Page 242 - Mike Ratner CC - WISR Complete Dissertation - v6

listened local NPR radio station WAMC. Applyrs said the conversations purposely gave residents

a platform to share their own experiences involving implicit bias.

The Community Conversation series were supposed to give residents a platform to share

their own experiences involving implicit bias. Albany police chief Brendan Cox who attended the

first session but did not participate said the department has been conducting implicit bias training

for officers. "Implicit bias is something everybody has, it's something that if we recognize we have

it and we figure out ways to make sure it’s something that does not come into our decision-making

we can make things better. And it's really important to us, especially with the community-policing

model, that we also work with the community on the same issues…on truly being better citizens."

The New York Center for Law and Justice was one of the groups participating in the CCs.

For 30 years, the Center has been serving the low-income and disadvantaged communities of New

York through education and advocacy. There were four Community Conversations scheduled by

Applyrs in 2016 and included open public participation. The CC dates were in order held on

Friday, May 20th, 2016 hosted at the Arbor Hill Community Center -- Monday, May 23 at the

Phillip Schuyler Acheivement Academy, on Thursday, June 9 at the Albany Housing Authority

and on Monday June 13 at the JCC - Jewish Community Center in Albany

In preparation for data gathering, it was important for me as the researcher to have a good

working understanding of the Community Conversation sessions to maximize my understanding

about various elements the dialogues on race and implicit bias involves including the data

gathering and analysis phases of the research. Participation primarily was localized to the

immediate vicinity to where the CC was held which allowed for ease of access and sense of

understanding by the researcher of the concerns dialogue attendees had along with the CC agenda,

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