Before the deadly spa shootings in Atlanta last year, Korean community groups in north Atlanta had built relationships with local police departments through a simple program. When tragedy struck, they were quickly in the loop.
Clayton Lee is a Korean immigrant who came to the U.S. when he was 16. The former banker is a community leader who wanted to build relationships between immigrant business owners and the local community, including the police department. So, in 2019, he started a monthly meeting.
“Doing a ‘Coffee with a Cop’ program to invite residents and business owners to talk with the police department if they have any issues,” Lee said. “So, our focus was — is there any Asian hate crimes going on that area that you need to come up and talk to the police department?”
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