-26-year-old said.
He remembers another encounter with MPD officers three years ago when he and others in the vehicle were pulled over for being in an allegedly stolen vehicle. After handcuffing the people in the vehicle and dropping them off several miles from the original location, MPD later determined the vehicle was in fact not reported stolen, Grant said.
It was through a simulation of a police stop during the series, where participants shared their various perspectives on the situation, that he saw things differently. He saw how difficult it can be for officers to approach a vehicle from behind, not being able to see what’s inside and fearing the worst.
“Law enforcement does have a tougher job than we may think as a regular citizen,” he said.
Now that he’s completed the program, he said, all he wants to do is talk with police officers. His biggest takeaway is realizing he must be more patient with the police and work to uplift them.
“The United States of America should actually look at this program and implement it in every single city,” he said.
“Life-changing” program to expand reach
Though training for the first cohort is complete, Kim Wright said the relationships formed haven’t ended, they’ve grown. That’s not to say the group always unanimously agreed, but all members had profound respect for someone else’s opinion.
“It’s been something that has been life-changing,” she said.
That life-changing program soon may reach other law enforcement agencies. The talks are still early, but Baldwin said he’s hoping members of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department join the conversation.
“Our discussions have been stagnant, but we’re moving in that direction,” he said, adding that the program soon will launch in other counties.
Those interested in signing up should contact Baldwin by phone at 209-482-6621 or email at mbsconsultants1@gmail.com.
This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
