Elmira Star-Gazette
Juhura Shazer said he had a run-in with the Elmira Police Department six years ago in a case of mistaken identity.
Shazer, a pastor who has been involved in ministry and community outreach for the past 12 years, was already looking at ways to strengthen ties with the police prior to that incident.
Rather than condemn police as the enemy as a result of that situation, Shazer said he was even more determined to work at improving relations between law enforcement and the local community.
Now Shazer, co-pastor of Lake Street Presbyterian Church in Elmira, is helping lead an effort to resolve longstanding tensions brought to a head nationally in May when George Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis.