Conversations on Race and Policing - California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB)

Oct 29, 2025 - In Conversation with Dr. Menika Dirkson (Morgan State), author of "Hope and Struggle in the Policed City: Black Criminalization and Resistance in Philadelphia" (NYU Press, 2024)

In Conversation with Dr. Menika Dirkson (Morgan State), author of "Hope and Struggle in the Policed City: Black Criminalization and Resistance in Philadelphia" (NYU Press, 2024)
 
Dr. Menika Dirkson is Associate Professor in the Department of History and Geography at Morgan State University in Maryland. Dr. Dirkson is a Philadelphia native, and earned her PhD in History at Temple University. Find out more about her upcoming work here.
 
Her recent book, Hope and Struggle in the Policed City: Black Criminalization and Resistance in Philadelphia (NYU Press, 2024), "explores how concerns about poverty-induced Black crime cultivated by police, journalists, and city officials sparked a rise in tough-on-crime policing in Philadelphia." The book received an Honorable Mention (2025) in the Joe Trotter First Book Award category, given by the Urban History Association. In her review, UPenn's Akira Drake Rodriguez noted that Dirkson's book, "offers a strong argument for how self-reinforcing anti-crime policies perpetuate increasing violence and crime in over-policed and surveilled communities. Through an abolitionist framing and methodology, the book challenges declension narratives of majority-Black cities that suggest policing was a response to, as opposed to the cause of, destabilized and disinvested Black communities." Find Dr. Dirkson's website here, and her faculty page at Morgan State here. And find the book here at the publisher's website.
 
Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology). Click here to view previous  and upcoming panels in the Conversations on Race and Policing series (link). Thanks to Project Rebound for their support of this event!

Oct 15, 2025 - In Conversation with Dr. Stefan M. Bradley (Amherst College), author of "If We Don't Get It: A People's History of Ferguson" (The New Press Press, 2025)

In Conversation with Dr. Stefan M. Bradley (Amherst College), author of "If We Don't Get It: A People's History of Ferguson" (The New Press Press, 2025)
 
     Dr. Stefan M. Bradley is Charles Hamilton Houston '15 Professor of Black Studies and History, and is the Department Chair of Black Studies at Amherst College. This event will be hosted and moderated by Dr. Marc Robinson of the CSUSB History Department.
     In Dr. Bradley's new book, If We Don't Get It: A People's History of Ferguson (The New Press, 2025), he writes about the 2014 police murder of the Black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the resulting protest movement. Through oral interviews and media analysis, Bradley reveals "a rich story with deep relevance for the protests of our own time," and the book "offers a gripping account of how young activists, without previous political experience, succeeded in changing our national political narrative."
 
     UCLA Professor Robin D.G. Kelley praised Dr. Bradley's new book: "An honest, incisive, personal account of those fateful weeks following Michael Brown’s death. Refusing to evade difficult questions and criticism, Stefan Bradley crafts a compelling portrait of a movement the media missed: a multigenerational, multiclass, politically sophisticated community in action, not just in the streets but against a rapacious and racist system. A powerful reminder of why all roads from our current struggles for Black freedom and abolition lead back to Ferguson."
 
     Find Dr. Bradley's website here., and his faculty page at Amherst is here. The book, If We Don't Get It: A People's History of Ferguson, is available from The New Press here. Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology). Click here to view previous panels in the Conversations on Race and Policing series (link). Thanks to Project Rebound for their support of this event!

Oct 8, 2025 - In Conversation with Dr. Rahim Kurwa (U. of Illinois at Chicago), author of "Indefensible Spaces: Policing and the Struggle for Housing" (UC Press, 2025)

In Conversation with Dr. Rahim Kurwa (U. of Illinois at Chicago), author of "Indefensible Spaces: Policing and the Struggle for Housing" (UC Press, 2025)
Dr. Rahim Kurwa is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice and Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
 
His new book, Indefensible Spaces: Policing and the Struggle for Housing (UC Press, 2025) examines the policing of housing through the story of Black community building in the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County's northernmost outpost. Tracing its evolution from a segregated postwar suburb to a destination for those priced, policed, and evicted out of Los Angeles, Rahim Kurwa tells the story of how the Antelope Valley resisted Black migration through the policing of subsidized housing—and how Black tenants and organizers fought back. This book sheds light on how the nation's policing and housing crises intersect, offering powerful lessons for achieving housing justice across the country.
 
