BET will take on the growing movement demanding police reforms, via a news special titled American Injustice: The Fight for Police Reform.
Hosted by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien, the special will include interviews with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Congressional Black Caucus Chair, Rep. Karen Bass; Congressman Cedric Richmond; Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley; Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison; and Black Lives Matter Co-founder Patrisse Cullors.
In a press release, BET asked: “What will it take for lawmakers to pass meaningful and comprehensive police reform? What will it take to transform the way our communities are policed?”
Related Story: Black Artists Call for Movie, TV & Music Industries to ‘Break Ties’ With Police
The special is part of the network’s “Content For Change” initiative launched month, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Since Floyd’s May 25 death, calls have grown for communities across the U.S. to reform their police departments and shift funding away from law enforcement to social programs.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council voted to cut the LAPD’s annual $1.2 billion budget by $150 million, saying the money will be used for services to benefit Black, Latino and disenfranchised communities.
The cuts are expected to dent police overtime pay and delay the department’s plan to increase its ranks. In response to the cuts, LAPD officers and their supporters took to the streets on Saturday, July 11, to protest efforts to defund the department.
“What I’m concerned about is that the neighborhoods that will pay the worst price are the most economically depressed neighborhoods,” Officer Rusty Redican, an 18-year LAPD veteran, told the Los Angeles Times at the protest.
The nationwide debate over police reforms will surely continue.
You can watch American Injustice: The Fight for Police Reform on Wednesday, July 22 at 11:00 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her.
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