June 3, 2020: Protests spark conversation on defunding police departments

The killing of George Floyd, an African American Minnesota resident, while in police custody has sparked protests across the country and a conversation about the role the police play in our communities. A recently published op-ed in the New York Times argues that to make wholescale change and to put end to this violence against African Americans, localities should redirect funding from police forces and into alternative emergency response programs.Philip V. McHarris, co-author of the piece and a PhD candidate in sociology and African American studies, discussed his call for change.