September 10, 2016, Fairfax, VA — Rumi Forum partnered with several other organizations, including the Fairfax County’s Communities of Trust Committee (COTC) to hold a Town Hall meeting under the theme “Communities Working Together: Justice, Unity and Peace” at Centreville Baptist Church in Virginia.
The event was held to share and address concerns within the community, public safety initiatives, respond to concerns from local residents, and discuss suggestions for growth and improvements in the area of community policing. Police officers also discussed challenges when working in the streets, including resident’s concerns.
Among the distinguished speakers were Chairman Sharon Bulova, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Braddock District Supervisor John Cook, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The panelists included Chief Ed Roessler, Fairfax County Police Department; Giulio Arseni, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI Civil Rights Division; Hilary Shelton, NAACP Washington Bureau Director and Senior Vice President for Advocacy; Claire Gastañaga, Virginia American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Executive Director and Pastor Milton Harding, Centreville Baptist Church.
The town hall meeting was also aimed at engaging the residents to learn about their roles and responsibilities in keeping our neighborhoods safe and enhancing trust within the community.
