Unrest in America: MEC Featured on News 12 and Pix 11

Since the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, people across the country and here in New York City have taken to the streets in protest. Day after day, they are demanding justice and change when it comes to the deaths of Black men and women at the hands of police officers. The nation is erupting in shared emotions of pain, anguish, and passion.

On June 3, News 12 spoke with Lurie Daniel-Favors, MEC’s interim executive director and general counsel at the Center for Law and Social Justice. She talks about what are we are seeing across the country at this moment in history, which is the predictable result of decades of police aggression and centuries of repressing communities of African descent.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams joined the discussion later on in the segment. He shared his views on ending police abuse through non-violent action, as well as his concerns that those who are fighting for police reform are being hijacked by those who want to use violence to destroy our cities.

Earlier in the week on June 1, WPIX spoke with Dr. Wallace Ford, professor of public administration at MEC. Dr. Ford discussed the shift from peaceful protests to violent altercations with the police. This swing indicates that there are those who seek to take advantage of a tense situation, and whose only interest is in fomenting discord and promoting violence as provocateurs.