In an effort to rebuild the relationship between police and Rochester youth, both have come together in a first of its kind symposium.

"We are holding this symposium to bring together the two sides - youth and police - and to discuss the issues that are present,” said Britny Horton, one of the Teen Empowerment youth members. “It's no secret that these relationships are damaged."

Its called "Real Talk, Real Walk, Real Change: Transitioning Youth and Police to a New Beginning.” It’s a first of its kind effort aimed at rebuilding the strained relationship between police and youth.

"They've been damaged for decades,” said Horton. “We are sitting here talking about decades and decades of events that have taken place and have ruined our relationships."

This effort dates back to 2008 when nearly 2,000 Rochester youth and 264 Rochester police officers were surveyed regarding their attitudes and actions toward one another.

"We cannot get our job done without trust, building bridges with neighborhoods because we need the community, when they see something, to call us," said Rochester Police Chief David Moore.

Chief Moore talked about the incident that happened last week where an officer was forced to use his weapon. He said he was concerned about what he heard from people in the community.

“Here is an opportunity in this venue to talk about police-community relations," he added.

More than 80 youth and 30 police officers took part in the afternoon session finding out how to make that first step count the most.

"Youth don't trust police. Police don't respect youth,” said Shamar McMillan, another Teen Empowerment youth members. “We're hearing it all over and we really don't want it to be the stigma on it anymore."

Both sides are humanizing everyday situations in an attempt to rebuild damaged reputations.

"It's not a one day process and it's not going to be easy,” said McMillan. “But at some point, you have to make that change."

Teen Empowerment Rochester