A wide cross-section of the Wichita community munched down hamburgers and hotdogs while visiting with members of law enforcement Sunday night at the First Step Cookout.
Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay suggested the event after local activist A.J. Bohannon told him he was planning a protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Bohannan says the killings in Baton Rouge on Sunday morning made the local event that much more important in bringing the community together.
"We can get on the same page and say those things that are in Baton Rouge don't trickle over into Wichita, Kansas,” Bohannan says. “My heart goes out to the families, those officers in Baton Rouge, but I think the fact that that did happen makes this event more meaningful. I definitely think this is a start for this community, and I definitely want to keep it going.”
Baptist Pastor T. Lamont Holder described the cookout as “a model that the nation should follow.”
--
Carla Eckels is assistant news director and the host of Soulsations. Follow her on Twitter @Eckels.
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.