NAACP hosts community relations meeting with Columbia police

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Columbia chapter hosted a meeting focused on community relations with police Tuesday.

The meeting was held at Second Missionary Baptist Church. ABC 17 News crews at the meeting said it was so well-attended, the event had to be moved into a larger room than originally planned. Groups then split up with police to discuss a variety of issues involving community relationships with police. Those included youth, schools and racial profiling.

The NAACP chapter’s president said if change is going to happen, it’s going to have to involve Columbia leaders.

“If we are going to change things in Columbia for the better, then we need to have stakeholders buy in,” said Mary Ratliff, president of the Columbia NAACP.