City of Kyle hosts Inaugural Dialogue for Peace and Progress Summit on Juneteenth

City of Kyle hosts Inaugural Dialogue for Peace & Progress Summit 

SUMMARY: City of Kyle hosts Inaugural Dialogue for Peace & Progress Summit 

DATE/TIME: Friday, June 19 at 7 p.m. 

LOCATION: Kyle City Hall, 110 W. Center St. 

WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.cityofkyle.com/council/inaugural-dialogue-peace-and-progress-summit

KYLE, TEXAS - Join community leaders for an open and honest conversation to raise awareness and facilitate change in the City of Kyle on Friday, June 19 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. 

Kyle City Councilmember Dex Ellison will be moderating the Inaugural Dialogue for Peace & Progress Summit and said the purpose of the event is to start an open conversation between local law enforcement and the community. 

“This as a springboard to education and understanding of what is ailing or might be lurking in the shadows to breed distrust and concerns in our community,” Ellison said. “Only then can we identify what truly needs to be addressed or changed about our approach to building mutually safe, respectful, and empathetic relationships between those that make, those that enforce and those living by laws passed.” 

Ellison said the first step to identifying any issues within the community is education and he hopes that many in the community will see the panel as a starting point for future conversations and action.  

“We must first educate ourselves, so we know exactly what we are standing for and why we are standing for it. Solving this issue takes exposure, education, compassion, and empathy,” Ellison said. “We hope this is just the beginnings of many more actions to come. The momentum must be sustained, and the moment cannot be lost.” 

A group of panelists from a multitude of perspectives and backgrounds have been recruited to speak during the discussion, including: Mayor Travis Mitchell, Kyle Chief of Police Jeff Barnett, Kyle Police Department Chaplain Marquet Curl, President of the Kyle Law Enforcement Association Officer Phillip Cleary,  Keito Academy of Ethno-Cultural Performing Arts Executive Director Keito St. James, Founder and President of Kyle Cultural Awareness Laura McMahon, JP Morgan Private Client Advisor Ben Wempe, standup comedian and former teacher Winston Dean, Director of Marketing at BrainJuice, LLC  and recording artist Richard Robinson, former Texas State University instructor and former Executive Director of the Calaboose African American History Museum Vanessa Westbrook, Marine veteran and Managing Principal and Chief Financial Planner at Simonet Financial Group Bill Simonet, father of four and editor-in-chief of INSTORE Magazine Trace Shelton, Gladys Carrillo and Mariah Santos of Mothers4BlackLives, current General Counsel for the Hays County Republican Party Bud Wymore and Rubén Castañeda, who works to defend children and juveniles in the Travis County juvenile court system.   

“We hope that people all over this city and area tune in with their families, and then feel encouraged to then have further discussions within their homes, amongst neighbors, churches, community organizations, officials, law enforcement and so on,” Ellison said. 

The event will be held in-person at Kyle City Hall, 110 W. Center St., but other options for participation include streaming the panel online through Kyle10, the city’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/cityofkyletx) or the City of Kyle Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/cityofkyletx/live/). 

Kyle is located in Central Texas between Austin and San Antonio along the I-35 Innovation Corridor.