FIU Hosts Live Seminar On Nationwide Recent Civil Unrest

Muriel Almeida and Jordan Coll / PantherNOW Staff

With recent protests happening nationwide in response to the death of 46-year-old George Floyd, FIU hosted a live conversation discussing educational reform, the history of the African American community, and how students can be engaged in this critical moment.

The seminar featured FIU’s president, several law and justice professors, a police officer, a student leader, and a news anchor.

It was hosted through Zoom on June 3 at 5 p.m.

“Will peaceful advocacy for action overcome violent unrest? Will calls for justice be heeded or will we fall short again?” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “Are we truly a nation that embraces differences or will these differences tear us apart?”

The president mentioned that the FIU community stands against any form of racial injustice and strives for equity within the student body. Last week, he sent out a message to the University community in speaking about the national unrest following Floyd’s death.

Black Student Union President, Artrice Shepherd, emphasized the importance of educating students to better understand the legal system and what to expect when exercising their rights when it comes to creating systemic change in the long run.

“As far as the University is concerned, we need to create an actionable plan on how we are going to see that change to better help and represent the black community at FIU,” said Shepherd.

NBC 6 News Anchor William Shepard, who moderated the conversation, pointed out that this is an issue that goes beyond Floyd but a legacy of racial oppression that has existed for “far too long.” 

“This happens every twenty to thirty years… for 401 years, the black community has faced racial disparity time and time again,” said FIU Professor of Law H.T. Smith.

He suggests that there is very little representation when it comes to advocating for minority groups who are involved in legislation. According to him, this is a prevailing issue that exists in both the state and national levels.

He believes that a higher form of engagement is needed in the justice system. “White people broke the system, white people gotta fix it,” said Smith.

Professor of Criminal Justice Candice Ammons-Blandfort expressed her disappointment at those outraged by the riots and the looting but was indifferent by the recent death of George Floyd. She mentioned that although all lives matter, the ones who are being targeted are in the black community.

“This has been something that has existed for centuries. . . What we are saying is that black lives matter too and that we are just as important as anyone else,” she said.

Criminal Justice Carleen Vincent-Robinson also expressed her sentiments, “This is our history. . . There seems to be this message that property is more important than what happened to George Floyd. This shows me that we have done a very poor job in educating law enforcement and our political leaders.”

When it comes to being a black police officer, FIU Police Capt. Delrish Moss understands firsthand what it is to struggle in both the reality of enforcing the law and facing racial adversity.

“I walk two worlds, I am black and I am blue… sometimes within policing we grapple with that sort of conversation,” he said. This open dialogue is something he believes should be pursued instead of avoided.

Vincent agreed with the officer’s statement saying that a history of injustice is evident. 

“There is a fear that black people have in dealing with the criminal justice system overall… as was alluded before, there is a history of injustice in this country,” she said.

Shepard asked the forum how experiences such as these can be shared with members who do not face similar prejudices simply on the basis of their skin.

“We have to share those experiences and we have to fight against them, we have to join each other, everybody needs to come together to be allied with this because not all of us possess the power or the influence to bring about change,” said Vincent.

According to Smith, he believes that today the proper charges were filed against former officer Derek Chauvin. Filed with second-degree murder he believes that “this is just not enough,” as he suggested that the other officers also perpetuated the murder of Floyd.

He accused the other three officers who “sadistically aided and abetting in the murder of Floyd,” to be given higher charges.

“We want to have justice. Not just a sip of justice but a full cup of justice,” he said.