EXPERTS ADVISORY

ANN ARBOR—A grand jury will soon announce its decision on whether Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson will be charged for shooting and killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown last August. The University of Michigan has experts available to discuss what happens next.

Police reform needed

Margo Schlanger, Henry M. Butzel Professor of Law, is an expert on civil rights, prison reform, and torts. “Regardless of the outcome of the criminal matter, the Ferguson Police Department should quickly institute thoroughgoing reforms addressing both excessive force and police respect for protesters,” she said. “It’s clear that Ferguson is far from where it needs to be in both areas. The goal for a police department should be not merely that its officers avoid criminal liability but that they are simultaneously effective, proportionate and respectful. Appropriate reforms could improve policy and practice, training, supervision, monitoring, discipline, and civilian complaints.” Contact: 734-615-2618, mschlan@umich.edu Bio: http://bit.ly/1uesnWx

Perceptions differ between whites and blacks

Josh Pasek, assistant professor of communication studies and faculty associate in the Center for Political Studies, studies how individuals get and use political information, and the role of racial attitudes in the Obama era. He and colleagues recently completed a survey on how whites and blacks perceive what happened in Ferguson. “It seems clear from our data that the different life experiences of black and white Americans lead individuals to interpret what happened in Ferguson in completely different ways,” he said. “Despite the promises of post-racialism, Ferguson reveals the stark racial divide that remains in this country. When the grand jury announces its verdict, we should not be surprised if tensions flare again.” Contact: 734-763-3186, jpasek@umich.edu Bio: http://bit.ly/1F42UWf

U.S. Justice Department could seek civil rights prosecution—but it’s a long shot

If federal investigators, who conducted their own probe into Michael Brown’s death, decide to prosecute officer Darren Wilson for a civil rights violation, the evidence would need to meet a high legal standard, says Samuel Bagenstos, professor of law. “It’s a very difficult standard to meet,” Bagenstos, the former second-in-command of the department’s civil rights division, told the Associated Press. “Criminal enforcement of constitutional rights is not something that is easily pursued. It really requires building a case very carefully, very painstakingly.” Contact: 734-647-7584, sambagen@umich.edu Bio: http://bit.ly/1ytmGZ2

Race is still a factor in the justice system

Martha Jones, co-director of Michigan Law’s Program in Race, Law & History and associate professor of the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, has conducted research on the history of race, citizenship and slavery. “We might frame Ferguson as part of a long history of racial violence, from slavery to lynching. The case has strong resonances internationally, such as Brazil and France, where police violence has also been called into question by popular, youth-led uprisings,” she said. Contact: 734-647-5421, msjonz@umich.edu Bio: http://bit.ly/1uWg0n8

Smile, you’re on (video) camera

Leonard Niehoff, professor of law, teaches courses in evidence, media law and civil procedure. “Imagine how much more quickly—and perhaps effectively—the grand jury could have moved if there were videotape of the arrest,” he said. “This is a relevant consideration because in recent years there has been an epidemic of police officers across the country forbidding citizens and journalists from taping their actions and arresting them if they do so. Indeed, it has been reported that in 2013 Officer Wilson himself arrested an individual for videotaping him. Those arrests are deeply problematic under the First Amendment. The events of Ferguson, and these grand jury proceedings, call the question: how are we to police the police?” Contact: 734-763-5145, lniehoff@umich.edu Bio: http://bit.ly/1uCiky4