An Evening of Civic Discourse: Zach Norris - We Keep Us Safe

An Evening of Civic Discourse: Zach Norris - We Keep Us Safe

Thursday, Mar 05, 2020 7:00 PM

Location:
Bold Monk Brewing Co.
1737 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

The AJC Decatur Book Festival invites you to the first "Evening of Civic Discourse" at the Bold Monk Brewing Co. Meet author Zach Norris, Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, who will discuss his new book, “We Keep Us Safe: Building Secure, Just, and Inclusive Communities.”

A groundbreaking new vision for public safety, “We Keep Us Safe,” overturns more than 200 years of fear-based discrimination, othering, and punishment.

This important discussion, focusing on a more democratic society, is free to the public. 

A Cappella Books will provide copies of the books, which may be purchased for the signing following the presentation. 

Light refreshments will be offered. Food, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages will also be available in the Bold Monk Dining Room.

RSVP here:

About the Book

As the effects of aggressive policing and mass incarceration harm historically marginalized communities and tear families apart, how do we define safety? In a time when the most powerful institutions in the United States are embracing the repressive and racist systems that keep many communities struggling and in fear, we need to reimagine what safety means. Community leader and lawyer Zach Norris lays out a radical way to shift the conversation about public safety away from fear and punishment and toward growth and support systems for our families and communities. In order to truly be safe, we are going to have to dismantle our mentality of Us vs. Them. By bridging the divides and building relationships with one another, we can dedicate ourselves to strategic, smart investments—meaning resources directed toward our stability and well-being, like healthcare and housing, education and living-wage jobs. This is where real safety begins.

“We Keep Us Safe” is a blueprint of how to hold people accountable while still holding them in community. The result reinstates full humanity and agency for everyone who has been dehumanized and traumatized, so they can participate fully in life, in society, and in the fabric of our democracy.

About the Author

Zach Norris is the executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, which creates campaigns related to civic engagement, violence prevention, juvenile justice, and police brutality, with a goal of shifting economic resources away from prisons and punishment and towards economic opportunity. He is also the cofounder of Restore Oakland and Justice for Families, both of which focus on the power of community action. He graduated from Harvard and took his law degree from New York University.