FIU hosts ‘I Can’t Breathe: Racial Unrest in America in the Wake of George Floyd’s Death’

One week after George Floyd, who was unarmed, was killed in police custody, protests against police brutality have erupted around the nation - and the world. FIU will host a live online conversation on topics surrounding the aftermath of Floyd’s killing at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.

To join the event, please register via Zoom.

President Mark B. Rosenberg will give welcome remarks and NBC6 anchor Willard Shepard will moderate the discussion.

Panelists will include:

• H.T. Smith, director of the Trial Advocacy Program at FIU College of Law. Smith is the founding director of the Trial Advocacy Program at FIU Law. He is a nationally renowned trial lawyer and a highly sought-after trial advocacy lecturer. He blazed pioneering trails as Miami’s first African-American assistant public defender and first African-American assistant county attorney. His law firm specializes in criminal defense, civil rights, and personal injury. Smith has successfully represented families whose loved ones were brutally beaten or killed by police officers in various departments in greater Miami. Smith led the highly successful BOYCOTT MIAMI Campaign — the Quiet Riot – for 1,000 days in response to local politicians snubbing the iconic Nelson Mandela when he visited Miami in 1990. President Nelson Mandela wrote that: “H.T. Smith became well-known for his consistent and courageous contribution and support for the struggle against apartheid. We are confident that wherever injustice and racism raises their ugly heads, H. T. will be there to raise his powerful voice of protest and resistance.
• Carleen Vincent-Robinson, associate chair of the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice in the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs, whose current research interests include mass incarceration and race/ethnic relations. She participated in a $250,000 research project assessing Florida's preparedness for terrorist attacks and other catastrophic events involving mass casualties. Prior to her appointment at FIU, Vincent-Robinson held a variety of positions, including as a judicial clerk for the appellate court.
• FIU Police Capt. Delrish Moss, who became the chief of police of Ferguson, Missouri in 2016, following the controversial police shooting of Michael Brown and subsequent protests and unrest following Brown’s death in 2014 that launched the Black Lives Matter movement.
• Candice Ammons-Blanfort, an Instructor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs. Her research focuses on the correlation between race, firearm violence and police diversity.
• Artrice Shepherd, president of the FIU Black Student Union, whose activism and involvement includes working to eliminate voter suppression and educating, advocating, and celebrating the African Diaspora at FIU through the BSU.

A virtual FIU Town Hall also will be held on Friday, June 5, at 3 p.m., during which the university community can share their thoughts about recent events. President Rosenberg, members of FIU leadership, and student leaders will participate. 

Register to join via Zoom at: https://go.fiu.edu/94562431015
Webinar password: 917420
You can also join live on our Facebook page: Florida International University