The United States is three months into a mass movement against police violence. We are the midst of a  national conversation about the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color, but the fight over defining the problem of systemic racism, and how to fix it, is only intensifying. In the first half of this episode, Teresa Cotsirilos brings us the story of Jinho “The Piper” Ferreira, a hip-hop artist who lost a friend to police violence and still chose to join law enforcement. Next, we look at how South Africa has grappled with its legacy of white supremacy and police brutality. With the end of Apartheid in 1994, the police were supposed to be reformed, but a quarter-century later, South Africa is still struggling with this issue. Ray Suarez talks with Stan Henkeman, Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa, and John Steinberg, Professor of African Studies at Oxford University, about policing in South Africa today.

 

Guests: 

Stan Henkeman, Executive director of the Institute and Reconciliation in South Africa

Jonny Steinberg, African Studies Professor, at Oxford University

Jinho “The Piper” Ferriera, musician, actor and former Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputy

If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.