Michael Sierra-Arévalo, a sociologist from the University of Texas at Austin, and the author of “The Danger Imperative: Violence, Death, and the Soul of Policing,” will open the 2024-25 academic year’s programs for Conversations on Race and Policing, now in its fifth year.

The program, open to the public, will take place on Zoom at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, and can be accessed from a PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android at https://tinyurl.com/csusb-race-policing.

Sierra-Arévalo is an assistant professor of sociology and also serves on the Public Safety Commission for the city of Austin. He is on leave this academic year as a Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellow at Princeton University's Center for Human Values.

Micheal Sierra-Arévalo, author of “The Danger Imperative: Violence, Death, and the Soul of Policing,” kicks off the fifth year of the CSUSB series, Conversations on Race and Policing.
Michael Sierra-Arévalo, author of “The Danger Imperative: Violence, Death, and the Soul of Policing,” kicks off the fifth year of the CSUSB series, Conversations on Race and Policing.

His book, “The Danger Imperative,” was based on his access to three police departments, more than 100 interviews and 1,000 hours on patrol. According to the publisher, “‘The Danger Imperative’ provides vital insight into how police culture shapes officers’ perception and practice of violence. From the front seat of a patrol car, it shows how the institution of policing reinforces a cultural preoccupation with violence through academy training, departmental routines, powerful symbols, and officers’ street-level behavior.”

It is the winner of two awards: the 2024 Distinguished Book Award, Sociology of Law Section, American Sociological Association; and the 2024 Outstanding Book Award, Division of Policing, American Society of Criminolgy.

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.

More than 110 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, all set for 1 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesdays, include:

The series organizers currently include CSUSB faculty, staff, alumni, and community members, as well as collaborators from other institutions: Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, psychology), Stan Futch (president, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College adjunct faculty and CSUSB alumnus), Mary Texeira (CSUSB sociology).

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

Also visit the Conversations on Race and Policing webpage.