Ripon College panel on Jan. 18 to address police-community relations

On Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Center for Politics and the People and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Ripon College will co-sponsor a panel discussion about police-community relations today.

The discussion will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Great Hall, Harwood Memorial Union.

Panelists will include:

• Pam Oliver, professor of sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Deronis Cooper ’97, officer, Chicago Police Department
• Lindsey Michels ’04, school resource officer, Ripon Police Department
• Keywon Brown, officer, Fond du Lac Police Department
• Henry Brown III, community activist, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Moderators will be Jacqueline Clark, associate professor of sociology; and Jody Roy, professor of communication, the Victor and Carrie Palmer Endowed Chair for Leadership Values, and associate dean for faculty development at Ripon College

Questions that the moderators will address to the panelists will include:

• Why have we seen so many instances of police shootings of people of color in recent years that seem to have occurred under questionable circumstances when other means than lethal force appear to have been available to stop or apprehend suspected criminals?
• Has the massive disinvestment in mental health care, social services for the homeless and for substance abusers in recent years placed new burdens on law enforcement as the social agency of first resort for the poor?
• What skills and training does a college education provide that could help officers do their jobs well and with less violent confrontation?
• What successes have you seen in the area of improving police-community relations in recent years?
• Do you think the police and community relationships are satisfactory here in Fond du Lac County?

Written questions also will be solicited from the audience.