UA Criminal Justice to Host Interactive Discussion on Ferguson, Mo. Events

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Scholars, law enforcement officials and community activists will participate in “From the Station to the Sidewalks: An Informed Discussion of Police and Community Relations in Light of Ferguson,” a panel discussion to be held Oct. 27 on The University of Alabama campus.

UA faculty, students and members of the community are invited to attend the discussion, which will begin at 6 p.m. in room 120 of Farrah Hall.

Panelists include: Chris England, Alabama House of Representatives; Jerry Carter, president of the Tuscaloosa NAACP; Deloris Warrick, former president of the Tuscaloosa NAACP; Dr. Diana Dolliver, UA criminal justice professor;  Steven Anderson, Tuscaloosa police chief; and Charles Hayes, officer, Birmingham PD SWAT.

The panelists will discuss the events surrounding the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. Aug. 9, an incident that became a racially and socially divisive topic in the United States.

Attendees will have several opportunities to interact with the panelists, both during the panel discussion and during a reception following the event.

Additionally, panelists will field questions via Twitter and email in real-time during the presentation. Anyone interested in following the discussion can do so via Twitter by following @CJatUA and using the hashtag #uafollowingferguson. People can also email questions to cjdept@as.ua.edu and text to 205/861-0605.

“In September, we started thinking about what the right type of forum to engage the campus broadly,” said Dr. Lesley Reid, chair of the UA department of criminal justice. “That led to thinking about the events going on in Ferguson, Mo. from multiple perspectives: academic, theoretical, law enforcement and community.

“‘Ferguson’ will have a long-term impact on law enforcement. We wanted to get different perspectives on how we think we’ll train officers and how community and police relations will change.”

UA’s department of criminal justice is a part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships, Truman Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.

Contact

David Miller, UA media relations, 205/348-0825, dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu

Source

Dr. Lesley Reid, 205/348-1792, lwreid@ua.edu