Mobilizing Communities Against Police Violence
On Thursday, February 20, the Human Rights Program welcomed Collette Flanagan, founder of the Dallas-based organization, Mothers Against Police Brutality (MAPB), as the keynote speaker for the 2025 Scallen Lecture. The Stephen and Chacke Scallen Lecture in Human Rights highlights leaders and thinkers who champion and fight for human rights principles, often at great odds and personal risk. Flanagan, whose son, Clinton Allen, was shot and killed by Dallas police in 2013, has spent more than a decade working tirelessly to end police violence through outreach, advocacy and policy. Over the years, Flanagan has shared her story with community members, members of Congress, United Nations officials, and fellow human rights advocates in the quest for justice and accountability.
2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), one of the oldest UN human rights treaties. It also marks five years since the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. According to HRP Director, Carrie Walling, “The need for evidence-based policy reform, survivor advocacy, and human rights research on policing and racial justice is more pressing than ever. Collette Flanagan is one of America’s leading advocates for justice and human rights in policing.” Flanagan spoke about the work that remains to implement standards for proper police conduct and ensure an equitable and safe environment for all.
Turning Grief and Pain into “Armor”
After her son Clinton Allen, a 25-year-old Black father of twin boys, was shot multiple times and killed by Dallas police in March 2013, Flanagan decided to turn her grief into fuel. She established Mothers Against Police Brutality (MAPB), which quickly transformed into a large-scale multiethnic and multicultural advocacy organization that has worked to create meaningful change at both the local and national level. For over a decade, MAPB has championed greater police transparency and an end to qualified immunity, all while supporting countless families in need of services. The organization has clinched strategic victories, with their advocacy being instrumental to the implementation of a special civil rights unit for investigating fatal police killings in Dallas County. Flanagan herself has worked directly with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and has also collaborated with other NGOs and UN committees.
“An Insult to One Mother is an Insult to All”
In her talk, titled, “Don't Become Desensitized to Injustice. Police Brutality is Still Happening,” Flanagan offered emotional insights into the turmoil that family members face after losing their loved ones to police violence. In the first part of her speech, Flanagan spoke candidly about the pain and confusion she felt after receiving mixed answers from authorities in the aftermath of her son’s death. She transitioned into discussing the powerful role the media plays in shaping narratives regarding the character and background of victims of police brutality, speaking out against media narratives that dehumanize victims and justify their deaths. Flanagan further pointed out that people of African descent are disproportionately affected by police violence, with unarmed Black men being more likely to be shot and killed by police than their white counterparts. Mothers Against Police Brutality aims to combat police violence by working to end qualified immunity—the loophole that allows many officers to skirt responsibility after fatal police killings—and implementing federal standards regarding the use of lethal force. But MAPB’s work is not limited to the local or national level. The organization’s objective is to work as much as they can with the UN Human Rights Council and the OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) to increase accountability in policing worldwide. The organization’s transformational goal is to create a new International Convention on Justice and Human Rights in Policing.
The Human Cost Behind the Headlines
A fundamental part of human rights methodology is personal testimony—hearing directly from survivors, families, and practitioners to understand patterns of human rights violations. After Flanagan delivered her remarks, Toshira Garraway joined Collette Flanagan and Human Rights Initiative Manager Amelia Shindelar in a discussion on police violence in Minnesota. Then, local families who have been harmed by police brutality shared their stories—experiences of police violence, memories of their murdered loved ones, and their quest for accountability.
Several audience members noted that the emotional testimony from affected individuals served to humanize the often controversial and sensitive discussion around policing and police violence in the U.S. Flanagan and the other advocates emphasized the importance of reaching out to families and empathizing with their pain, noting that change is not accomplished by statistics but by the stories of those affected. Flanagan highlighted this point in her lecture, saying, “We will fight, we will organize, and we will win. And we will win because a new generation refuses to be desensitized to police violence.”
By connecting their personal grief to action steps for systemic change, Flanagan and the family members were able to highlight not only which stories are often missing from media narratives following fatal police encounters, but also whose stories are missing—those of mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, cousins, and of the victims themselves. These family members bear the pain of being denied justice after losing their loved ones at the hands of the very officers who are supposed to protect them. Ultimately, Flanagan’s speech sheds light on the human cost that lurks behind major news headlines regarding police killings and the racial inequality that continues to drive such killings today. While progress has been made thanks to the work of organizations like MAPB, “there is,” Flanagan noted, “a lot of work to be done.”
