"Synergy Greenport" Unfolds Monday Night

GREENPORT, NY — The "Synergy Greenport" event, rescheduled last week due to the nor'easter, will take place Monday night.

The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the St. Agnes School, located on the corner of 6th Street and Front Street in Greenport.

"Synergy Greenport," is described by organizers as "an open and respectful conversation between the police and the community of Greenport."

Southold Town officials and the Anti-Bias Task Force, as well as Greenport Village officials, are hosting the event, aimed at creating dialogue during a time when the nation stands divided by tensions between law enforcement and sometimes disenfranchised communities.

The gathering is representative of the mission of the Anti-Bias Task Force, which aims to "promote diversity, unity, and understanding within Southold Town. It is their mission to organize educational and group activities; as well as legal and legislative efforts."

Coming together to air questions and concerns is critical, said Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell.

"Communication is one of the best ways we can address what seems to be a growing chasm nationally between law enforcement and communities. Distrust and misunderstanding, whether valid or not, exists. By bringing varying segments of the community and law enforcement together, we can improve our understanding of the differing perspectives that we all have," he said. "Communication removes walls. Perhaps initiatives like these, not just in Southold but in communities everywhere, can build bridges over that chasm."

The first Synergy event was held in April, 2016, at the Peconic Recreation Center in Peconic, with a focus on shattering communication concerns and creating a bridge, especially in the Latino community.

That meeting brought together local law enforcement, Russell and Councilman Bill Ruland, religious leaders, Southold and Greenport School Superintendent David Gamberg, and anti-bias task force members from Riverhead.

The public brought up issues they found troublesome.

Some pointed out that members of the immigrant community such as Latinos might be "reluctant" to report an incident due to fears of deportation or retribution.

Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley suggested a "go-between" such as a church or family member, to work with the police.

The chief recalled Southold's first introduction to gang violence in October, 2014, when a gang-related shooting occurred on South Harbor Road.

"I learned a tremendous amount," he said. "A lot of the members of the community we were dealing with were from El Salvador and told by their families that police departments are corrupt. They don't trust the police."
Flatley said the police need to earn the trust of the Latino community. "I can certainly understand why they don't come to the police if, up to that point in their lives, they've had no trust for police."

Sonia Spar of the Southold ABTF said it's important to for the community to know that police are there to help; she suggested religious leaders help to bridge that gap. She said being born in Columbia, she grew up not trusting law enforcement.

Flatley said the "onus" falls on the police department; while new technology exists in police cars, he does not want officers sitting in their vehicles staring at screens, but instead, wants them out creating relationships in the community.