Actually creating a positive school climate, particularly in schools that are in communities that are themselves not calm and orderly, is hard work. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote
There is a certain amount you can learn from reading, but you also need to see and experience things. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote
At the end of the day, I think my story is, we need black officers because African-Americans need a fair shot at good jobs in this country, but we cannot expect them and should not expect them to change the nature of policing. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote
It’s not easy. I make snap judgments, too, and I start to write people off. And then I start to remind myself of how I’m constantly asking judges not to write people off. And so then I try to resist it. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote
I think I’ve always had that orientation to try to understand the humanity behind people with whom I disagree. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote
I clerked for a judge, William Norris, on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals right after law school and then for Justice O’Connor the next year. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote
Prosecutors committed to reform need talented staff members who share that commitment, and our best legal talent should flock to their offices. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote
We need to hire more black police officers in this country because these are good jobs, and African Americans should have their fair share of good jobs. But we shouldn’t do it because we think that’s going to change policing. We have to push for police reform in other ways. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote
There can be racism in a system even if a particular episode of injustice is not a manifestation of that racism. Every single thing in the criminal justice system is not a manifestation of racism, but many things are. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote
Mass incarceration is the result of small, distinct steps, each of whose significance becomes more apparent over time, and only when considered in light of later events. James Forman, Jr. Read Quote