Police are supposed to “protect and serve” the community, but that’s a far cry from what modern-day policing often looks like in our country. The recent murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, and others highlight the need for drastic systemic change, yet again, as Americans across the country take to the streets in protest.

“The reason I’m out here is because I have two college degrees, but yet I’m still treated like I’m nothing,” one protester in Brooklyn told At Liberty this week. “I’m tired of hearing, there are a few rotten apples. There’s not a few rotten apples. The tree is rotten. The tree is rotten from the roots up.”

ACLU Policing Policy Advisor Paige Fernandez joined us on the podcast this week to walk us through the history of our problematic policing systems, and explains both why it’s so hard to hold police accountable, and how the ACLU plans to address this immense problem moving forward.

You can listen to the episode here:

Why is it so hard to hold police accountable?