Find his website here. Dr. Kurwa's faculty page at UIC is here. 
Find the book here, where you can buy a copy and also download the free ebook.
 
Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology). Click here to view previous panels in the Conversations on Race and Policing series (link). Thanks to Project Rebound for their support of this event!

May 7, 2025 - "Reducing Community Violence to Close the Racial Gap in U.S. Imprisonment," with Dr. Thaddeus Johnson (Georgia State, Criminal Justice)

Join us in conversation with Georgia State's Dr. Thaddeus Johnson, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.
Reducing Community Violence to Close the Racial Gap in U.S. Imprisonment
Drawing on a comprehensive analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice (covering 2000–2020), this session will offer an in-depth examination of racial disparities in imprisonment at both the national and California State levels. With the substantial narrowing of the racial gap in drug-related incarceration between Black and white Americans, the most pronounced—and persistent—racial disparity now exists among people incarcerated for violent felony offenses. These offenses also account for a disproportionately large share of prison admissions. Currently, about two-thirds of the U.S. prison population, and over half of those incarcerated in California State prisons, are serving sentences for violent crimes.
Dr. Johnson will critically evaluate the limitations of recent sentencing reforms and highlight their inadequate attention to violent offenses. Key findings suggest that the decisions of prosecutors and judges have increasingly helped reduce racial differences in prison admissions. However, addressing the violent crime-racial disparity link requires looking beyond courts and prisons, as these institutions primarily manage the outcomes of deeper societal conditions and interactions. Therefore, the discussion will transition toward actionable, evidence-based strategies for reducing community violence. These include effective law enforcement and community-informed interventions, targeted deterrence initiatives, and advanced technological approaches. Participants will leave the session equipped with practical insights for addressing violent crime, fostering equity, and shaping policies that meaningfully advance public safety and justice goals.
One report Dr. Johnson will examine, and may be worthwhile to preview, is this:
JUSTICE SYSTEM DISPARITIES: STATE-SPECIFIC IMPRISONMENT TRENDS, California State Brief (APRIL 2024) Link
Dr. Thaddeus L. Johnson, a former ranking law enforcement official in Memphis, Tenn., is a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice and an assistant professor at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. His current research focuses on police policy and innovations, urban violence, crime control and racially disparate justice outcomes. He is the author or co-author of numerous articles and reports and a book entitled "Deviance Among Physicians: Fraud, Violence and the Power to Prescribe." In addition to having his research featured in national media outlets, he has written on police reform issues for the popular press and appeared on numerous broadcast radio and TV news programs in the U.S. and Europe.
Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology). Click here to view previous panels in the Conversations on Race and Policing series (link).

Apr 23, 2025 - In Conversation with Dr. Simon Balto (History, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Join us for a discussion with Dr. Simon Balto (University of Wisconsin-Madison, History). Find Dr. Balto's personal page here, and more information about his extensive scholarly writing and journalism. Dr. Balto's book, Occupied Territory: Policing Black Chicago from Red Summer to Black Power (U. of Chicago, 2019) won the 2019 Hooks National Book Award from the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis.
Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology). Click here to view previous panels in the Conversations on Race and Policing series (link).

