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Reflections on police brutality and racial violence in America

Hundreds of people take a knee in honor of George Floyd in front of city hall during a peaceful We Can't Breath Unity Rally June 2, 2020.Mt Vernon S We Can T Breath Rally

With protests breaking out in cities all over the United States, Brookings scholars have condemned police brutality and are working to provide much-needed policy solutions to address the underlying race issues prevalent in America. In his new book, Andre Perry writes extensively about the economic conditions of Black Americans in majority-Black cities—conditions that are undoubtedly feeding into the frustrations many Black Americans feel about their worth and place in American society. Rashawn Ray is closely tracking the pre-existing conditions making the coronavirus more deadly for Black Americans and is proposing solutions to fix systemic issues in law enforcement, such as addressing civil payouts for police misconduct.

After several days of protests, Perry and Ray took to Instagram to reflect on what is happening in America at this critical moment and offered their candid thoughts about what it will take to find solutions to address institutional racism in the United States.

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