Parkside Residents Sit Down with the 5th Precinct
On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, residents of The Villages at Parkside met face-to-face with command staff from the Detroit Police Department’s 5th Precinct. The meeting ran from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the TVP Community Center, 5000 Conner. Friends Of Parkside (FOP) organized the conversation after parents raised concerns about how officers have treated their teenagers.
Commander Lawrence Purifoy attended, joined by command staff and officers from the 5th Precinct. Also present were Denise White, Director of the Residents Service Department at the Detroit Housing Commission (DHC), and Ernest Collier, DHC Head of Security. Thirty-nine people signed in.
Two Reputations
Commander Purifoy opened on reputation. He said people across the country still picture Detroit as it was twenty years ago, and that Parkside today is not the Parkside those stories describe. He asked residents to extend the same to the police department — that the 5th Precinct is not what it was a generation ago, and that both the community and the department should be judged by what they are now.
Residents answered with what happens on the street. Young people described being watched for walking up the block or carrying a book bag. One resident put it directly: living at Parkside makes you a target.
Young people at the meeting spoke about not feeling safe in their own encounters with police.
Officers explained what they are given before they arrive. When a 911 caller reports only that two Black men are standing at a location, that description is the entire briefing. Officers then investigate everyone who fits it. They acknowledged how that lands on a young person who has done nothing.
What Officers Told Residents
Asked what a resident should do when stopped, the guidance was to comply first and control your tone, then find out what the stop is about. Disagreements get resolved afterward, not on the scene. Officers also cautioned young people against basing their own encounter off someone else’s story.
Officers said police and residents share the job of making Parkside uncomfortable for people who come in from outside to cause problems.
Residents also raised questions about body-worn camera policy, loud music, and 911 calls.
What Comes Next
FOP will be following up with the 5th Precinct to plan a meeting between young people and officers, to continue this important conversation. We will also explore opportunities to work together to build trust.
Officers said this was their first time coming out to Parkside for a conversation like this, and that they did not intend it to be the last.
FOP would like to thank Commander Purifoy and his officers for coming out to Parkside, sitting with residents, and taking the questions directly.
Join Us
FOP’s next Community Meeting is Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., at the TVP Community Center, 5000 Conner. All Parkside residents are welcome.
The 5th Precinct Community Relations Council meets the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Samaritan Center, 5555 Conner Street, Detroit, MI 48213. It is another place to raise concerns directly with the precinct.
If you attended and want something you raised reflected in our follow-up, contact FOP at 5000 Conner Street, Suite 103, or reach us at the Community Center. If you did not attend and have a question for the 5th Precinct, send it to us and we will raise it in the follow-up. You can also reach us at 313-822-0311 or newsletter@friendsofparkside.org.
