Join WTTW for a powerful Firsthand Community Conversation exploring the urgent issues of policing and public safety in Chicago. This event will feature a screening of select clips from Firsthand: Peacekeepers and the project’s related Talks plus other short-form content that highlights lived experiences and local perspectives on these critical topics.

Following the screening, a panel of experts, practitioners, and community voices will engage in a candid discussion about the role of policing in our communities, the evolving definitions of public safety, and the challenges and opportunities for reform.

This event invites community members, civic leaders, and stakeholders to come together for a thoughtful dialogue grounded in both data and lived experience. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how public safety systems are impacting Chicagoans and what solutions are being pursued on the ground.

Moderated by Dan Protess, Executive Producer of WTTW Firsthand, the panel discussion will feature Firsthand participants including:

• The Honorable Patricia S. Spratt, Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, who also presides over the North Lawndale Restorative Justice Community Court

• Ernest Cato III, Chief Public Safety Officer, Illinois Department of Corrections, and Retired Chief of the Chicago Police Department

• Heather Cherone, WTTW News, Political Reporter

Lead support for FIRSTHAND: PEACEKEEPERS is provided by Ann and Rich Carr. Major support is provided by Knight Impact Partners. Additional support is provided by the Edwardson Family Foundation, the Lohengrin Foundation, Denny and Sandy Cummings, and the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation.

WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.