MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER OFFERS STUDENTS ‘REAL TALK’ ON LAW ENFORCEMENT

Dewayne Bryant (center) is an accomplished Chicago motivational speaker and CEO of Inner Vision International, a not-for profit organization that travels the country talking to children in public schools. Bryant is adamant about parents having a real discussion with children about how to properly handle law enforcement. He has mentored more than 15,000 children nationwide. Photo Credit: Barb Levant
Dewayne Bryant (center) is an accomplished Chicago motivational speaker and CEO of Inner Vision International, a not-for profit organization that travels the country talking to children in public schools. Bryant is adamant about parents having a real discussion with children about how to properly handle law enforcement. He has mentored more than 15,000 children nationwide. Photo Credit: Barb Levant

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER OFFERS STUDENTS ‘REAL TALK’ ON LAW ENFORCEMENT

By Safiyyah P. Muhammad

Dewayne Bryant is a Chicago motivational speaker who is on a mission to teach young people all across the country how to properly and respectfully handle law enforcement. Bryant, who is CEO of Inner Vision International, explained that in light of the Justice Department’s recent misconduct findings, parents and caregivers should have a real discussion with students and youths about properly handling law enforcement.

“It is so important right now to have an intelligent conversation with them (youths) because I hate to say it, many of these young people are not having intelligent conversations coming from their homes. Children are having conversations, but they are not

intelligent conversations. You cannot talk to the police or teachers and treat them as if they are your peers. When children get terrible information from home, they enact terrible information,” said Bryant,

adding, there should be a mandatory conversation about properly handling law enforcement on the local and state levels. “These conversations must be done in the proper way and with role

play-- with elementary students and young adults alike,” Bryant

said.

Recently, the Chicago Police Department has been in the spotlight after a year and a half investigation launched by the Justice Department. The Department of Justice (DOJ) found that the CPD was in violation of police misconduct due to excessive force brought

against residents.

“I think it is wonderful that the Department of Justice has come and verified and dignified what the Black community has known for years. Now, that truth has been written and expressed, now it is time for a solution to that truth.

There was excessive use of force. Sometimes the police agitated events to jeopardize the civil rights and constitutional rights of its citizens. That should not be tolerated in any civilized society with any police department.”

Bryant says he thinks there will be an increase of stop and frisks where African Americans are racially profiled, according to reports. “We have a new law-and-order president who is coming in with a new cabinet.

He (Trump) has already said, ‘I support stop and frisk.’ Stop and frisk is a very different animal. For our people who do not know how to engage with law enforcement, and for those who do not have an intelligent plan on how to conduct themselves, there is going to be a lot of unnecessary arrests, unnecessary incarcerations, unnecessary violence and maybe even unnecessary deaths.

Inner Vision International was incorporated in Chicago in 1997, and the not-for-profit organization received its first contract with CPS in 1999. The group also serves Thornton

Township District 162, Rich Township 227, Broward County Schools District in Florida,

Roosevelt School District in Phoenix, Arizona, among others. Bryant has mentored

more than 15,000 students since the incorporation of the organization.

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