Written by: Ken Rhoden, April 1, 2012
The Greater St. Paul Baptist Church in Cocoa hosted a forum for Sheriff and State Attorney candidates to discuss the Trayvon Martin case. The focus was on the future and the lessons learned from this tragic situation. The church was filled and I was glad to have a front row seat for the discussion. All candidates agreed there needs to be better communication and stronger relationships between elected officials and the community they serve.
When I began my campaign in April of 2011 I posted on my web page as part of my platform the following paragraph:
“The Public Defender should be a community leader and not just an agency head. The office is a powerful platform that should be used to talk to school children, civic groups, and churches. Prevention is key and the Public Defender is ideally positioned to help attack the terrible trinity of drugs, violence, and crime. I will serve the public and be an active, energetic Public Defender.” (from KenRhoden.com “Reform is Needed” page)
The Trayvon Martin tragedy and the community’s response highlight just how much work needs to be done.
The event today (April 1, 2012) was well run and the candidates each had equal opportunity to answer questions. I thank the organizers of the forum for their hard work and hope they bring us future events.
