Charlottesville, Albemarle Co. officials address calls to defund the police

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Law enforcement officials in Charlottesville and Albemarle County are addressing calls within the community to defund the police.

Leadership Charlottesville Alumni Association hosted its second Courageous Conversations event Wednesday, July 22. Representatives from county and city police departments, as well as CPD Chief RaShall Brackney participated in the online discussion.

Don Gathers, co-founder of the local chapter of Black Lives Matter, says the meeting gave the community and police a chance to be open and honest with each other.

“We got a lot of work to do. There is still a huge chasm of mistrust between the police departments and the communities both here and in the country, and it is incumbent upon them to take huge steps to bridge that divide,” Gathers said.

Leadership Charlottesville Alumni Association plans to host another Courageous Conversations event in August