Name: Diego Bey
Social Justice Group: Race & Policing
Date of Fieldwork: December 12, 2018
Name of Organization: Vera Institute of Justice
Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Mawia Khogali, a research associate in Vera’s Policing Program
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I did:
our group traveled downtown to the Woolworth building to interview Mawia Khogali, a research associate in Vera’s Policing Program.
What I learned:
one thing I learned from this interview is that only five percent of calls to the police are to report actual crimes in progress. this means that ninety-five percent calls are reporting menial issues like noise complaints or drug use. another thing I learned was that the police face many issues with those who have disabilities like people who are blind or deaf. this is a big issue because most police officers aren’t trained in how to deal with or assist those who can’t see or hear and usually end up putting them in more danger.
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
through this fieldwork, I learned that the way marginalized groups is an issue all over the US and it is different for each department in each state. For example, the issues in one department would be completely different than in one in a different state. I also learned that another way to work for justice is by publishing statistics and meeting with people to get your point across. For example, Mawia specifically talks to police about the issues in their systems and suggest solutions. This taught me that activist don’t only have to do marches and protest but they can also fight for their cause by doing research and showing it to the public to spread awareness.
