NAACP Criminal Justice Department is holding teach-in workshops on the Born Suspect: racial profiling report across the country in collaboration with the respective state conferences/ local branches and coalition partners. The NAACP Born Suspect: racial profiling report describes NAACP’s message on how to end racial profiling and increase law enforcement accountability on the local, state, and national levels. The purpose of the teach-in workshops is for NAACP leaders and members to learn about preventative measures for police reform such as community engagement with law enforcement and establishing or strengthening state and local racial profiling legislative reforms. Likewise, these workshops encourage NAACP leaders and members to collaborate and strategize with coalition partners on implementing these preventative measures; especially, the introduction and passage of state and local racial profiling legislative reforms during the 2016 legislative session.
In regards to logistics, the goal is to inform at least 300 NAACP leaders and members across the country on how to create or strengthen racial profiling legislative reform in their localities and on the state level. Each teach-in workshop will ideally be no more than 5-6 hours long per day (including Q&A discussion). There will be a total of at least 3 speakers for the teach-in workshop. The speakers will consist of the National Criminal Justice Department (Born Suspect: racial profiling report), NAACP State Conference representative [at least 1] (State Conference efforts and plans), local racial profiling advocate coalition partner [at least 1] (potential collaborative efforts and plans), a state and local politics expert (inform and train on state and local legislative process), and, ideally, a representative from the state or local law enforcement. The goal is to have the NAACP branch leaders, criminal justice chairs, political action chairs, and legal redress chairs of their respective state conferences and their coalition partners attend and participate in the teach-in workshops.
Here is a list of local events:
- 6/6- Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga branch of TN State Conference
- 6/12-6/13- Madison and Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee branch of WI State Conference
- 6/19- New Brunswick, NJ, New Brunswick area branch of NJ State Conference
- 6/26-6/27- Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg, PA of PA State Conference
Contact Carlton Mayers, Esq., Criminal Justice Specialist at cmayers@naacpnet.org for more information.