NC Policy Watch presents a very special Crucial Conversation luncheon
Featuring Professor Frank Baumgartner of UNC Chapel Hill, Orange and Chatham County Public Defender James Williams and Fayetteville Police Chief Harold Medlock
A recent front page article in the New York Times once again shined a bright light on a troublesome and longstanding problem in North Carolina – discriminatory policing that targets people of color for unfair treatment.
According “The Disproportionate Risks of Driving While Black: An examination of traffic stops and arrests in Greensboro, N.C., uncovered wide racial differences in measure after measure of police conduct,” people of color are disproportionately stopped and searched by police “even though they found drugs and weapons significantly more often when the driver was white.”
Since the release of the Times article, responses have been mixed. Many, including major newspapers and civil rights advocates, have called for new reforms and policy changes. Others, including some political leaders, however, have rejected the article’s findings and denied that change is necessary.
Please join us as we explore this vital issue with three of North Carolina’s leading experts on the subject.
Frank Baumgartner is the Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor Political Science at UNC Chapel Hill. Prof. Baumgartner has conducted extensive research and written at length about the issue of race with particular focus on the death penalty and on traffic stops.
James Williams has served as the Public Defender for Orange and Chatham Counties since 1990. He has helped lead multiple efforts in and out of government to address the issue of racial bias in the justice system.
Harold Medlock is the Chief of Police in Fayetteville. Since assuming office in 2013, he has effected a transformation in how his department conducts business in an effort to end discriminatory targeting of people of color.
When: Tuesday, November 17, at noon — Box lunches will be available at 11:45 a.m.
Where: Center for Community Leadership Training Room at the Junior League of Raleigh Building, 711 Hillsborough St. (At the corner of Hillsborough and St. Mary’s streets)
Space is limited – pre-registration required.
Cost: $10, admission includes a box lunch.
Questions?? Contact Rob Schofield at 919-861-2065 or rob@ncpolicywatch.com