Church speakers urge city to allow community engagement officer to return after being withheld from immigration event

Two representatives of Wesley United Methodist Church told the Committee of the Whole that the city prevented Sergeant Kyle Nowers — identified in the meeting as a Bloomington Police Department community engagement officer — from speaking at a church‑sponsored immigration information session planned for Aug. 13. The speakers asked the council to reverse the decision and to clarify public remarks by Mayor Brady about the matter.

Steve Butte, who identified himself as a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, described the sequence: he said the church arranged the event with Sergeant Nowers, received a confirmation and flyer approval from Deputy City Manager Sue McLaughlin, and then learned on Aug. 8 that Nowers had been ordered not to appear. "The city did absolutely not cancel this event. It was not an event sponsored by the city," Butte said, adding that the church ultimately obtained other qualified speakers and held the event.

Associate pastor JW Barnett urged the council to reverse the decision barring Nowers from community immigration events and quoted the Bloomington Police Department strategic plan. Barnett said the department's community‑engagement goal "aim[s] to foster trust, mutual understanding, and cooperation" and cited the 2025–2029 strategic plan's goals for community engagement and transparency. "The decision made to withhold Sergeant Kyle Nowers... is not in alignment with the Bloomington Police Department strategic plan for 2025 through 2029," Barnett said.

The speakers requested that the mayor and administration clarify why the officer was barred and asked for a reversal of the decision so the community engagement unit can participate in planned events on immigration. They also said Mayor Brady did not contact the church directly before discussing the matter in a media interview; Butte said the mayor's comments to a local station were "uninformed and misleading" and sought correction and clarity.

Discussion vs. outcome: The matter was presented during the public‑comment portion of the Committee of the Whole; council members did not take formal action or make a motion during the meeting on this topic. Staff members and the mayor were referenced in remarks; Deputy City Manager Sue McLaughlin and the mayor were mentioned but did not speak on the record during this segment.

Ending: Speakers provided the council packets of materials distributed at the church event and asked for clarification and corrective action. No staff report, investigation outcome or council directive was documented at the meeting; the council did not vote on the request.