A movement started to enhance community and police relations in Winslow Township has gone viral on social media.
WINSLOW TWP. -- A New Jersey man's visit to his hometown police department to talk about police-community relations and the recent racial unrest ended with a photo and started a challenge.
Andre Fooks posted the image of himself with his two friends and the Winslow Township police chief with the hashtag #PicsforPeace and called on others to follow suit by posting a photo with a random person of a different race or with a police officer.
Fooks, 21, an intern at radio station WMMR in Philadelphia, said the response has been overwhelming. His post has been shared more than 1,000 times since Friday. And he's been featured in segments on multiple Philadelphia television stations.
"The idea behind it is that you can't just take a picture with somebody," Fooks said. "It's going to start a conversation."
@OmG_Itz_Ace Winslow PD Officers would like to thank you for the meeting with Chief George Smith and the creation of #PicsForPeace
-- Winslow Twp Police (@WinslowPolice) July 12, 2016
His request for a conversation with his local police department is what got the idea started. Fooks, along with his friends Nigel Newman and Aaron Grant, were bothered by recent events involving police and community relations and got a meeting with police Chief George Smith, who welcomed the discussion.
"We wanted to have a conversation about what we can do," said Fooks. "We talked for about two hours. Talked about everything local police are doing -- body cameras, community events. We could tell how genuinely serious and passionate the chief was about it."
After the meeting, the four men snapped the picture that anchored his #PicsforPeace challenge.
"If we continue to have all this violence, it affects everyone. War doesn't chose it's victims," Fooks said.
Fooks said he's excited to see PicsforPeace has spread from a local movement to a national one and he hopes it continues to start dialogues and bridge community relations.
"I would literally just be happy if I could keep seeing pictures of people doing it," he said. "I started it for a reason. I want it to go everywhere."
Best friends!! #PicsForPeace pic.twitter.com/EPg9gzLroP
-- Pauline Schulz-Robb (@Jade1971) July 12, 2016
Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand.Find NJ.com on Facebook.