Thsi is a picture of Jummane Williams during the interview. My partner Caleb and I can be seen in the not on left

During my field work visit, my partner, Caleb, and I invited Jumaane Williams, who is a council member in east Flatbush, to come to the school for a public interview. He had him sit down in Momii’s room in the evening and asked him questions about his job. He talked about what he did as a council member, such as helping with the Hurricane Sandy aftermath and what he plans to do in the future. He said that something he wants to focus on is more outreach with young black men in Brooklyn to stop them from getting into trouble. The class asked him a question every now and then. Some of the questions involved discrimination in the process of getting into office as well as what it was like to be arrested by a police officer in 2011. Three of our questions were:
“What inspired you to become a councilman”
“He said that he became interested when he was in college and he was already in a lot of groups affiliated with the system, so he decided to join. He said that he waited a long time so he wouldn’t have to run against someone trying to get reelected. He said if he did that, he would be running against someone people of the area were familiar with and they would chose his opponent’s name because it was familiar to them. He ended up running against one anyway, but luckily he won.”
“Why did you chose Flatbush out of all places”
“He said he chose Flatbush because that is where he grew up and when a person runs for office it is best to run in their hometown in order to get the highest amount of votes. He said that he waited a long time so he wouldn’t have to run against someone trying to get reelected. He said if he did that, he would be running against someone they were familiar with and they would chose his opponent’s name because it was familiar to them. He ended up running against one anyway, but luckily he won.”
“What were your views on the judicial system last year and how is it different from this this year”
“He said that he personally believed the judicial system was set up. People keep saying we need to fix the system, but we can’t fix something if it was not made incorrectly. It was made to fit the needs of certain people at a certain time. He said people should instead say the system needs to be updated. He said that if a house simply has a crack in the ceiling, you can fix it with no problem. But if the foundation of the house is cracked, you must rebuild and it will not be so quick. When I looked in that room while Caleb and I listened to him talk, I saw a room full of children who were genuinely interested in the good of the world and the people within it. I heard laughter from the jokes he said, as well as understanding of where those feelings are coming from. I felt proud and happy to be able to present this experience to my classmates. I also felt nervous because this interview was on such a big scale of possible impact on our lives. We were witnessing a man speak who brought hope, knowledge, joy, frustration and understanding all at one to my class mates.”