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Colorado Public Radio announced a four-part audio documentary that looks at people working to reform policing from inside and outside the system. The first episode of Systemic, hosted and reported by CPR podcast producer Jo Erickson, will launch on May 19.
Produced in the wake of George Floyd’s death and 2020’s racial justice protests, “Systemic” follows Black Americans working in Colorado, Minneapolis, and around the country to create change. Listeners will hear from activists, civil rights attorneys, lawmakers, the families of victims of police violence, and several Black officers working to change policing from within the system.
“I wanted this series to reflect the struggles of a group of people who have put everything on the line to make real changes to policing,” said Jo Erickson. “When it comes to storytelling, I believe it’s important to know who tells the story as much as what the story is about. So I handed the mic to police officers and activists within the African American community so that they could tell their unfiltered stories on the frontlines of this conflict of race and police culture.”
“Once in a while we get a pitch for a podcast that’s too compelling to ignore,” said Brad Turner, executive producer of CPR’s Audio Innovations Studio. “Jo came to me with the concept in her first week on the job last fall. It was so exciting to watch her develop their stories and find more voices for the project as Systemic took shape.”
You can listen to the Systemic trailer here.