PITTSFIELD, Mass. — When asked if Pittsfield Police were committed to the process of engaging in the hard work of building an equitable society, the simple answer of Police Chief Michael Wynn is "yes."

 

His response capped a rally and procession on Sunday afternoon, "Together We Breathe," organized by Berkshire Interfaith Organizing to honor Black Lives Matter, from City Hall to Durant Park where the procession also answered in the affirmative to be a partner with police in these efforts. 

 

The efforts to make substantive changes for equity have both the ingredients of a marathon and a marriage, said the Rev. Sloan Letman IV of the Cathedral the Beloved and second vice president of BIO.

 

Marriage takes commitment over years, he told the more than 300 participants in Sunday's gathering, and it will take multiple parties to build more than just a new normal, but a new society of equals. 

 

"Marathons are about pacing and to run a successful marathon, you need support," he said. "The fuel, the hydration station. You need medical assistance when you're in pain, and you need people to help you run that race."

 

He referenced the story of Exodus, about Moses' struggles to lead God's people out of enslavement in Egypt. 

 

"He is trying to lead them and reassure them that he's doing everything he can. But he is worn out, he is tired. And he is overwhelmed," Letman. "Moses' father-in-law said to him, what you're doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out. Both you and these people with you, or the task is too heavy for you. You cannot do it alone."

 

No one can take on such an effort alone, the reverend said. 

 

"A sustained cooperative endeavor, with consistency and accountability. We may be able to disrupt the status quo. We might be able to defund departments and dismantle structures, but it will always take the real work, generations of work, work that takes lifetimes."

 

There are many hoping to make the task a little lighter as clergy and community members from Pittsfield and beyond marched to the beat of Otha Day's drum, chanting "together we breathe." The marchers held up signs for Black Lives Matter, the names of African Americans killed by police and vigilante violence and calls to end racism in all forms. Several residents along the route came out in support; one woman yelled from her door, "thank you, thank you" to the passing procession.

 

At the park, named for community activists the Rev. Willard Durant and his wife, Rosemary, the gathering took a knee or seat for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time that George Floyd was pinned to the ground by police before losing consciousness and his life. 

 

Floyd's killing in Minneapolis sparked daily protests worldwide and a renewed conversation on police brutality and systemic racism that has been reinforced by videos of police violence against protesters. In the Berkshires, it's prompted several protests including Sunday's, and community conversations about policing and its costs. 

 

Wynn said he has been having a lot of conversations with community members over the past several weeks, including answering questions about the legal reasons for some of the protocols police have in place. 

 

"So a lot of education," he said on helping inform what police do and considering what can change. "There's probably going end up being some policy development that comes about as a result of this ...

 

"We have a long-standing history in the city and in the county of working with the community to make changes, which is one of the reasons we could pull this off. We're going to continue what we're doing and look for opportunities to do more."

 

Carol Ivery of Price Memorial AME Church was hopeful based on that commitment and the participation of the Police Department in the march. 

 

"Yes, there's good and bad in all races. There's good and bad in cops," she said. "We just need to get things straight and get things worked out." 

 

Ivery had given the opening prayer on the steps of City Hall, asking the marchers to remember "we're doing this to create unity among us all and to fix the problems that is going on, and to make sure we don't have these problems here."

 

The march was closed with a prayer by Rabbi David Weiner of Congregation Knesset Israel remembering those lost to police violence and asking that their deaths "be a wake up call to us and to our society. That black lives matter, that every life matters."

 

BIO's community organizer, Dondei Dean, said marching, clapping and singing was a great way to show support but it's just a first step if the group wanted to institute real change. "Like tiramisu," she said, there's lots of layers they'll have to work on together, one day at a time. 

 

"We know, and I can infer based on some of your signs, that we know that this is not the end all, be all, right?" Dean said. "We're here to take the first steps toward change."

 

A larger conversation on systemic change in the Berkshires will be held on July 3 at 3 p.m. that will be held via the Zoom digital platform, organized by BIO and Multicultural Bridge and including Wynn and some of his officers. Anyone interested in participating can find more information through Berkshires Interfaith Organizing.

 

"This work won't be easy. It will not be a short-term project, it will not be sexy work," said Letman. "After the marches are over, it will take the work hard work that is called for in this time. And this is work that we only can do together."