New London — Joshua Brown made it clear when he was named the city’s poet laureate earlier this year that he was looking to inspire tough conversations.

He’s done just that.

During his appearance at the July 14 swearing-in ceremony for New London Police Chief Brian Wright, Brown marked the occasion with a poem that touched on the struggles of Black teens growing up in a world where they are targeted by police and need to survive “driving while Black,” a cynical term used for racial profiling.

Dozens of police officers and police chiefs from around the region were in attendance. Some observers saw it as speaking truth while others saw it as police bashing.

New London Police Officer Ryan Soccio recently wrote a letter to the editor saying “Joshua Brown denigrated us in a disgusting display of grandstanding.”

A spokesman with the police union and Chief Wright said they were disappointed.

Police union President Joseph Buzzelli, when contacted by The Day, called the poem disparaging to members of the department. “Mr. Brown went so far as to literally call us racist in the middle of the poem,” he said.

“What should have been a night celebrating the achievements of Chief Wright (not Officer as Mr. Brown repeated) and his almost three decades of service to this City was instead an evening tarnished by the efforts and words of Mr. Brown. While every officer experiences comments of this nature during their career, you can only imagine the shock of hearing it during an event of this nature.”

The premise of the poem was how one of Brown’s students received a driver’s permit and why he had to apologize for the abuse the student was likely to receive at the hands of police as a result.

“See you are no longer a teenager, instead you are ‘now fits the description’ and ‘can you step out of the vehicle sir?” Brown proclaimed in his poem. “In Connecticut you won’t get far without your license, but for you young Black man, you won’t get far assuming equal rights are righteous. You are 63% more likely to be stopped and 115% more likely than your white counterparts to be searched by police.”

Brown said if Soccio was impacted enough by his words to write a letter to the editor, then the poem did what it was supposed to do. “I’m supposed to be a voice of the people. What better place to talk about how the community feels than with the police?"

He said the poem was a reference to a real student who received his driver’s permit and what should have been an occasion for celebration was instead a cause for “fear for his safety.”

“I’m excited and then ... I instantly start warning him and telling him things not to do. I couldn’t even enjoy my student getting his permit without him fearing for his life," he said. "I think about what Black and brown parents go through.”

“I didn’t write this from a place of bashing police,” Brown said. “(Soccio) took it as a personal attack. I don’t see anything inappropriate about me talking about the fear I have for my students. This isn’t about me. This is about the way the community feels.”

Brown said people came up to him afterward and said they appreciated his words. He also left the stage to applause.

“There was no malicious intent in my words. I never said all police officers were racists," he said. "I did say the system itself was based on a corrupt system, which it true.”

Reached by The Day this past week to respond to the controversial poem, Wright said the topic of Brown's poem is an important one that “mandates discussion” but the venue and timing was not appropriate.

“Unfortunately a situation was created that drew people away from listening to understand,” Wright said. “A divisive dynamic instead of unifying dynamic was created. General categorization is never appropriate. Consideration and empathy is important and essential for everyone. I would welcome the opportunity to share dialogue with Mr. Brown at a time and setting that provides the opportunity to exchange insight and perspective. I think it would be beneficial for us both.”

Members of the New London chapter of the NAACP in attendance at the ceremony defended Brown.

NAACP President Jean Jordan said Brown “spoke the truth of what is going on in the world around us and it is uncomfortable for many people to hear.”

“There are still people, after George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, et al that still don’t believe it,” Jordan said. “If people were uncomfortable, they need to question why they were uncomfortable and have that discussion.”

NAACP Vice President Tamara Lanier said she found the poem to be “honest, edgy and perhaps uncomfortable for those who don’t appreciate the concerns of the many, both young and old, who took to the streets in protest after the death of George Floyd.”

“I saw this young man as seizing an opportunity to speak truth to power during this changing of the guard ceremony,” Lanier said. “He was calling for a change in police practices.”

The poem goes on to touch on issues that have been the topic of discussion here in New London and calls for a shift in funding away from the police budget in order to fund things like crisis intervention and social workers.

It ends on a request to Wright.

“Officer Wright, I charge you to be a Police Chief of honor and dignity. I charge you to be a police Chief of ALL the citizens of New London and not just those in power.”

“There’s a real issue in our community,” Brown said of the community’s connection to police.

“The only way we are able to really address any of these issues and solve any of these issues is to have these conversations," he said. "This is how many people feel.”

g.smith@theday.com