Outside the Old Stone Church in East Haven, which stands directly across the street from Town Hall, members of the clergy from many denominations gathered Wednesday.
“The events of this past week have left our community shaken and divided,” said Rev. Karen Gronback Johnson, pastor of Old Stone Church.
The clergy members said their parishioners have questions, and while they don't have all the answers, they're reaching out to the community to come together and learn about the different cultures that make up East Haven.
In New Haven, religious leaders making up the group Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut met to discuss the same problem. CONNECT is a multi-faith organization made up of 27 congregations around the state.
“We believe that this goes beyond the four officers, and is endemic to the East Haven Police Department, and the Department of Justice, the federal Department of Justice has found that has been the case,” said Rabbi Robert Orkand of Temple Israel in Westport.
The group is proposing a number of steps to help steer the police department in the right direction. It is asking East Haven to implement policies for racial discrimination, use of force and community involvement. The group is also asking to review the arrests made by the four officers who were indicted.
“We're asking the State's Attorney's Office to review all convictions from arrests made by these four officers and vacate any of those convictions that were a result of the abuse of race-based practices in the East Haven Police Department,” said Father James Manship of St. Rose of Lima Church in New Haven.
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Approached for a comment about the recommendations, Mayor Joe Maturo gave a quick "No", before leaving his office.
The religious leaders are ready to be persistent.
“The only way that you can break a cycle is facing a cycle,” said Anthony Bennett of Mt. Aery Baptist Church in Bridgeport.
Internal investigations have been started into the conduct of the four police officers who were arrested.
Interim Police Chief John Mannion says the department is humbled by the arrests and is trying to cope with the backlash.
