Whether the police are right in a situation and whether one likes the police, an officer should receive respect for his position. The matter can be addressed or corrected later, if the subject complies and then walks away.
That concept is known as "the talk" among most black parents, said W.T. Edmonson.
"We will try to bring that talk to young people publicly," he said.
More than 150 men of faith, including Edmondson, gathered Tuesday at Ferguson, the site of protests and violence that erupted for many days after an unarmed 18-year-old was fatally shot by a policeman Aug. 9.
Edmonson said he has returned to Jefferson City with a renewed vigor for action and speaking out.
"It caused me to do more reflection and to be more determined to speak out and to try to empower the minimum wage guy on the street to not take it if they're being mistreated," Edmonson said.
Edmonson was among six men from Second Baptist Church who gathered with members of the National Baptist Convention USA Inc. at St. Mark's Missionary Baptist in Ferguson.
Dressed in their Sunday suits, the clergy and lay leaders prayed and visited with local residents at "ground zero." They were joined by other believers from as far away as Texas and Florida. They sang, prayed and expressed their sympathy.
"It prompted us to interact with individuals in that community," said the Rev. Cornell Sudduth, pastor at Second Baptist. "For us, this will have an impact.
"We were right there; it was certainly moving for me. We were not there to protest, to fight or to choose sides. We were there to show the presence of God and the church."
The Rev. Rob Erickson, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church, also took the goodwill of the Jefferson City faith community to the troubled St. Louis suburb recently.
"People were glad to see clergy there," Erickson said. "I spoke with black teachers, white and black policemen, clergy, store owners and servers, and National Guardsman, and let them know we were praying for them in Jeff City."
For Edmonson, after seeing the sobering site, he hopes the nation will address a long-avoided conversation about poverty and minority life.
"It's evident, Ferguson has created a conversation in this state and nation that needed to take place a long time ago," Edmonson said. "It's much easier to not have that conversation.
"I hope in the aftermath, serious conversations will take place from the national to the municipal level about poverty."