For a moment, she felt the weight of the question.
Then answered.
"Yes."
Walter nodded slowly.
"Then I'll come."
At the meeting, he explained that he'd started recording because he saw a neighbor in distress.
He'd recognized Naomi, but his concern didn't depend entirely on her title.
He was frightened by how quickly the officer dismissed every attempt to establish what was happening.
Then Walter said something that stayed with the room.
"I've lived on that street almost twenty years. I know who's supposed to be coming and going. But nobody should have to rely on having a neighbor who recognizes them to be safe in their own garage."
The members listened.
Walter continued.
"I didn't want to fight the police. I wanted them to listen."
Naomi looked toward him.
For a moment, she felt unexpectedly emotional.
Because he had expressed the central problem more clearly than any official report.
The city's legal process continued separately from the department's employment decisions.
Naomi's injuries were documented.
Her property damage was assessed.
And the relevant claims arising from the incident were addressed through the appropriate legal channels.
She didn't use her position to negotiate special treatment.
Her attorney represented her personal interests, while officials with proper authority handled the city's responsibilities.
The separate investigation into potential criminal wrongdoing followed its own evidentiary standards.
Naomi respected those distinctions even when the process moved more slowly than she wanted.
She understood that accountability didn't always produce a dramatic courtroom moment.
Sometimes it involved careful findings, civil remedies, disciplinary records, policy changes, and difficult public acknowledgment.
The city eventually reached an appropriate resolution of the civil claims without requiring Naomi to abandon her concerns about the department's broader practices.
She directed part of the compensation she personally received toward family needs and causes important to her, while keeping the details of her private arrangements separate from departmental decisions.
She had no interest in turning the incident into a public contest over money.
Her goal was to ensure the harm was acknowledged and that the institution took meaningful corrective action.
But she also understood something she'd once overlooked.
No official outcome could restore the afternoon she lost.
It couldn't erase Imani's frightened voice.
Or return the moment when Naomi stood in her garage believing that another police officer would recognize the obvious facts.
The law could address responsibility.
Healing required something more personal.
Naomi's shoulder improved with medical care and rehabilitation.
The bruising around her wrists faded.
But the emotional effects were less predictable.
For several weeks, she felt uncomfortable when she heard a sudden siren near her house.
She sometimes found herself checking the garage security feed before entering.