Bounce TV Announces Major Initiative Calling for De-Escalation Training for Police

Martin Luther King III and Network Stars to Participate, Effort in Partnership with The Root

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Jul 13, 2016, 01:52 ET

ATLANTA, July 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bounce TV, the first and only over-the-air broadcast television network for African Americans, is calling on the Department of Justice to make de-escalation training a requirement of all local law enforcement receiving federal funding and equipment.

Bounce TV will implement a major on-air, online and company-wide initiative to lobby for the cause, which will include Martin Luther King III, a founding father of Bounce, and the casts and producers of the network's original shows including Ed Gordon, In The Cut, Saints & Sinners, Mann & Wife and Family Time.

Martin Luther King III and Bounce TV the first and only over-the-air broadcast television network for African Americans, is calling on the Department of Justice to make de-escalation training a requirement of all local law enforcement receiving federal funding and equipment. People can stay connected with the initiative on social media by following Bounce TV's official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts (@bouncetv) and by using the official hashtag, #CallJustice4Peace.

"We arm our police with weapons but we need to do better at arming them with the teaching and training on how they approach situations involving African Americans and how to de-escalate them," said Mr. King III. "This is not an indictment of all police personnel, just an element within a group of people who have difficult, challenging and stressful jobs. Our police protect and serve all Americans and all of them need to approach each and every situation with the same sense of civility. We must do all we can to help them with committed sensitivity training and work towards eliminating the implicit bias that is at the heart of the matter."

Bounce TV is teaming with The Root, the premier news, opinion and culture site for African-American influencers, to support the effort. The Root's editorial outlining the call to action can be found by clicking here.

People can stay connected with the initiative on social media by following Bounce TV's official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts (@bouncetv) and by using the official hashtag, #CallJustice4Peace.

Bounce TV is the fastest-growing African-American network on television and airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage. The network is available in more than 94 million homes across the United States and 93% of all African-American television homes, including all of the top AA television markets. For more information, visit BounceTV.com.

The Root is the premier news, opinion and culture site for African-American influencers. Founded in 2008, under the leadership of Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., The Root provides smart, timely coverage of breaking news, thought-provoking commentary and gives voice to a changing, more diverse America. Visit us at www.theroot.com, on Twitter @theroot and on Facebook.

Contact:

Jim Weiss

770-672-6504

[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160713/389285

SOURCE Bounce TV