On the September 23rd 2014 edition of your Call, we'll have a conversation about the ethnic and gender makeup of the US police departments. The shooting of the unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri where only three of the 53 officers are African American, has reignited the debate on the lack of diversity in many police departments across the country. It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar, and you.
Guests:
Thomas Peele, investigative reporter for the Bay Area News Group, author of killing the messenger and co-chair of the society of professional journalists freedom of information committee.
LeRonne Armstrong, lieutenant with the Oakland Police Department
Akil Truso, community organizer in Oakland
Web Resources:
The Santa Cruz Sentinel: Bay Area police departments say census data on diversity flawed
San Jose Mercury: Ranks of Bay Area police departments largely white
Washington Post: Do diverse police forces treat their communities more fairly than almost-all-white ones like Ferguson’s?