Over the course of the next hour and a half, it seemed that little “engagement” was actually happening. A steady stream of aggrieved community members came up to the microphone, sometimes to recount tales of personal experiences with police brutality, sometimes to ask questions far beyond Fairley’s purview, and sometimes, it seemed, just to vent general frustrations.
Arewa Karen Winters, the great-aunt of Pierre Loury, a 16-year-old boy shot and killed by CPD officers last April, asked that Fairley release the video of his shooting, as the family has been requesting for months.
Asked for her takeaway, Fairley seemed to speak earnestly: “I became a lawyer to do public service. It has been an honor and privilege to be in this role. It’s not easy—it’s really complicated” she said. “All I can do is to bring my best skills to bear, my best experience and knowledge to bear, to do the piece that I’m in control of, and try to influence the rest of it to the extent that I can.”
Instead, he’s asking what the Invisible Institute’s work can help build, not just destroy. Wednesday’s event, he said, was a first attempt at an answer. He hopes that when they host another, the people who were there this week will be able to use this experience to their advantage.
