This week, I am joined by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee history Ph.D. candidate Will Tchakirides to discuss his forthcoming dissertation, “Policing Exceptionalism: Race, Law Enforcement, and the Black-led Struggle for Accountability in Milwaukee.” Will details how a series of Progressive-era laws that empowered police independence from civilian oversight created a narrative of 'policing exceptionalism' that reinforced anti-Black policing and helped create a carceral crisis in the state of Wisconsin.  He also talks about his training and experience as a public historian, including his work on the 50th-anniversary commemoration of the March on Milwaukee. We even briefly tease my dissertation towards the end. A fascinating conversation with one of the emerging scholars of carceral history.

You can find out more about the March on Milwaukee here: https://uwm.edu/marchonmilwaukee/ and http://200nightsoffreedom.org/

You can keep up with Will at his website. https://willtchakirides.com/ or by following him on Twitter @willtchak