The video of the fourth in a series of the ongoing campus and community dialogue on race and policing “Conversations on Race and Policing: A Student-Hosted Panel Discussion with Students, Campus Guests and Faculty,” is now posted online

The discussion, held on June 24 can be viewed at “Conversations on Race and Policing (4), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion.”

The hosts and panelists discussed policing, racial justice, and potential actions to promote greater equity in the local community.

The panelists participating were:

  • Stan Futch, president, Westside Action Group;
  • Don Griggs, counsel and historian, Westside Action Group, San Bernardino;
  • Gwen Dowdy-Rodgers, president, San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education; and
  • Elsa Valdez, CSUSB professor of sociology and former San Bernardino City Unified School District board member.

CSUSB students Marlo Brooks, Kameron Pyant and Yvette Relles-Powell hosed the event. The series is organized by CSUSB faculty members Mary Texeira (sociology) and Marc Robinson and Jeremy Murray (history), and Robie Madrigal, public affairs/communication specialist for the CSUSB John M. Pfau Library.

This was that latest panel discussion and conversation in the series and it comes in the aftermath of the May 25 death of George Floyd while in the custody of four Minneapolis, Minn., police officers. A video of the incident posted on social media has led to widespread protests, the firing of four police officers, the arrest of one officer on a second-degree murder charge, the other three on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder – and a spotlight worldwide on race and policing.

On June 16, the College of Arts and Letters presented “Structural Racism, Civil Disobedience, and the Road to Racial Justice in the Age of COVID-19,” which is also posted on YouTube.

Previous forums, “Race and Policing, A Panel Presentation and CSUSB Campus Conversation” on June 3, “Conversations on Race and Policing (2), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion” on June 10, and “Conversations on Race and Policing (3), CSUSB Panel Presentation and Discussion,” can be viewed on YouTube. The university’s June 9 memorial for Floyd also focused on the Black Lives Matter movement.

For more information, contact Robie Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or Jeremy Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu.