Jackson Police Department wraps up Faith & Blue Weekend today with a town hall at Tougaloo College after prayer and worship events every day since Friday.
Their website says, “National Faith & Blue Weekend facilitates safer and stronger communities by engaging law enforcement officers and local residents through the connections of faith-based organizations.”
The town hall discussion, called “Crucial Conversations,” will take place in the Bennie Thompson Building at 6 p.m.
On Friday, the weekend started off with a prayer service on the front steps of JPD headquarters, featuring pastors from the area, singing, and a message from Chief Joseph Wade.
Saturday morning brought the “No prayer, no peace” walk. As participants walked, the chant of “no prayer, no peace” morphed into “more prayer, more peace,” and the group sang along the 2-mile walk as well.
On Sunday, Berean Seventh Day Adventist Church hosted the Gospel Explosion at their building on Woodrow Wilson Avenue, featuring singing and Gospel messages.
Chief Wade’s participation in the National Faith & Blue events is reminiscent of the prayer services held on the steps of J.P.D. during the tenure of then-police chief and late Hinds County Sheriff Lee Vance under the Tony Yarber administration.
In the four months he has served as chief, Wade has brought the number of uniformed police officers on the streets of Jackson up from 221 to 245, and he says the public can expect to see it continue to grow.
