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December 7, 2020 33 mins
Who is Officer George Sands? The Birmingham police officer had amassed more than a dozen complaints before fatally shooting Bonita Carter. He’d been seen as a problem by some city leaders, while others protected him – saying he was just a symptom of a poorly trained police department rather than a rogue bad apple? Before being elected mayor, Richard Arrington had been shocked to learn Sands was Bonita Carter’s killer, for he had been in so much trouble before. But Sands was protected by the powerful police union, and county rules that restricted the authority of the mayor. Arrington set out to integrate and reshape the police department, to change the shooting policy that had left so many Black men dead. But would it be possible to remove Sands? And, given all that’s happened since, how does Sands feel about that night in 1979? Show Notes: Guests: George Sands, T.K. Thorne, Nathaniel Bagley, Richard Arrington, Uche Bean Creator: John Archibald Hosts: John Archibald & Roy S. Johnson Executive Producer: John Hammontree Producer & Audio Engineer: Alexander Richey Producers: Amy Yurkanin and Marsha Oglesby Score: Thad Saajid, Austin Motlow, David Marsh, and Danny Ray Wilkerson, Jr. Additional music contributed by Jeremy Smith. Music: “Call on Me” by Cedric Burnside; Single Lock Studios Voice Acting: Ike Morgan, Jeremy Smith See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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