Faith & Blue Walk near Smith Homes

As part of the national Faith & Blue program to involve neighborhoods and law enforcement to create safer communities, Greensboro Police invited faith leaders and Smith Homes area residents to walk the neighborhood and talk to one another about how to facilitate safer, stronger, more just and unified communities.

For the first of several planned community walks in Greensboro, the program seeks to involve local partnerships among law enforcement professionals, residents, businesses and community groups through the connections of local faith-based organizations.

Police Chief Brian James said the first Faith & Blue walk produced “great feedback from talking to people” to help make the community safer. “We know as a police department we can’t do the work ourselves. We need everyone in the community to partner with us,” he said.

More than two dozen participants, met at Wiley Elementary School on Terrell Street to walk the neighborhood. James said Faith & Blue will announce future neighborhood walks during the next few weeks and into 2022.

Joining area residents on the walk were Mayor Nancy Vaughan, Councilmember at large Marikay Abuzuaiter, Housing Authority Chief Executive Officer James Cox and Wiley Principal LaToy Kennedy.