THINK AND DRINK: POLICING, COMMUNITY, PROTECTION, AND TRUST IN THE 21ST CENTURY WHAT IS A CRIMINAL?

Join us for a fourth season of Think & Drink as we tackle policing in Maine, its intersection with race, and how our local experience connects with what we see across the rest of the United States.

How does society define criminal behavior, and who is a criminal? What do we want from our police, and how are they trained? What powers do we place in the hands of the state (police, legal system, prisons), and how do we monitor the use of those powers? Do communities suffer collateral damage from being policed, and do those who do the policing face emotional challenges of their own?

We have a new moderator for this year’s series: Samaa Abdurraqib, who has facilitated many a discussion for the MHC’s special audience programs (in addition to her full-time work with the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence). A native of Minnesota, Samaa earned her Masters and Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at Bowdoin College for a number of years and has also been an adjunct professor at USM.

The 2017 Think & Drink series dates are February 28, April 5, May 3, and June 7 here at SPACE Gallery.

This year we’ll be talking about policing, community, protection, and trust in the 21st century.  They’ll be four conversations in all and we’re kicking things off by starting with the question “what is a criminal?” 

How does society define criminal behavior, how does law enforcement identify a criminal or potential criminal behavior, who is a criminal? 

What do we want from our police, and how are they trained? What powers do we place in the hands of the state (police, legal system, prisons), and how do we monitor the use of those powers? Do communities suffer collateral damage from being policed, and do those who do the policing face emotional challenges of their own? And what role does race play in all of these questions?

Our panelists for this first discussion will be:

Alicia Wilcox: Assistant Professor, School of Legal Studies, Husson University

Michael Rocque, Assistant Professor, Sociology, Bates College

Carl Williams, National Lawyers Guild

Join us as we tackle policing in Maine in the 21st century and discuss how our local experience connects with what we see across the rest of the United States.