Apr 30, 2025 - "Sexual Violence as a Pretext for Disposal: Rape, Race and Carcerality," a Conversation with Professor Alison Phipps (Sociology), Newcastle University, UK

A
presentation and discussion with Professor Alison Phipps (Sociology), Newcastle University, UK, on "Sexual Violence as a Pretext for Disposal: Rape, Race and Carcerality."
Professor Alison Phipps is a political sociologist and scholar of gender with interests in feminist theory and politics, the body and violence and neoliberal racial capitalism. She has pursued these in various areas including sexual violence, sex work, reproduction, and institutional cultures. Find her faculty profile at Newcastle University here.
Professor Phipps has been Chair of the Feminist and Women's Studies Association UK and Ireland and was a co-founder of the Safe Studies Network (now Universities Against Gender-Based Violence). She is currently co-leading the Feminist Gender Equality Network's gender-based violence group and she is one of the patrons of the Association of Gender Studies in Africa. She recently launched a new collective called Abolition Feminism for Ending Sexual Violence, with her Newcastle colleagues Nikki Godden-Rasul and Tina Sikka. 
Phipps is the author of many articles and books, and a full list is at her faculty profile. These include Me, Not You: The Trouble with Mainstream Feminism (Manchester University Press, 2020), and The Politics of the Body: Gender in a Neoliberal and Neoconservative Age (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2014, Winner of the 2015 FWSA Book Prize).
Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology). Click here to view previous panels in the Conversations on Race and Policing series (link).

Apr 9 2025 - Film Screening, "Breaking Barriers," with Danny Murillo (Underground Scholars Initiative & the Opportunity Institute)

Join us for a screening and discussion of "Breaking Barriers," a short film
Danny Murillo, who is featured in the film and is a co-founder of the Underground Scholars at Berkeley will join us to discuss the film.
Notes below from the film website, and find the Berkeley Underground Scholars Initiative here.
"Breaking Barriers follows a group of system-impacted students at Cal-Berkeley who face significant challenges as formerly incarcerated and system-impacted individuals pursuing higher education. The film also highlights the importance of policy change to dismantle systemic barriers and support education for the formerly incarcerated."
This event is supported by CSUSB's Project Rebound, with thanks to Dr. Annika Anderson (Sociology).
Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology). Click here to view previous panels in the Conversations on Race and Policing series (link).

Mar 26, 2025 - In Conversation with Drs. Madeline Stenersen and Cassandra Young

In Conversation with Drs. Madeline Stenersen (Psychology, Saint Louis University) and Cassandra Young (Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies; University of Denver)
Join us on Zoom for a discussion with Drs. Madeline Stenersen (Psychology, Saint Louis University) and Cassandra Young (Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies; University of Denver). Drs. Young and Stenersen are experts in a wide range of topics related to gender, race, and law enforcement, including the criminalization of victims of sex trafficking, and police harassment and violence toward sex workers.
Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology).

Mar 13, 2025 - In Conversation with Cat Brooks, Performer, Organizer, Activist, Radio Host

Join us for a conversation with Cat Brooks on the eradication of state violence and a pathway to true public safety.
Cat Brooks is host of Law & Disorder on KPFA (link) and a long-time performer, organizer, and activist. She played a central role in the struggle for justice for Oscar Grant, and spent the last decade working with impacted communities and families to rapidly respond to police violence and radically transform the ways our communities are policed and incarcerated. She is the co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) and the Executive Director of The Justice Teams Network. Cat was also the runner-up in Oakland’s 2018 mayoral election, facing incumbent Libby Schaaf."
Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology).

Mar 19, 2025 - In Conversation with Dr. Eric Avila (UCLA, History)

Join us in conversation with UCLA Professor of History and Chicana/o Studies, Dr. Eric Avila.
Dr. Avila is an urban cultural historian, studying the intersections of racial identity, urban space, and cultural representation in twentieth century America. He is the current holder of the Waldo E. Neikirk Term Chair in Undergraduate Education at UCLA. After earning his doctorate at UC Berkeley, Dr. Avila joined UCLA in 1997 where he has taught Chicano Studies and History, and holds an affiliation with the Department of Urban Planning. He is the author of Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight: Fear and Fantasy in Suburban Los Angeles (UC Press, 2004). In 2014, he published The Folklore of the Freeway: Race and Revolt in the Modernist City (U. of Minnesota). For Oxford University's series, he wrote American Cultural History: A Very Short Introduction (2018).
Series organizers (alphabetical) are Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, Psychology), Stan Futch (President, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Dr. Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College Adjunct Faculty), Dr. Mary Texeira (CSUSB Sociology). Click here to view previous panels in the Conversations on Race and Policing series (link).