NJPAC: Resisting & Healing

• By Mabel Pais

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd and several more victims of systemic racism, particularly in the last several months of 2020, a new PBS Frontline documentary “Policing the Police 2020”, (pbs.org/video/policing-the-police-2020-ko2tft/) looks at the efforts to change the work of policing in one city: Newark, New Jersey.

Everyone is encouraged to view this PBS special.

What needs to happen to end this unacceptable toll?

This season, NJPAC presents films that focus on social and racial justice, in response to the uprisings against systemic racism that have spread around the globe in 2020. To continue these presentations safely during the pandemic, NJPAC has redesigned this series to work like a book club: Watch the selected films at home, then come together on a Zoom video conference to discuss the film with panelists who can offer context and insight.

New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb — a college friend of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka — chronicles his years reporting on the Newark police in this documentary, which examines both the three-year Department of Justice investigation into the city’s police department and its aftermath, including the difficulties of fixing the department’s broken relationship with the community after decades of mutual mistrust.

Join NJPAC on Monday, November 16 at 7PM for a conversation about “Policing the Police”, a discussion that will include a police officer, community activists, and victims of over-policing, to learn about what reforms might be both feasible and effective in changing police work so that it guarantees the safety of all citizens.

PROGRAM: “Policing the Police”

Monday, November 16, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.

FREE Via ZOOM

Register at njpac-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_f6anDykgQceQR8Q3n9ILiA

PANELISTS:

Jason Maurice Dotson, a project manager at Newark’s Pride Center and a licensed clinical therapist for at-risk children.

Aqeela Sherrills, the Director of the non-profit Newark Community Street Team, Mayor Baraka’s community-based violence reduction initiative. For the past three years, Aqeela has also worked with Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice.

Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, the 14th Colonel of the New Jersey State Police. He has served more than 25 years with the New Jersey State Police, and previously served as its Deputy Superintendent of Operations overseeing nearly 1,800 troopers.

Linda McDonald Carter, an Associate Professor and Director of the Paralegal Studies Program at Essex County College, who grew up in the Scudder Housing Project in Newark’s Central Ward. She formed one of the first and largest New Jersey law firms led by African-American women, Jersey, Richardson, Stephens, Powell and Carter LLC.

Moderator:

William Simpson, a Newark native and Senior Strategist at Equal Justice USA, who has worked with communities around the country in building healing responses to trauma and addressing racial equity through organizing and advocacy. With the panelists, he’ll lead a discussion about potential reforms to address police use of excessive force,  alternatives to traditional law enforcement, and other aspects of the current debate.