The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (CUA Law) hosted The Hot Topics Roundtable Luncheon, which focused on discussing the recent tragic shootings of Terence Crutcher in Tulare, OK, and Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, NC. The October 19 event, invited members of the law school community to share their thoughts about the events in a respectful atmosphere.

Guided by Robbie Kain (2L), Larisa Traub (2L), and Kwambina Coker (2L), the hour-long discussion encouraged students to ask questions, offer insights, and explore what they can do, as future lawyers, to deal with challenging issues. There were a variety of opinions expressed throughout the discussion dealing with police protocol, community policing, racial biases, and the notion of challenging stereotypes.

One question that Traub posed the audience was: "What, as future legal practitioners, can we do to dispel the culture that causes situations like police shootings to happen?"

"What we can do is talk about it, and we are doing a great job of that here. We need to talk about these hard, difficult issues. The more we talk about it and the more we are exposed to different things, the more our own biases are broken down," one student said.

Another student told the group that they should each ask themselves about the personal biases they each have. The audience agreed that having more communication and dialogue was a step in the right direction.

The Hot Topics Roundtable talks are part of an effort to help the CUA Law community come together from time to time to examine the law in the context of pressing social issues. This event was co-sponsored by the Law & Public Policy Program, the Office of Student Affairs, the Black Law Students Association, the Latin American Law Students Association, the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Habitat for Humanity, and Street Law.