THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY – America’s oldest Muslim organization hosts virtual forum on Police Reform
"Policing: Reform or Re-form", a virtual forum was held by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community discussing the need of Police reform in the wake of protests calling to "defund the police".
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
On August 5, America’s oldest Muslim organization, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, held a virtual forum on police reform called “Policing: Reform or Re-form?”
The conversation was moderated by award-winning actor Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight,” “Green Book”). Panelists included Dr. Tricia Rose, the director for the Center for Study of Race and Ethnicity at Brown University; Dr. Cornel West, professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University; Police Chief Carmen Best of the Seattle Police Department; and Seth Stoughton, professor of the University of South Carolina School of Law.
The topic of police reform has been an emotional one in the wake of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Some protestors have embraced slogans like “defund the police” and “abolish the police.” Dr. Rose called for more specificity with demands for change.
“Abolishing is too far and defunding is too abstract,” Dr. Rose said. “I’m not interested in trying to be neighbors with a serial killer.”
“I don’t think anyone wants that, where you don’t have law enforcement,” Ali said.
