FILE - St. Paul Police officers move in on a crowd past a church, Thursday, May 28, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn.
Charles Graham and other Twin Cities faith leaders who minister to communities historically ravaged by racial injustice know their neighborhoods are also the most vulnerable to poverty and crime.
Firm in their denunciation of brutality and racism, the religious leaders believe that using faith to build bridges between law enforcement and the communities they police will ultimately keep everyone safe.
Since then, the parish community and the police have held regular dialogue.
Two miles down the interstate highway, that would be closed two hours later in an effort to prevent more violence, the rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul celebrated the first public Mass there since the pandemic.