Thomas Cooper sat in the front row at Guiding Light Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday, listening to a panel of law enforcement officers and public officials speak about their responsibilities in the community.
Fulton city and Callaway County leaders gathered for a community forum - the brainchild of Rev. Charles Jackson with Guiding Light - in the hopes of connecting more with the public they serve and addressing any issues. A common theme between the speakers and those in the audience was that a better relationship and line of communication means a better community for all.
Cooper, a retired family practitioner and emergency room doctor, compared what took place Saturday to practicing medicine. He said when a problem arises, a "band-aid" can temporarily cover the situation. The efforts made by the officials, Jackson and members of Guiding Light at the two-hour forum is preventative health care for the community.
"If there's something to be addressed, it's better to nip it before it gets started," Cooper said.
Panelists included: Fulton Mayor LeRoy Benton, Fulton Chief of Police Steve Myers, Callaway County Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann, Lt. Clay Chism with the Callaway County Sheriff's Office, Fulton Public Schools Superintendent Jacque Cowherd and Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Hull and Jerry Arnold and Andrew Armstrong with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who are stationed in Callaway County. Bill Johnson, Fulton's city administrator, also attended but did not speak.
To summarize the purpose of the discussion, Jackson led with a Martin Luther King Jr. quote: "... I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don't know each other, and they don't know each other because they don't communicate with each other, and they don't communicate with each other because they are separated from each other."
"That's why we're here - to bring this community together, to give people the opportunity to communicate so there is not fear and there is not hate that we see going on in our society today," Jackson said.
More than 15 people sat in the audience, listening to officials talk about important services they offer and how people can access them. Jackson said the low turnout could be a sign of apathy in the community - people didn't feel compelled to come to the forum because they might not have an issue of great concern to address. Those in attendance did not bring up any specific issues.
Nevertheless, Jackson said joining together who was there is what mattered.
"If nothing else, we'll know each other," Jackson said, referencing the more than 25 people inside the church.
Anyone unable to attend the forum could have another opportunity to do so. There was a shared sentiment to hold more of these forums in the future.
Jungermann said officials need to go out into the county more often and in various locations - as it might be difficult for people to travel in Callaway, the seventh largest county in Missouri.
"I would love to see more people get involved because I think that the more they know what's going on, it will answer a lot of questions they may have and it just lets them know what direction we're all headed here, not only as law enforcement but also as county-elected officials and city-elected officials," Jungermann said.
Myers reiterated Jungermann's comments.
"I would certainly like to see these types of programs throughout the community," Myers said. "And to echo what Rev. Jackson said at the beginning, when we have issues, we fill rooms ... I feel very fortunate on one hand that we haven't filled the room today, and yet I would like to see more people come out and participate in these types of programs."
Chism promoted the idea of a greater relationship with the sheriff's office and the public, stating that people should speak up when they have an issue. He also emphasized that he, all three division supervisors, the captain and Sheriff Dennis Crane have an open-door policy.
"I can't drive home enough how much we value our relationships with the community. With that said, we know from time to time there may be a disagreement, there may be a frustration, there may be a question; if there is, please do not let things fester. Let us know," Chism said. "If there's a problem out in the community, we need to know. If there's a problem that we need to address in house, we can't unless we know about it ... I can't emphasize enough: contact us. If we don't know there's a problem, we can't fix it."
Carolyn Jackson, Rev. Jackson's wife, called the forum a "breath of fresh air."
"We have to continue these meetings and continue to keep the focus that we need to grow this community," she said.