A conversation with Teny Oded Gross, the Director of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago; Chris Patterson, the Institute’s Senior Director of Programs and Policy, and Professor John Hoberman, author of Dopers in Uniform: The Hidden World of Police on Steroids. Over the July 4th weekend, many of Chicago’s neighborhoods erupted in a tremendous upsurge of violence, which resulted in ninety shootings and seventeen tragic deaths. In response, the Chicago Police Department is organizing a citywide “suppression” unit, to the concern of Chicago’s communities and advocacy groups, who remember the outcomes of similar police efforts in the past. What are the root causes of and solutions for urban violence and poverty, gang warfare, inter-community conflict, racial discrimination, and abusive police practices, in Chicago and other US urban communities? Teny has a unique perspective on these realities at street level, having spent decades on the front lines in Boston, Providence, and Chicago. He has consulted on community engagement and nonviolence strategies with police departments and municipalities, domestically and internationally. Chris is a Chicago native and a specialist on gang culture and its impact on society, with over a decade of experience in community engagement. His memoir is 21: The Epitome of Perseverance. Professor Hoberman is an expert on race and society. His research provides insight into Chicago’s history and ongoing policing dilemmas, particularly on the curtain of secrecy that protects both police brutality and police steroid culture. Along with Dopers in Uniform, he is the author of Black and Blue: The Origins and Consequences of Medical Racism, and Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race. Their moderator is Sherman Teichman, Founding Director Emeritus (1985-2016) of the Institute for Global Leadership, and Founding President of The Trebuchet.

We held a webinar discussion with EPIIC ‘93 alumnus Teny Oded Gross, the Director of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago; Chris Patterson, the Institute’s Senior Director of Programs and Policy, and a good friend, Professor John Hoberman, author of Dopers in Uniform: The Hidden World of Police on Steroids.

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Over the July 4th weekend, many of Chicago’s neighborhoods erupted in a tremendous upsurge of violence, which resulted in ninety shootings and seventeen tragic deaths. In response, the Chicago Police Department is organizing a citywide “suppression” unit, to the concern of Chicago’s communities and advocacy groups, who remember the outcomes of similar police efforts in the past. What are the root causes of and solutions for urban violence and poverty, gang warfare, inter-community conflict, racial discrimination, and abusive police practices, in Chicago and other US urban communities?

Teny has a unique perspective on these realities at street level, having spent decades on the front lines in Boston, Providence, and Chicago. He has consulted on community engagement and nonviolence strategies with police departments and municipalities, domestically and internationally.

Chris is a Chicago native and a specialist on gang culture and its impact on society, with over a decade of experience in community engagement. His memoir is 21: The Epitome of Perseverance.

John is an expert on race and society. His research provides insight into Chicago’s history and ongoing policing dilemmas, particularly on the curtain of secrecy that protects both police brutality and police steroid culture. Along with Dopers in Uniform, he is the author of Black and Blue: The Origins and Consequences of Medical Racism, and Darwin's Athletes: How Sport Has Damaged Black America and Preserved the Myth of Race.