Let’s consider what we’ve seen in the news from July of 2014…about a year ago…to April, 2015…regarding the use of what appears to be continued and egregious use of excessive force by the police when trying to interact or arrest African American men, in particular:

• July, 2014….Staten Island, NY…Eric Garner dies because of the apparent use of a “chokehold”
• August, 2014…teenager Michael Brown was shot by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, MO
• November, 2014…12 year old Tamir Rice, playing with a toy pistol, was shot by police in Cleveland, OH
• April, 2015…Walter Scott was shot in the back during a routine traffic stop in North Charleston, SC
• April, 2015…Freddie Gray dies while being held in police custody and enduring a “rough ride” in Baltimore, MD

We could go back a few years, as well, to the tragic shooting in February of 2012 in Florida of Trayvon Martin who was killed as he walked home from a convenience store by a community watch volunteer.  Although his death did not involve the police directly, it sparked a national conversation regarding the disproportionate arrests of young black men and their safety on the streets.

What is excessive force?  According to a recent ABC News piece that aired on July, 2014, written by Sascha Sagan, “there’s no concrete definition of excessive force….many police use a “force continuum” to guide their actions:

• First polite requests…
• then demands…
• then chemical sprays…
• then physical force…
• then lethal force.

Officers should only use the level of force that’s being used (or is being threatened to be used) by suspects against the police…

27-Year Veteran Officer Willie Mayes

Former Aurora Police Chief Bill Powell

So, let’s see what it’s like “Behind the Badge” when we hear from recently retired Aurora Chief of Police, Bill Powell, and Willie Mayes, veteran law enforcement officer with 27 years of experience and 2014 Democratic candidate for Kane County Sheriff.  These gentlemen, both African American, will help us to more fully appreciate and understand the current national discussion regarding race and the use of what some would say is excessive police force.

We’ll plan for time for Q & A at the end of their presentation.  Please come!