LORAIN, Ohio — Officers of the Lorain Police Department stood together with protesters for social justice over the weekend.  

Lorain Police Chief Jim McCann says the crowd was stunned when he joined their protest.  
 
“The crowd seemed surprised that I actually came out there and that’s disappointing because we should be doing this more often and there were some high-fives and some fist bumps, elbow bumps, and we just talked. Everyone stood around and started talking. Some were a little hostile and some wanted answers and we just talked through the issue,” said McCann. 
 
Mayor of Lorain Jack Bradley says it’s important that his city comes together during these difficult times to discuss justice. 
  
“I think we showed unity and we acknowledged the fact that we’ve had this original sin regarding race in this country for 400 years and we need to continue to address it make sure we have police officers that respect all citizens and all citizens deserve to be protected and served and not punished," said Bradley.  
 
McCann says his department joined the protest without riot gear because they wanted to give the crowd a chance to connect with the police.  
 
“Everything we do is a risk and to me the risk was worth taking, to try to talk to the protesters and let them know that police are also human and that we can all get along and we can work through our problems,” McCann said. 
 
McCann says the city is working on programs to unite the community.