Today, Lee Camp, the host of “Behind the Headlines,” speaks with two journalists, Taya Graham and Stephen Janis, about their ongoing show, “The Police Accountability Report.” Running for four years, the show is focused on shining a light on police misdeeds. Although based in Baltimore, it covers law enforcement abuse across the country. The journalists, who between them have been covering the subject for two decades, share their experiences reporting on police brutality, corruption, and the need for police reform.
Despite the lack of coverage in the corporate press, Taya notes that there is a whole subculture of “cop watchers” and auditors who film the police and test their first amendment rights in a public space. She grew up in Baltimore, a majority-black city, and was no stranger to police brutality. However, in her younger days, she assumed it was largely a local problem. Yet as they expanded their coverage, it became clear that this is a systemic issue across the entire United States.
Stephen adds that police corruption is a reflection of the values of the community it serves. He believes that policing only reflects the people who have the power, money, and capital to impose it on underprivileged communities. He says that when they talk about police corruption, they are really talking about the corruption of inequality in a community desiring to police itself. Stephen believes that the underlying conditions in the community the police serve do not change, and that is why police brutality is prevalent across the country.
The interview sheds light on the ongoing problem of police abuse and the need for police reform. Taya and Stephen’s show, “The Police Accountability Report,” is an important step towards taking law enforcement to task for their actions. The lack of interest from the likes of Fox News and CNN in truly scrutinizing the power of the police means Stephen and Taya’s work is all the more important.
Watch the full interview exclusively at MintPress News.
Lee Camp is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and activist. Camp is the host of Behind The Headlines’ new series: The Most Censored News With Lee Camp. He is a former comedy writer for the Onion and the Huffington Post and has been a touring stand-up comic for 20 years.
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