Fifty years ago in Selma, Alabama, it was white sheriff's deputies and soldiers brutally attacking civil rights marchers. Today, in Ferguson and other cities, its systemic police abuse of black people, and the use of fees and fines to finance unequal judicial systems. The Department of Justice has issued a scathing report on systemic racism in Ferguson's police department and judicial system. It's negotiating with city officials for change — with the threat of federal court action. Now there's a movement for reform on the local and federal levels, from police stops to excessive prison sentences. Two billionaires, progressive George Soros and right winger Charles Koch, have joined forces against "over-criminalization."
From Selma to Ferguson: Criminal Justice Reform
More
- Obama on the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march
- Attorney General Holder on the Justice Department report on Ferguson PD
- Lind on the best hope for federal prison reform
- Equal Justice under Law sues Ferguson over 'debtors prisons' (NPR feature)
- Hannah-Jones on why black America fears the police
- Hirsh on the Koch-Soros effort against 'overcriminallization'
Credits
Guests:
- Dara Lind - senior reporter covering immigration for Vox - @DLind
- Alec Karakatsanis - Equal Justice under Law - @equalityAlec
- John Eterno - Molloy College
- Nikole Hannah-Jones - ProPublica - @nhannahjones
- Michael Hirsh - Politico Magazine - @michaelphirsh