UA Law School Hosts Panel, Symposium on Policing after Ferguson

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Legal scholars and members of the law enforcement community will visit The University of Alabama School of Law April 1 to discuss policing after Ferguson.

The symposium, “Redefining Clearly Established Rights after Ferguson: 1983 Claims and Community Policing from Hope v. Pelzer to Kingsley V. Hendrickson,” will be held in the Bedsole Moot Courtroom, room 140.

The event begins at 9 a.m. and is free and open to the public.

The highly publicized and controversial deaths of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and Tamir Rice have sparked a national conversation about community policing and the use of deadly force. This symposium will draw together experts from across the nation to examine the complicated set of issues that arises in the context of policing and use of force.

The colloquy will consider both the constitutional and civil rights dimensions of the use of force, with particular focus on avenues for rendering existing legal remedies more responsive to current concerns.

The symposium is co-sponsored by the Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review, a journal committed to fostering scholarly dialogue in the vital and interconnected areas of civil rights and civil liberties.

At 11:30 a.m., members of the law enforcement community will discuss policing. Stephen Rushin, assistant professor of law at The University of Alabama School of Law, will moderate the panel.

The Law Enforcement Community Panel will feature:

Steven D. Anderson, city of Tuscaloosa chief of police

Kira Fonteneau, Jefferson County Community Law Office

Lyn Head, Tuscaloosa County district attorney

Praveen Krishna, assistant United States attorney, Department of Justice for the Northern District of Alabama

Yuri Linetsky, University of Alabama School of Law

The symposium will feature:

Bryan Adamson, Seattle University School of Law

Mary Fan, University of Washington School of Law

John Gross, University of Alabama School of Law

Song Richardson, University of California, Irvine School of Law

More information is available by clicking here: http://www.law.ua.edu/calendar/event/alabama-civil-rights-civil-liberties-symposium/

One of America’s leading public law schools, and the “#1 Best Value Law School” in the nation, according to the National Jurist, for two years in a row (2012 and 2013), The University of Alabama School of Law offers a challenging curriculum with over 150 electives, several dual enrollment opportunities, Master of Laws degrees, and a J.S.D. With a student-to-faculty ratio of approximately 11:1, the Law School offers students a rigorous, hands-on learning experience, with strong student engagement in clinical programs, law review, moot court and trial advocacy. 

Contact

Contact: Monique Fields, manager of communications, UA School of Law, 205/348-5195, mfields@law.ua.edu; UA media relations, 205/348-5320