National Expert to Discuss Race, Policing and Reform October 22

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2016

CONTACT: ACLU-TN Communications, 615-320-7142

NASHVILLE – Jeff Robinson, American Civil Liberties Union deputy legal director and director of the ACLU Center for Justice, will lead a discussion on race and policing in Nashville on Saturday, October 22. The event, “Broken Policing: Windows for Change,” will explore the realities of race and policing in America and how police and community groups can work toward change in police training, education and culture.

Jeff Robinson is a nationally-recognized expert in criminal justice reform. A Harvard Law School graduate, he has tried over 200 criminal cases to verdict. He is a faculty member of the National Criminal Defense College in Macon, Georgia, and has lectured on trial skills and advocacy all over the United States. He has also spoken nationally to diverse audiences on the role of race in the criminal justice system.

Robinson’s talk marks the launch of the ACLU of Tennessee’s “Police Accountability Campaign.” The goal of this campaign is to foster public safety, prevent abuse in encounters between law enforcement and civilians, and improve community-police relations. The campaign is initially working on efforts to end racial profiling, reform civil asset forfeiture, reduce the use of excessive force, and promote the use of body cameras with protections in place for privacy and transparency.

At the forefront of civil liberties battles across Tennessee, ACLU-TN employs a range of strategies including advocacy, education, legislative lobbying and litigation to ensure that Tennesseans’ constitutional freedoms are being protected. An affiliate of the national ACLU, ACLU-TN is a private, non-profit, non-partisan membership organization.

The event, co-sponsored by Nashville Public Library, will be held at the library’s Main Library at 615 Church Street from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

The programs, services and activities of Nashville Public Library are open to all. To request a disability (ADA) accommodation, please call the Equal Access Division at 615-862-5750.