Politics & society, Research

Scholars and readers respond to Ferguson fallout

By Yasmin Anwar

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Courtesy of California magazine

Photo of Ferguson protest courtesy of California magazine

Police officer Darren Wilson’s non-indictment in the Aug. 9  shooting death of African-American teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., has sparked nationwide protests and punditry. Among the UC Berkeley scholars responding to the St. Louis County grand jury decision on Monday, Nov. 24, are social psychologist Jack Glaser, an associate professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy, and law professor  john a. powell, the Robert D. Haas Chancellor’s Chair in Equity and Inclusion and director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society.

This week, readers responded with passion to powell’s post on the Berkeley Blog in which he reviewed the systemic problems that led to the untimely deaths of Brown and other  “young black men and boys at the hand of those who have sworn to protect us.” Meanwhile in California alumni magazine, Glaser discussed the “Burdens of Bias” and why the Ferguson outcome came as no surprise to him. At a time of reflection on race, inequality and the criminal justice system, they’re definitely worth a read.