Historic protests calling for police reform have erupted across the nation. But just what could these reforms mean? And how should we see the criminal justice system today? On Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 PM ET, the nonpartisan Intelligence Squared U.S. will convene five debaters to address the following questions:
Should we defund the police?
Do police unions do more harm than good?
Have the police become too militarized?
In Intelligence Squared's first-ever virtual debate in their "Unresolved" format, debaters must declare their "yes" or "no" stance on each separate question, allowing for both sharp disagreements and unexpected alliances. The debaters will be:
Paul Butler, author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men.
Jason Johnson, President of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund
Rafael Mangual, member of the New York State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Sue Rahr, former King County Sheriff and member of President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing
Vikrant Reddy, criminal justice reform specialist at the Charles Koch Institute
The debate will begin at 7:00 PM EST on Wednesday, September 30. It will be free to watch, but advance registration is required. Click here to register to watch: https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/unresolved-american-policing
Intelligence Squared U.S. is a nonprofit that makes all its content free to the public. To help sustain the program, they are encouraging audiences to pay what they wish, or make a suggested donation of $10. Anyone interested can donate to support Intelligence Squared's work at https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/support-us/donate
DEBATER BIOS
Paul Butler, Former Federal Prosecutor & Professor, Georgetown Law
Paul Butler is one of the nation's most frequently consulted scholars on issues of race and criminal justice. A former prosecutor, Butler currently researches and teaches in the areas of criminal law, race relations law, and critical theory at Georgetown University. He is also the author of "Chokehold: Policing Black Men."
Jason Johnson, President, Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund
Jason Johnson is president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, a national police advocacy organization. Johnson served as deputy commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department between 2016 and 2018.
Rafael Mangual, Deputy Director of Legal Policy, Manhattan Institute
Rafael Mangual is a senior fellow and deputy director of legal policy at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal. An expert on urban crime, policing, and incarceration, he was recently appointed to serve a four-year term as a member of the New York State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Sue Rahr, Former Sheriff, King County
Sue Rahr is executive director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, overseeing training of all city and county law-enforcement and corrections officers in the state. Rahr served on President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing and was King County Sheriff between 2005 and 2012.
Vikrant Reddy, Senior Research Fellow, Charles Koch Institute
Vikrant Reddy is a senior fellow at the Charles Koch Institute, specializing in the area of criminal justice reform. Reddy previously served as a senior policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and is also an appointee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Texas State Advisory Committee.
ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED U.S. DEBATES (IQ2US)
A non-partisan, non-profit organization, Intelligence Squared U.S. was founded to address a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. Their mission is to restore critical thinking, facts, reason, and civility to American public discourse. The award-winning debate series reaches millions of viewers and listeners through multi-platform distribution, including public radio, podcasts, live streaming, newsletters, interactive digital content, and on-demand apps including Roku and Apple TV. With over 180 debates and counting, Intelligence Squared U.S. has encouraged the public to "think twice" on a wide range of provocative topics. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan has moderated IQ2US since 2008.
