The forum continued a yearlong series of events and activities at Elon Law that have probed national concerns about police misconduct against minorities and the uneven application of law based on race.
The April 14 public forum at Elon Law featured perspectives about the fairness end effectiveness of the grand jury process, particularly in the context of alleged police misconduct against minorities. Panelists included: Fred Lind, public defender, Guilford County, N.C.; Howard Neumann, chief assistant district attorney, Guilford County, N.C.; James Clark, police attorney, City of Greensboro Police Department; Barbara Lawrence, associate professor of justice and policy studies, Guilford College; and, serving as moderator, Michael Rich, associate professor of law with expertise in criminal law and procedure, Elon Law.
Topics explored in depth at the forum included:
- The role of police officers as witnesses, and limitations on other witnesses, in North Carolina Grand Jury cases involving alleged police misconduct;
- Restrictions on public access to video gathered from police body cameras;
- The roles of state authorities and civilian review boards in investigating alleged police misconduct and the merits of these oversight systems;
- The fairness and effectiveness of the grand jury process, particularly in cases of alleged police misconduct, and proposals for modifications and alternatives to the grand jury system in determining “probable cause” that one or more persons committed an alleged criminal offense.
The event was sponsored by the Elon Law student chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. Forum moderator and Elon Law Professor Michael Rich described the value of the forum in an interview with Time Warner Cable News.
“I think it’s important for the community at large to understand how complaints raised against the police are handled,” Rich said. “That way, we can better understand the results of the process that goes on … Race is an integral part when it comes to criminal law. Law has been applied differently based on the race of the defendants throughout the history of America.”
Law student Diamond Zephir noted Elon Law’s active engagement in current issues in the law for Time Warner Cable News.
“Not only do we talk about the past, we also talk about the present instances of discrimination, racism and so forth,” Zephir said. “We’re trying to bring about awareness to the issues in society, and we’re trying to get everyone involved and everyone just aware of what is going on around us, what’s going on with our friends, our family, our peers and the people around us in general.”
Prior Elon Law events and actions this academic year relating to issues of race, law and justice include:
Forum on race, policing and the fourth amendment – Sept. 23 (Read a News & Record report on this forum here.)
Law student Josh Berggrun, who worked with the Greensboro city attorney’s office through an Elon Law externship, and law students Patrick Collins and Cecelia Jones, who worked with the Greensboro police attorney’s office in an Elon Law externship, were instrumental in the public surveillance technologies forum.
Law students organize Black Lives Matter Law Student Day of Action – April 2
In addition to the forums and activities above, in their capstone leadership project this year, law students and Leadership Fellows Chris Genheimer and Emily Seawell conducted research and offered recommendations to the City of Greensboro Police Department to develop and implement new community policing programs designed to strengthen trust and collaboration between police officers and the communities they serve.