A Cop and an Art Gallery

Remember how Groot and her sycophants were (and are still) painting cops as the problem in many neighborhoods? "Occupying forces." "Slave patrols." Pretty much mercenaries. We and others countered that cops are coaches, scout leaders, school councils, and volunteers across a wide range of positions - the glue that helps hold a neighborhood together.

Here's a cop doing it in one of the most downtrodden of areas:

• When Corry Williams was converting an old West Side church into an art gallery, he noticed a 9-year-old girl named A’mya peeking in the window every day. Now, five years later, A’mya’s artwork is a permanent fixture of his 345 Art Gallery.
  
  Williams says that’s what he wanted the gallery to do — bring people in the neighborhood together, especially children, which he aims to do through classes, community events, murals and field trips.
  
  Over the last five years, Williams has juggled the gallery at 345 N. Kedzie Ave. and collecting with his work as a police officer, which he’s been for more than 20 years. But once he walks inside the gallery, he says, he’s a regular guy, not a cop.

A lot of people make noise about "helping" the community and paying lip service to "creative outlets" to alleviate hope and despair.

Here's a cop actually doing it in a part of town that has been abandoned by the politicians for decades.

The kids in that neighborhood aren't going to remember Groot or the aldercreatures when they get older. They're going to remember this cop and the safe space he helped create for however long it lasts. Best of luck Officer Williams.