Where do we go from here? Philadelphia sheriff addresses community and police relations

PHILADELPHIA - Where do we go from here? FOX 29's Bill Anderson sat down with Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal to ask her that very question.

“When we talk about healing and rebuilding and what comes next, can the police be a part of that? They have to be! The police have to be at the table because people need to talk to them directly,” she said. 

Bilal has worked at the Philadelphia Police Department for 27 years, and has found different ways to continue her career. 

“My career kept going when I became the public safety director in Colwyn and President of the Guardian Civic League, so it's now 32 years,” she said.

Her credentials may make her perspective surprising to those who view the recent protests as community vs. police.

“The protests came out of the fact that they put the knee on the neck of George Floyd and so that’s a necessary protest because they killed him,” said Bilal.

She did make it clear that there’s a distinction between protest and looting.

“If our family members and our grandfathers and them did not protest we wouldn’t be here today and so we’re gonna continue to protest. I don’t have a problem with them protesting, I just have a problem with them tearing up our city,” she said.

It was also made clear that to Bilal and many of her fellow officers, this isn’t an issue of police vs. community as much as right vs. wrong, and they have a responsibility to show it.

“So they’re saying it's all police, so whether we’re black, white or indifferent, we’re part of that culture and until we change the culture completely we’re gonna be a part of that.”

She continued, “If it brings you in conflict with your colleagues, it doesn’t matter because you’re doing the right thing.”

But what comes after the symbolism, is what’s really important. People are waiting to see what will change after we stop marching.

“We gotta speak up, stand up and stop it! You cannot be afraid to intervene when your colleague is doing something that you know is wrong,” said Bilal.

Though societal tensions are high, real conversations and sincere work will get us to where we need to be, according to Bilal. 

“Hopeful, and then we work towards the change however hard it's going to be,” she said.

We’ve gotta do the work — for goodness sake.

___

For the latest local news, sports and weather, download the FOX 29 News app.

DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP