Archive: 09/17/21

As the nation continues to debate police Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s conviction and sentencing in the May 2020 murder of George Floyd, UNC Charlotte’s Constitution Day event will draw upon UNC Charlotte faculty experts to explore the case and its broader implications for race and social justice issues.

The virtual conversation, starting shortly after 10 a.m. on Friday, September 17, is open to the entire campus, with particular emphasis on student attendees. Panelists include faculty experts  from the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology: Maisha Cooper (expertise in race and racial issues in society), Janne Gaub (police technology and misconduct), Joe Kuhns (police use of force), and Beth Bjerregaard (constitutional issues). Moderator Kendra Jason is a Department of Sociology faculty member and the Race and Social Justice Advocate for the sponsoring College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS).

The discussion will focus on topics such as  whether the use of force in the Floyd case can be considered reasonable or excessive, the implications of video evidence in similar cases, the issues that contributed to the question about fairness of the trial, and the effect of the case on race relations within the criminal justice system. A Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants who register.