Marquette Law School to host “Policing and Accountability — A Community Conversation,” March 10

March 4, 2021

Eckstein HallMILWAUKEE — Marquette University Law School will host prominent members from the local policing and justice communities for a virtual conference, “Policing and Accountability — A Community Conversation,” on Wednesday, March 10, at 12:15 p.m.

The conference will explore two key questions facing Wisconsin: what can be done to improve relations between law enforcement and the community and what the law provides about how deadly-force incidents are investigated and charged. The event will be presented in two parts.

Registration is available online for the event, which will be available on demand shortly after its completion.

“Policing and Accountability—A Community Conversation” is presented by the Law School’s Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education and is part of the university’s Marquette Forum.

The first part of the conference will feature with a conversation moderated by Mike Gousha, distinguished fellow in law and public policy, among Amanda Avalos, Milwaukee Fire and Police Commissioner; Nate Hamilton, chair of the Community Collaborative Commission and brother of Dontre Hamilton, who was shot and killed by police in April 2014; Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas; and City of Milwaukee Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.

The conference’s second session will look at the legal and statutory considerations when investigating and charging decisions are determined. Steve Biskupic, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and adjunct professor of law, will moderate a panel featuring Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm; Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul; and Kimberley Motley, a defense attorney who has represented family members of individuals who died in incidents involving police.

The Marquette Forum presents events to engage students, faculty, staff and the communities making up greater Milwaukee in conversations around crucial questions facing our society. Based on President Michael R. Lovell’s call for Marquette to work toward eliminating racial inequity, the Forum is providing an opportunity to sustain an action-oriented agenda throughout the year, drawing interest from students, faculty and staff at Marquette. The Forum’s purpose is twofold: to confront the dynamics of racism at personal and institutional levels, and to provide the Marquette community with an opportunity to pursue innovative ideas and create spaces for programming that transcends cultural, community and disciplinary boundaries.

Through public programming such as the Marquette Law School Poll, debates featuring candidates in significant political races, Gousha’s “On the Issues” conversations with newsmakers, public lectures by leading scholars, conferences on significant issues of public importance, and the work of its Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education, Marquette Law School serves as the region’s leading venue for civil discourse about law and public policy matters.

About Kevin Conway

Kevin Conway

Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of University Relations. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.