ONLINE EVENT: Race and Policing in the US and Brazil

The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others have prompted an overdue reckoning with issues of racism in policing in the United States. The demands for police reform, accountability, and racial justice have resonated around the world, particularly in countries that face similar challenges. In Brazil last month, protests erupted in Rio de Janeiro following the killing by police of João Pedro Matos Pinto, a 14-year-old Black Brazilian. Studies show that though Afro-Brazilians make up 55 percent of the population, they account for 75 percent of those killed by police.

What do recent cases of police violence reveal about systemic racism in the United States and Brazil? What parallels and differences exist between the countries? What are the prospects for police reform in each country, and what should a reform agenda look like?

To discuss these questions and more, the Dialogue presents, “Race and Policing in the US and Brazil.” Follow this event on Twitter at #PoliceViolenceAmericas and @The_Dialogue. 

We invite participants to submit questions through the Q&A function in Zoom, using the event hashtag on Twitter OR to email questions to meetings@thedialogue.org. 

OPENING REMARKS:

JOAQUIN CASTRO

US representative for Texas’ 20th congressional district (@JoaquinCastrotx)

SPEAKERS:

ALEXANDRA MONTGOMERY

Director of Programs, Amnesty International Brazil (@AlexandraMontg2)

CHRISTEN SMITH

Associate Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies and Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin

MELINA RISSO

Program Director, Igarapé Institute (@MelinaRisso)

MODERATOR:

MICHAEL CAMILLERI

Director, Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program, Inter-American Dialogue (@camillerimj)