MSU law students presented Black Lives Matter workshop at high school in Detroit

How should young adults conduct themselves in police stops? Do they have legal rights? How do they stay alive?

Nearly 800 high school students learned answers to these questions at the “Black Lives Matter Day” on Friday, April 8 at Cass Tech High School in Detroit.

The event began with a panel discussion at Cass Tech on police stops and constitutional rights.

The forum was an informative dialogue between students and legal professionals. Panelists included 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King; Prosecutor Kim Miles; criminal defense attorney Cliff Woodard; Detroit Police Officer Curtis Shell; Black Lives Matter activist Angela Waters Austin; former Detroit Police Commission attorney Aliyah Sabree; and Daniel Rosa, a training specialist for the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.

After lunch, 21 MSU Law students taught 33 individual classes to nearly 800 high school students in small workshops. The students discussed constitutional rights, participated in role play scenarios, and analyzed past police stops.

The Cass Tech students shared their experiences with police stops, and some relayed tragic stories of family members killed in confrontations with law enforcement. 

Black Lives Matter Day was a collaborative effort between the MSU First Amendment Law Clinic, MSU Street Law Program, the MSU Law Diversity Services Office, the Cass Tech NAACP Chapter, the Future Project at Cass Tech, the CT Visionary Newspaper Staff, administrators at Cass Tech and the Communications Department of Detroit Public Schools.

Reprinted with permission from MSU?Law