Thursday December 18, 2014 08:12 AM

By Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel (TNS)

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. Imagine dozens of cops sitting in mindful meditation, channeling calm in a display of peace and unity, surrounded by their fellow citizens.

Kelsey Cavanagh can.

The Hollywood yoga teacher is organizing a People & Police for Peace meditation at a park in January. Cavanagh, 25, envisions police coming from all over South Florida to breathe together in guided meditation. She plans to reach out to the Broward County sheriffs office and several other police departments, including those in Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

We would rather work with them in peace than protest, Cavanagh said. We know that officers are people and have hearts. Police brutality is the hot-button issue right now. We would like to see cops in uniform sitting in peace and showing the public that this is a stepping stone to open up conversations about reform. We want to work with people on a heart level and create a forum for mindfulness and conversation.

Eugene ODonnell, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, praised Cavanagh for coming up with a plan for peace even as people across the nation take to the streets to protest.

The conversation about policing has become polarized and facts have often been the first casualty, ODonnell said. So anything that can bridge the divide cant be anything but positive.

But will the cops come?

Jeff Marano, a retired Hollywood cop and president of the Broward County Police Benevolent Association, doubts it. Still, he promised to let officers know about the event by posting details on the unions Facebook page.

See the original post:
Florida yoga teacher invites cops to meditate