At a time when racial justice is a, if not the, top priority in many American communities of various sizes, a number of those same communities have been torn apart by racial strife.

With one side prone to violence and destruction to vent its anger and the other side either over-responding with its own violence or, worse, doing nothing at all, divisions that should be healing only get worse.

We’ve heard the extremes such as defund the police and, from the other side, answer violence with violence. Neither will work, and so the fires of hatred and resentment merely intensify.

The citizens of Norwich can be proud that this is not the case in our fair city. In fact, if there is a model approach to how minority communities and police departments should try to identify and begin to resolve their issues by working together, it has been on display in the Rose City.

Instead of acting out or merely talking the talk, the Norwich NAACP’s Robertsine Duncan Youth Council has been showing great community leadership by driving the local discussion and educating members of the community.

And unlike police chiefs in some big cities who either resign or dig in their heels defensively, Norwich Police Chief Patrick Daley not only welcomes the dialogue, he encourages it. In the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, anger among people of all races spilled over into city streets, and Norwich was no exception.

Floyd’s death was followed by two boisterous but peaceful protest marches through city streets, leading to tense confrontations at Norwich Police headquarters. Instead of holing up in his office and issuing a written statement, Daley came out to meet with the protesters.

For some, that wasn’t enough. Tempers flared among some of the several hundreds protesters who had marched from City Hall to police headquarters. When Daley came outside to meet with the protesters, some responded with profanities and by calling police “pigs.”

When the chief attempted to speak to the protesters, he was repeatedly shouted down, despite protest organizers’ pleas to remain calm and “keep it classy.”

Instead of losing his temper or walking away, Daley listened to the angry protesters’ litany of complaints until they marched back to City Hall.

“It’s anger,” the chief acknowledged. “People got to get it off their chests. I get it. And if you don’t think I hear it, if you’re yelling it at my head with a bullhorn, I do. And everyone here heard the message.”

One of the main complaints about Norwich Police is that they have been unresponsive to and uncommunicative with the city’s youth. Daley agreed.

Wait. What?

Instead of arguing with his department’s critics, Daley not only agreed with them, but encouraged them to share their other concerns with him and his department.

From this dialogue came a police community relations group whose name is also its objective: Rose City United. The group meets monthly, and Daley has promised to continue his department’s participation in the forums, even if only a few people participate.

Crisshaun Nelson-Jackson, who has been a regular participant in the monthly discussions with police, summed it up perfectly when he recognized the cohesive efforts at improving relations between police and the community they serve.

“Not only is something being done, but they (citizens) can be part of it,” Nelson-Jackson said at a forum last month. “I think the biggest thing we can do for our community is galvanize them and to provide that inspiration and motivation so that they can take the next step and get out of the freeze response.”

Norwich’s approach to improved race relations has been multi-pronged. In addition to the NAACP’s Robertsine Duncan Youth Council and the city’s police department, clergy have been involved as have representatives from the state’s judicial system like prosecutor Lonnie Braxton and Superior Court Judge John Newson.

Norwich Free Academy has hosted community discussions, and city officials have been supportive.

When I was a teenager way back in the 1970s, there was racial tension in Norwich, but it was more localized. And the Norwich Police Department had within its ranks a special man in Lt. Dan Jenkins, the department’s highest-ranking Black officer, who was known, liked and respected by everyone in the city.

Jenkins was instrumental then in helping keep a lid on the racial tensions of the day, but in today’s more complex and racially-charged society, no one man or woman can do it alone. It takes leadership, the kind shown by the Robertside Duncan Youth Council of the Norwich NAACP and by Chief Daley.

There are still issues to resolve and challenges to be overcome, but Norwich can be proud of its approach. In addition to leadership, it includes education, patience, dedication, perseverance, dialogue, mutual respect, open ears and open minds.

It won’t be easy and it won’t happen quickly, but having known the late Lt. Jenkins, I have a feeling he is looking down on it all with approval.

Bill Stanley is a native of Norwich.