Police brutality has become an increasing concern in this country, especially with regards to minority youth. Tensions between these two groups are very high and it is increasingly common to hear about another black teen being shot. The Forest Park community has both a large African-American and Puerto Rican population and these library programs allow community police officers to develop positive relationships with youth that are based on support, education and fun.

Our community struggles with crime, poverty and violence, and these problems are not helped when youth and their families don’t trust local police, and vice-versa. Our programs address this issue by placing officers and youth in fun and intimate situations that they wouldn’t normally find themselves in—playing and teaching each other games, cracking jokes and ultimately learning that each person is more than the uniform they wear and the color of their skin.

When uniformed police officers started making regular visits to the library, teens were apprehensive. Some were intimidated, outspoken in their distrust of police and concerned that their library was no longer safe. Many now greet the officers, laugh over games and talk to them about their day. The officers themselves are learning about youth and their lives on a personal level, and human connections are being made that transcend the confines of the library.