Video Extras
As we were conducting interviews for our "Race Matters" series, CBS4 News asked several community leaders, elected officials, and experts in the field of community/police relations, to film brief video statements which we would post unedited on our website.
In some cases we asked them to recount their own experiences with law enforcement as well as suggestions on how the community can move forward and develop a better working relationship with the police. While others we asked to discuss broader policy issues.
The goal is to keep the conversation moving and to hear from as many voices as possible.
As we gather more we will post more on this page.
THE PASTOR:
Robert Brooks, senior pastor at the St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church in West Perrine, shares his own personal experiences with the police and the need for the police and the community to work together.
THE COACH
JL Demps is the unoffocial mayor of Goulds and the president of the local Optimist Club where he has coached football and baseball for years. Ever the optimist, Demps offers his own solutions for improving relations between the police and the community.
THE DEFENDER
Carlos Martinez has been the Miami Dade County Public Defender for six years and worked in the office for more than 25 years. He argues that an arrest for even a minor offense can have a longterm impact on a person's life.
THE SENATOR
State Senator Dwight Bullard represents South Dade and has for years argued that possession of marijuana should be decriminalized. He says the policies in place today are harming the community.
THE ATTORNEY
Nusrat Choudhury is a staff attorney with the ACLU's Racial Justice Program based in New York. She explains how events in Miami fit into the larger picture of what is happening across the country
THE ADVOCATE
Howard Simon is the executive director for the ACLU in Florida and argues why he believes the leadership of the Miami Dade Police Department must be held accountable for the actions of units like the Crime Suppression Team.
