The Problem with Police
Police are state agents authorized to use violence to fight crime and maintain public order. However, too often police have used that authority to violate the human rights of ordinary citizens, primarily in African American and Latinx communities. Is it possible for the police to both enforce the law and respect human rights? Calls for police reform and even police abolition are the focus of public attention, particularly when the latest excessive force incident dominates the headlines. What is the problem with policing?
In the first in a series of Smart Talks presented in collaboration with the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights, Craig Futterman, Trina Reynolds-Tyler, and Damon Williams discuss police reform, police abolition, the search for rights and justice, and an end to racism.
Participants
- Craig Futterman (Clinical Professor of Law, UChicago Law School)
- Trina Reynolds-Tyler (Harris Public Policy student and former Communications Chair, Black Youth Project 100)
- Damon Williams (Co-founder, #LetUsBreathe Collective and Co-host, WHPK Radio’s AirGo)
- Moderated by Reuben Miller (Assistant Professor, University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration)
FREE, open to all.
Schedule
9pm discussion and dialogue
10pm–midnight reception and after-hours access to the Smart’s exhibitions
About the series
Presented by the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights in collaboration with the Feitler Center for Academic Inquiry at the Smart Museum of Art, the Smart Talk: What About Human Rights? series brings together experts exploring some of the knottiest human rights issues of our time. Each of these quarterly discussions is moderated by Pozen Center faculty and followed by a reception, where attendees can explore the Smart Museum galleries after hours.
- Fall / The Problem with Police
- Winter / Borders and Human Rights: Can They Be Reconciled?
- Spring / Our Changing Relationship with Animals and our Responsibilities