Page 48 - FOP August 2019 Magazine

Dancing in the streets in 003
n BY ERIKA WURST
It’s quite a sight to see because it’s one not often witnessed out- side a police station in the heart of Chicago.
What’s the attention-grabber? Hundreds of people getting jiggy with it alongside the City’s finest, all part of the Third District’s “Dancing in the District” four-part series.
Commander Gloria Hanna, the district’s sergeants, lieutenants and officers make up about 30 department members who join in the fun each summer. They step, line dance and get down to some smooth jazz with nearly 200 residents ranging in age from 21 to 70.
With an instructor at the helm and a DJ spinning the tunes, the group works together and in step to bring each dance alive.
Ronald Jackson, the district’s community policing liaison offi- cer, has been tasked with keeping the event alive. Dancing in the District kicked off last year, but after the retirement of the event’s creator, the new officer stepped in with enthusiasm.
“This is the only time you’ll go to a police station when there’s nothing wrong,” Jackson said. “When they come this time, resi- dents will say, ‘They’re dancing at the police station? Really? Po- lice dance?’ Yeah. We do. We’re normal people.”
Outside the district headquarters is also a place where people feel safe to gather. They don’t have to look over their shoulders and wonder if something might happen.
The allure has garnered the attention of passersby who, with no intention of joining the event, end up dancing the night away with their local officers and peers.
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Jackson admits that he’d like to see other districts get in on the action, especially districts where the stations are difficult to see or locate. He hears people say all the time that they pass by po- lice stations daily with no idea what’s inside. A group of 200 people dancing out- side any one of these loca- tions would clearly draw
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