DOVER, Del.- A town hall meeting about race relations in Kent County lasted four hours Wednesday night.
At least 20 people spoke up at Dover City Hall and the majority of their concerns centered around Dover Police Department.
Dover council members, Brian Lewis and Roy Sudler Jr., convened the meeting in response to complaints of minority targeting within city public services.
Those at the front of the city hall chambers during the discussion included members of Delaware clergy, an NAACP representative and members of Dover's Human Relations Commission (DHRC). Although it was noted that DRHC has not gathered for this kind of meeting since before the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Councilman Sudler said there was a "perception that systems in Dover are somewhat biased or perceived to be prejudice."
Several community members tried to prove that perception when stepping up to the podium.
Devin Willis shared his experience with Dover, Camden and Wyoming Police Departments last week. When he said he was wrongfully accused of a shooting at a local Redner's grocery store.
"I felt like if I made the wrong move they would've killed me for no reason."
Willis claims officers were overly aggressive and berating him.
"The guy that did it had on a black shirt and jeans and I had on a white shirt and blue shorts so I could not have been the guy," said Willis. "The only thing we had in common was the color of our skin ... they called me names for no reason."
Others also shared their own stories, including a woman who mentioned how an incident had a distressing impact on her children, and someone else who felt they were treated unfairly due to their race while in the Dover Police Academy.
Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson was not at the meeting. Councilman Sudler thinks that may have been for the better.
"I'm glad they weren't here, not because I don't support the police department, but a lot of the concerns were about police and community relations and the community needed to feel comfortable."
Thursday, Chief Johnson said many issues that were brought up had already been resolved, but that the department is always striving to improve.
"I'm not saying there is never anything to see here and you shouldn't be asking any questions," he said. "I am pretty confident with where we are but I am also saying that we are never going to be done getting better."
The chief said he would not delve into the specifics of any individual allegation, deeming it inappropriate.
However, he stated, "I need the community to have confidence that when they request a Dover police officer, they will receive fair and equitable treatment. If I discover that we are falling short of that standard when it matters, we will address it. But it's crucial that we examine the situation through the same lens and come to an agreement on the facts."
Vonda Smack who attended the meeting said she was surprised by how many people joined the conversation, but has hope for the future.
"I'll be honest I didn't know it was that severe," she said. "But to know it is going to be addressed makes me feel a lot better."
Sudler and Lewis said their next step will be another meeting with the panelists who were present, to identify "realistic goals" going forward.