Law enforcement, community come together
By Brandon Davis
Published in News on March 26, 2017 12:00 AM
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News-Argus/SETH COMBS
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Akira Edwards, 14, leads the crowd doing the dance to "Juju on that Beat" during the community day held at Fairview Park Saturday. Edwards spends most of her free time learning dances.
Over 100 people gathered at Fairview Park Saturday to see law enforcement and non-profit organizations unite with the community.
The 3rd annual Community Fun Day kicked off with 65 students from A Drummers World getting people to stomp their feet and Faith Free Will Baptist offering pony rides for children.
The Goldsboro Police Department operated the interactive police robot, and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office shot hoops with neighborhood families -- all to show support to the City of Goldsboro.
"We're trying to build better community relations," Shycole Simpson-Carter, community relations director for the City of Goldsboro.
"We just want to connect the dots."
Sheriff Larry Pierce listened to the drummers as Police Chief Mike West watched his officers laugh with children over the robot.
"We are a joint effort with the Goldsboro Police Department and the city government as well as the Wayne County government," Pierce said.
Simpson-Carter said the city partnered local organizations to offer careers and education to the community. She said NC Legal Aid, NCWorks Career Center, Wayne Community College, the Bridge's Mobile Medical Clinic, Tehillah Church Ministries, Salvation Army and the Literacy Connection of Wayne County agreed to provide free Internet access, resume preparation, information about the Affordable Care Act and help with navigating NCWorks.gov.
LaQuitia Kornegay took the time to let her children and nephew just have some fun with the bouncy castle and the police.
"This is a way for us to let them know that we are human and that we are part of the community," West said. "And we can't do our job without the community's support."
Aniya Smith, 6, Tyhir Kornegay, 4, Dajuan Kornegay 3 ran around the robot with their cousin Kaliek Kornegay, 6.
Simpson-Carter remembered when she was a child living in public housing. She said she realized the importance of taking responsibility, which led her to her position with the City of Goldsboro.
"Honestly, it only takes one person to change or receive something from today's Community Fun Day that will gravitate them to make a lasting and enormous change for Goldsboro and Wayne County," she said.