Beyond Ferguson: A Nation's Struggle with Race and Criminal Justice

Since the shooting death of Michael Brown, Ferguson, MO has gained notoriety for its unjust policing practices. However, can we tell similar stories about New York City, Cleveland, Baltimore, and any number of American cities and towns. These stories offer a lesson about racialized inequality, low opportunity, and their intimate ties with the criminal justice system. Understanding Ferguson and how it came to be sheds light on how we manufacture inequality in communities of color across the country, the role of law enforcement in the production of that inequality, and how the criminal justice system is used to police separate and vastly unequal spaces. What effect will various reforms recommend in the wake of Ferguson have in a criminal justice system many believe is pervaded by racial bias? How has the Supreme Court's narrowing of Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment protections impeded our ability to achieve racial justice? 

 

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