Protests against racial injustice across the U.S. this summer were met with force by federal authorities, who used tear gas on crowds and empowered unidentified law enforcement personnel, some using unmarked vans to pick up protesters at random.

The third event in the Democracy 20/20 Webinar series will examine violence and policing in the context of American history and current events, analyzing their impact for democracy.

The webinar, “Already Authoritarian? Policing and the Use of Force,” will be Aug. 27 from 1-2:15 p.m. EDT. The event is free and open to the public though registration is required.

Panelists will be:

Sabrina Karim, assistant professor of government in the College of Arts and Sciences, whose research focuses broadly on state building in the aftermath of political violence, with a particular focus on international involvement in police reforms to post-conflict states;

Ayobami Laniyonu, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, whose current work focuses on gentrification, the policing of vulnerable populations and understanding policing in a comparative perspective; and

Vesla Mae Weaver, the Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor of Political Science and Sociology at Johns Hopkins University, who studies the causes and consequences of the dramatic rise in prisons and police power for race- and class-subjugated communities.

Robert Mickey, associate professor of political science at the University of Michigan, will serve as moderator.

The Democracy 20/20 series is sponsored by the American Democracy Collaborative, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs.

– Kate Blackwood