Passing the Baton | Alvin Brooks on Connecting the Black Community With Police

Alvin Brooks can take the long view.

A fixture in the community for decades, Brooks has served as a Kansas City policeman, assistant city manager, elected official and community leader — most notably as the founder of the AdHoc Group Against Crime. He is an ideal person to share his wisdom as part of “Passing the Baton,” a new series of cross-generational conversations hosted by urban educator Carl Boyd.

“Young people, especially in the African American community, have to know their history because that helps you identify with who you are,” Brooks tells Jermaine Reed in the first installment of the series. “And they realize that each one of us stands on the shoulders who have come before us.”

Watch the attached video to learn more about the creation of the AdHoc Group Against Crime, and ongoing efforts to build bridges between the Black community and local law enforcement.

Sandy Woodson is an independent producer, most recently of “AIDS in KC: The Early Days,” which aired on Kansas City PBS. “Passing the Baton” is presented with support from Health Forward Foundation and
Husch Blackwell.