Since 1981, Brian Smith has taught various personal safety and martial arts courses on the south side of chicago” target=”_blank”>Chicago< Heights Ju Jitsu Academy.
People of all ages have trained under Smith, but he said perhaps the greatest impression he’s left is on teenage boys.
“I’ve become a father figure to many of them,” Smith said. Several who have attended the training grew up without a father in the home, looking to him as a role model. “I never had much of a father figure either,” he continued, stating that the goal of each program is to instill discipline in the students. “Of course they have resentment in the beginning, but they begin to like it,” Smith quipped.
TEXAS OFFICIALS BACK GEORGE FLOYD POSTHUMOUS PARDON FOR 2004 DRUG ARREST
Smith, a seasoned Black police officer working part time in Steger, us-regions and full time at Prairie State College in chicago” target=”_blank”>Chicago Heights<
Trust between law enforcement and those they serve can be mended by engaging in matters outside of traffic stops and meeting immediate needs of the area. “A lot of people can come to Brian Smith if they need help, and I like that,” Smith mused, indicative of the effort he has put into his own community.
Louisville, Kentucky, Chief of Police Erika Shields, who previously served as the city of Atlanta’s police chief and resigned amid protests last summer, now finds her new department in the limelight once again, this time at the hands of a Department of Justice probe into Breonna Taylor’s death. In a recent national press conference, Shields contritely stated, “We have to rebrand our product” as police officers.
Though he wouldn’t use the same language, Brian Smith’s mentorship is reviving a positive public sentiment toward law enforcement, and despite the mounting pressure from the media and lawmakers, he is paving the way for communities to trust their local officers again. Through years of dedication and service, Smith is a breathing testimony that one person can change the viewpoint of dozens.
