This Saturday, we start the year off with an exclusive interview with Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice, in the wake of a grand jury’s decision to not indict the officer who shot and killed her 12 year old son. We will discuss this tragic ordeal and Ms. Rice’s plans for moving forward. Following the interview, Lucia McBath—mother of Jordan Davis who was shot and killed in 2012 by 47- year old Michael Dunn—will join the conversation for a discussion about mothers finding empowerment through their grief.
Then, we pivot to a broader discussion about policing in the nation focusing on:
- Mental health and police shootings
- De-escalation training and Taser expansion
- President Obama’s upcoming executive action on guns
- Accountability, police departments, and the Department of Justice.
Our panelists include Jelani Cobb, staff writer for the New Yorker and associate professor at the University of Connecticut; Monica Dennis, regional coordinator for Black Lives Matter NYC; Jon Shane, associate professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College and retired Captain from Newark Police Department, and others.
In the second hour, we turn to sports featuring this all-star panel:
- Kavitha Davidson, sports columnist at Bloomberg View
- Jason Page, host of "Up Late with Jason Page" at NBC Sports Radio
- Jamil Smith, senior editor of The New Republic
- Dave Zirin, sports editor at The Nation Magazine
We’ll start with athletes and activism. Why are people calling on LeBron James and not the president to take action or make a statement about the grand jury decision not to indict in the police killing of Tamir Rice? Our panelists will weigh in on that question.
All that, plus, a conversation about the NFL and the new film Concussion.
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10am ET on MSNBC. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.