McEwen speaks at Columbia panel on Race, Justice, and Urban Space
Assistant Professor of Architecture Mitch McEwen recently spoke on the “We Can’t Breathe” panel held at Columbia University on February 6th. The panel explored themes of race, justice, and urban space surrounding the failed indictments of the killers of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, among similar cases of other unarmed citizens. Topics included the disproportionate targeting of low-income minorities by broken windows police tactics, the legacies of slavery and Jim Crow racism on the physical and social structure of US cities, the militarization of law enforcement, and the use of urban space as a stage and platform for dissent.
The panel was organized by the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), the Center for Social Justice at Columbia University, the Center for Urban Real Estate (CURE), and the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture. More information about the event can be found at the Columbia events website.