that more needs to be done.

And since the murder of George Floyd, some police departments across the country have made changes.

But many of those actions are now threatened under the Trump administration.

The Department of Justice just today announcing that it would end federal oversight of police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville and plans to close investigations in other cities despite the order Chicago's consent decree mandating police reform will remain in effect because it does not involve the DOJ.

Joining us to discuss all of this, some more are Bradley Johnson, the chief community officer from builds Chicago, Ernest Cato, retired Chicago police chief who served more than 30 years on the force and on zoom, Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor and Kofi it Mola founder of Good Kids.

Mad City.

We also invited the Chicago Police Department to join us, but they declined.

Gentlemen, thanks to all of you for joining Kofi Animal.

I want to start with you, please.

In the nearly 5 years since George Floyd's death public discourse about police brutality and anti-black racism.

>> It's died down a good bit outside of activist circles.

What would you say is happening happening right now among activists and grassroots circle since the spotlight has sort of moved away from these issues.

>> Sure.

First and foremost, thank you for having me.

I would say locally here in Chicago, we got what's called the Chicago Torsion Justice And it's a place where survivors of police torture originally from John.

We're we can also go all the way up to Homan where survivors are being supported.

So having more resources for things like that, the young people, good kids, Mad City, they're advocating to pass that piece.

Book, which is a public safety initiatives violence prevention to get resources for young people to push peace.

So on that along the alliance's work, like you said, we're seeing some progress, right?

But on the other so actually who was shot over 90 times here, Chicago and we see a Chicago Police department's budget going up every year.

So where over 2 billion dollars.

Now.

And that's not even accounting for the amount of money that's being paid out police misconduct please violence, which I believe we've already at the 82 million Dollar Mark this year so far.

So there's still a lot of ways to go in a lot of work still be done.

Right.

And just today, City Council approved several million dollars more in police misconduct lawsuit settlements.

>> Coffee, you know, be in back in the summer of 2020 hundreds thousands of people who maybe weren't typically protesting filled the streets.

Right?

Joining people who are always demonstrating and protesting.

Do you think that, you know, the folks who aren't necessarily directly involved as you and the Chicago Torture Justice Center in good kids, Mad City are.

Do you think those folks who aren't involved sort of moved away from the conversation have gone back to their lives in those 5 years.

>> don't think so.

I think when we even with people marching against wrong, folks, marching in solidarity Palestine.

You know, these are some of the same communities and saying organizers to get impacted comments.

One thing I will say, though, is both the Democrats and Republicans, both liberals and conservatives a pretty good job The fund, the police, right.

Some messaging coming from the Biden administration on messaging coming from the Trump administration and then Democrats and Republicans from the Senate on down local elections were very adamant about being pro police about making sure that police are funded.

So I would say that's probably the biggest backlash and a lot of the propaganda that you saw television commercials, cetera, media really propagating that.

So I think that did put her in a lot of people off movement because one they just assumed if, you know, send the cop to jail for murdering a black person, that that's just that's what we believe.

It's not.

And that, you know, please getting more money to supposed our community safe.

We don't believe that's just a city that we believe we need to be investing helling, Stuart, of justice and other things so our community and we do have a former police officer joining us from police chief Ernest Cato.

You you know, still active in law enforcement, of course, in 2020.

>> How did you feel at the time?

What was it like for you to be in the position that you were in 2020 as a black man?

>> That's always been a difficult position to be in a black and especially coming from the community that I did.

That idea come from.

But having an understanding of communities that have been and that pretty felt like they had a fear treatment and then being in a position where I had to actually also some form of law enforcement.

It's a tricky position, but my life prepared me for it.

I had an idea of what folks may have felt like in from the community that I came from, but also knew that I had a job to do.

The difficult part was trying to bring them both together.

Bringing both together and understand and make the community understand where that we had a job to do.

But at the same time, those who worked for me had to make them have understanding of.

How the community felt.

And the area that I worked and we pretty much lead that way on the west side of Chicago.

Pretty much have an understanding of the community felt but under state.

Also, we had to protect property and lives a fine line walk for you.

was a tight rope.

It was a tight rope.

Eyes sometimes may have went home.

And I just kind of just kind of.

Had to understand my purpose.

What was my purpose?

our purpose was, again, to defend lives, protect property, but also have empathy with the commute.

>> Bradley Johnson tells about the work that Bill does to foster positive police community relationship.

>> Yes, so, you know, build as a youth development organization.

You know, since 1969.

>> We worked tirelessly to make sure that there's a relationship where we communicate regularly with police officers with the police department.

We stand in gap with a young people saying that there's the issue, bring them to us and will, you know, help to work with them.

I think that.

We also have worked to partner with the police department to get feedback and hear the voices of community.

He had a voice is a by young people.

The people impacted by some of the policies and practices.

So that there's a face put too.

Policing happens and then also to humanize, you know, I sit on one of the advisory boards for the training academy for the police Department where myself, along with other leaders and nonprofits across the city.

We actually get the review.

The annual trainings that police officers get where we're able to get feedback.

And that feedback tends to be where on the police.

I know we talk about constitutionality, their work also there is this.

This focus on making sure you know what you noticed right away not to get in trouble, that there won't be you know, lawsuit and I just going I know that you that you also do some work with young people on how to interact with young people, exactly and how to interact with the police excuse.

so we do a lot of know your rights.

>> We teach young people really.

How do you actually respond officers when that when they speak to you courteous and listen but also know what, what what your rights are.

But also how do you actually made safe?

So you don't escalate the situation.

So that's really important.

And the reason why is because sometimes that a young people with their history and with the history that they picked up, they meet some.

They meet officers with aggression.

Sometimes officers meet them with aggression and they they push it right back.

But the power dynamics even okay a professor Monday.

Want to get you in here because you founded the civil rights and police Accountability Clinic in 2000, which in part seeks to improve accountability within CPD.

What progress have you seen since you've started this work?

>> Like Com, Michael yet saying.

>> We've seen real progress, but it's been far too slow.

Got a long way to go.

Particularly areas would seem the most progresses.

There's where people stood up with people.

Commuting have interview that forced the police to engage one of the areas.

First time in effort, not just my lifetime.

That the agency that investigates police piece Chicago is actually ever sought to hold officers accountable when they abuse the Polish to hurt people.

Mets Copa which is also assault.

If this moment.

Transparency, one things that that we've seen in major progress is we want a lawsuit with folks side-by-side do that makes police misconduct records.

All complaints of police misconduct records belong to the people.

that police have to release video when officers kill someone along with the chief keto.

We fundamentally transform the rules governing.

We used to support pilots with an emphasis sanctity of life for all people, the escalating situations using force only when necessary dramatically reduce the number of violent wrongful home raids targeting black and brown And all has led to a real decrease in and this matters.

Police in Chicago killed less people.

Now, then just 10 years ago when it was basically like a weekly basis on at the time Officer Van shot of 16 shots most of to the back of seventeen-year-old Kwon do But we still >> Well, yeah, as as you said, professor, it sounds like there's still more work to be done.

I wish we had more time to discuss it all with the 4