Martin Luther King III visits Syracuse to meet with local leaders and law enforcement

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Martin Luther King III visited Syracuse on Thursday, May 23, where he met with local leaders and law enforcement at the school named for his late father .

Martin Luther King III spoke with Onondaga County Prosecutor Bill Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile, Onondaga County Sheriff, Toby Shelley, Syracuse City School District Superintendent Anthony Davis, and a number of other local leaders to discuss some of the following issues. the challenges currently facing Syracuse.

“There is always an opportunity to move forward if people are willing to come to the table to talk, and that’s what today was about, a conversation,” King III said.

The human rights activist and son of Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about community building and what needs to be done.

“Whether it’s Syracuse or Atlanta, there are issues that not only need to be amplified, but they are issues that you need to work on 24/7,” King III said.

One of the issues raised is juvenile delinquency.

“The district is a microcosm of the community, and that really means that what happens there also happens in the schools. So how can we help students solve problems differently than crime? » said Davis.

King III says changes can be made, but it will take the entire community and community engagement to make it happen.

“It can’t be done in a vacuum, it can’t be done in silos and I didn’t need to emphasize that point at all, I said it. But this has already been said by several people around the table and we are working to build community, and my hope that comes out of nonviolence is that community can be built and sustainable,” King III said.

“What is happening in many communities is not sustainable. This is not intentional, but it is destructive. What we have to do is create a community, so that it is constructive,” said King III.

Thursday’s discussion is not over. Local leaders and law enforcement will continue to work together to make Syracuse a safer community.