(From a press release.)
In many cases, when you say or think of the word police, negative thoughts come to mind. But at the same time, some thoughts are contemplating protection and positive thoughts that come to a person’s mindset as well. The definition of police is the civil force of a national or local government, responsible for preventing and detecting crime and maintaining public order.
“Police officers are trained to keep the peace and ensure safety worldwide. People are also entitled to their own opinions and beliefs about the police. But our Race for Peace events are always positive for police to show their good side, not their demanding side of the law,” said Lim Howell, Race for Peace Committee activist and advocate Alim Howell.
On Saturday, May 11th, the Race for Peace Committee will host its 8th Meet and Greet event outside the King of Prussia Mall Neiman Marcus Store at 170 North Gulph Road in King of Prussia from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. This event will be for police officers from southeastern Pennsylvania to come together for a day of fun, conversation, coffee, and karaoke with consumers entering the mall. Community resources plus business table set-ups will also be available at the meet and greet event.
“We want shoppers entering or leaving the mall to come, and please join us as we celebrate our eighth traditional annual meet and greet. Our organization wants the children and senior citizens to feel comfortable with police presence and not have a bad attitude towards police,” said Race for Peace founder Andrew Howell.
The police departments that have participated in the Race for Peace Committee meet and greet events in the past eight years have been Upper Merion, Lower Merion, Radnor, Haverford, Upper Darby, Tredyffrin, Bensalem, Upper Moreland, Bridgeport, and the City of Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania State Police, along with the Septa Transit Police, have also been present and participated in the event.
The committee hopes that people going in or out of the mall will stop and talk with the police officers at the event. Civilians are encouraged to speak about anything that they want in a fun, less judgmental, and more family-friendly environment.
Founder of the Philadelphia youth organization Urban Navigation Youth 4 Peace Initiative Don Jackson shared his thoughts on the Race for Peace meet and greet event, saying, “At past events, I had a few of my motorcycle dirt bikes to be on display. It was a good sight to see the youth on them posing for pictures. Bikes in my opinion are universal. Also, the cops in attendance had a lot of good insight on what they do in their field and why they do certain actions”.
Co-founder of Urban Navigation Hameen Diggins added, “It is good to see cops, youth, and adults altogether engaging in a positive way and in a non-negative manner. Too many scenarios are with police and people of our culture “black or brown people” having negative altercations between one another. This event demonstrates the complete opposite”.
For more information about the upcoming event, visit the Race for Peace Committee’s Facebook page.
