On Monday, a grand jury did not indict Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson for any crimes related to the death in August of the unarmed teen Michael Brown. That death touched off a series of protests and conversations about race relations between police and the black community.
It’s sparked investigations about police militarization and racial profiling. That shooting was followed just this past week by police shootings in New York and Cleveland. Combined with the raw emotions still felt in the country after the Trayvon Martin case, “policing black America” has become an important issue in communities and on college campuses.
Last week, Where We Live was asked to moderate and record a forum on this subject at Central Connecticut State University. They brought together academics and activists, researchers and an outspoken police officer, to join in frank conversation with students and others from the community.
GUESTS:
- Timothy Black, Associate Professor of Sociology at Case Western University, author of On Becoming a Teen Mom: Life Before Pregnancy
- LaResse Harvey, Director of Strategic Relations at A Better Way Foundation
- Agnus Kurzyna, Community Activist in New Britain, CT
- Roderick Anderson, PhD Candidate in Anthropology at UMass Amherst
- Shafiq Abdussabur, New Haven police officer, author of A Black Man's Guide to Law Enforcement in America