Rosemary (Ruby) Nidiry, a senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice, will be the guest when Cal State San Bernardino’s Conversations on Race and Policing hosts its next program at noon on Monday, March 4, on Zoom.

The program, free and open to the public, can be accessed from a PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android at https://tinyurl.com/csusb-race-policing.

As senior counsel, Nidiry manages its Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration project, a coalition of nearly 200 police chiefs, correctional officials and federal and state prosecutors from around the country committed to laws and practices that more effectively fight crime while reducing unnecessary imprisonment.

A graduate of Columbia University’s School of Law, Nidiry has worked as deputy director of Fair and Just Prosecution, served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and has held positions at the Office of Legal Counsel and the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition, she was director of Criminal Justice for the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

The Conversations on Race and Policing program began after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and its aftermath. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, triggering extensive protests, demands for systemic reform in policing, and profound dialogues on race and racism. This also led to the inception of Cal State San Bernardino’s Conversations on Race and Policing, abbreviated as CoRP.

In subsequent court cases, three other former Minneapolis police officers implicated in Floyd’s death were given prison sentences.

The series has featured scholars, journalists, law enforcement officers, lawyers, activists, artists, educators, administrators and others from throughout the nation who shared their experience and expertise on issues related to race and policing.

One hundred forums have taken place since, and video recordings of the sessions are posted online on the Conversations on Race and Policing Lecture Series Archive. 

Upcoming programs, which will all take place at noon on Zoom, include:

The series is organized by Matt Patino (CSUSB alumnus and adjunct faculty member at Crafton Hills College); CSUSB faculty members Mary Texeira (sociology) and Jeremy Murray (history); Robie Madrigal, public affairs/communication specialist for the CSUSB John M. Pfau Library; Michael German, fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice; and community member Stan Futch, president of the Westside Action Group.

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

Also visit the Conversations on Race and Policing webpage.