Monday, January 23 at 2:00 pm
Policing Is Racially Biased
In 2014, the shooting of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, set off a wave of protests and sparked a movement targeting racial disparities in criminal justice. Since then, there have been other controversial deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement that have captured the public’s attention, from Tamir Rice, to Philando Castile. But there are some who say that these encounters, many of them recorded, have fed a narrative of biased policing that the data does not back up, vilifying people who are trying to do good in a difficult job that often puts them in harm’s way. What are the statistics, and how should we interpret them? How have recent incidents shaped our view of policing? Does crime drive law enforcement’s use of force, or is there racial bias?
Debaters:
Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is an associate professor of constitutional law at John Jay College (CUNY), a legal correspondent and a civil-rights attorney. She has spoken nationally and internationally on the issues of civil rights, gender equality and justice under law. She reports on the U.S. Supreme Court in her award-winning syndicated newspaper column and hosts the weekly radio program "Law of the Land with Gloria J. Browne-Marshall." Gloria has provided commentary for BBC, CNN, CBS, NPR, WVON and C-SPAN. Her most recent book is The Voting Rights War. It examines centuries of voting rights struggles while also telling the story of the civil-rights attorneys who fought for voting rights in court as well as the foot soldiers who paid for justice with their lives. She is the author of Race, Law, and American Society and a playwright.
Marquez (Marq) Claxton is currently the director of public relations and political affairs for the Black Law Enforcement Alliance. Marq is a retired NYPD detective whose assignments included uniformed and plainclothes patrol enforcement in the 28th precinct in central Harlem, the Organized Crime Control Bureau (Narcotics Division) both undercover and as an investigator, and the 90 Precinct Detective Squad (Domestic Violence/Child Abuse coordinator). Marq’s past organizational affiliations include the New York State Democratic Conference’s Operation S.N.U.G. (co-chair of the Gangs, Guns & Gainful Employment subcommittee), New York State Blue Ribbon Commission of Gang Violence Prevention, and 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement (co-founder). He is a current life member of the N.A.A.C.P. and board member for The Ujima Group in South Carolina. Through the Black Law Enforcement Alliance, Marq facilitates many community workshops including: “Surviving Police Interactions,” “Gangs-Our Domestic Terrorists,” “Senior Safety” and “Little Girl Lost-sex trafficking.” As the spokesperson for the Black Law Enforcement Alliance, Marq has appeared on numerous local and national media outlets to discuss issues relating to criminal justice as well as police and community relations.
Heather Mac Donald is the Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal. Mac Donald’s work at City Journal has canvassed a range of topics, including higher education, immigration, policing and “racial” profiling, homelessness and homeless advocacy, criminal-justice reform, and race relations. Her writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, and The New Criterion. Mac Donald's newest book, The War on Cops (2016), warns that raced-based attacks on the criminal-justice system, from the White House on down, are eroding the authority of law and putting lives at risk. She is a recipient of the 2005 Bradley Prize.
Harry S. Stern is the managing principal for Rains Lucia Stern, a law firm focused on civil litigation and criminal defense. Stern has successfully defended peace officers in a number of high-profile trials. He has also represented college and professional athletes, candidates for elected office and other prominent people in civil and criminal actions in both federal and state court. Prior to becoming an attorney, Stern was a police officer with the City of Berkeley and was a member of the Berkeley Police Association’s Board of Directors. He has also served on the University of California’s Civilian Police Review Board. Stern teaches classes and seminars on a range of topics related to police legal issues, and he is often interviewed on television, radio and in print media regarding law enforcement matters.
To listen to the audio of “Policing Is Racially Biased” on Intelligence Squared online, please click HERE.