The 21st Show

A Conversation with Black Police Officers

 
People hold Black Lives Matter flags at the intersection of Florence and Normandie Avenues, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Los Angeles, after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd.

People hold Black Lives Matter flags at the intersection of Florence and Normandie Avenues, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Los Angeles, after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

It has been one year since a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man for 9 minutes. The widely circulated video of the deadly incident sparked a summer of protests. While some paint the conflict as African Americans on one side and police on another, there is one group that has deep insights into both communities – members of law enforcement who happen to be Black. 

The 21st spoke to three Black law enforcement officers about the calls for change in policing and for greater racial justice following the murder of George Floyd.

Guests:

Chief Mitchell Davis, Hazel Crest Police Department, Executive Member, NOBLE Chicago chapter (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives)

Sgt. Jasmin Dixon, Officer Survival Training Coordinator, Illinois State Police, Executive Board member, ABLE (Illinois Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers)

D.C. Watson, Special Agent, Division of Internal Investigations, Illinois State Police (Sterling office), Executive Board member, ABLE (Illinois Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers)

Prepared for web by Zainab Qureshi

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