In Flagler County, the NAACP and the Sheriff's office are working to strengthen their relationships within area communities.

  • Flagler County NAACP branch to hold town hall meeting Tuesday
  • Sheriff Jim Manfre: "We must maintain an open line of communication"

It's been an emotional week for every community across the nation, and Flagler County is no different.
 
"It's the pent-up emotion and reaction to seeing graphic and horrific videos," said NAACP Flagler County branch president Linda Sharpe-Matthews. "[T]hey make you angry, they devastate you and make you sick to your stomach."
 
Also a retired police officer, the widow of a husband killed in the line of duty, and the mother of an officer, Sharpe-Matthews said she can feel the pressures on both sides of the divide.
 
"We need an understanding that it's not just a black thing, but everyone should be concerned because this is a community that we all live in and it can happen to any of our children," said Sharpe-Matthews.  
 
She went on say the only way to start solving problems is to get to work. A town hall meeting to address encounters with police, the Black Lives Matter movement, and stopping violence overall is the first step.
 
"Get people of various cultures and theory leanings to come together and talk about their ideas," said Sharpe-Matthews. "It's just a call for unity."
 
Meanwhile, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office held a moment of silence on Sunday because of last week’s shootings in Texas, Louisiana & Minnesota. Sheriff Jim Manfre now wants to keep this discussion in the forefront to build a better relationship with the minority community.

"It is my hope during these difficult times in our nation's history that we use recent incidents in Minnesota, Baton Rouge, and Dallas to continue our dialogue that we have established with our community," said Manfre in a statement. "As a law enforcement agency, we must maintain an open line of communication with the minority community and our community as whole."
 
The town hall is scheduled Tuesday at 6:30 at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Palm Coast.