Welcome to volume 4 #1 of the IJC & R. This is the first issue to be published since the journal’s relocation to its website within the Peace Studies Program and a hiatus following the COVID19 pandemic. The entire issue is dedicated to an important ongoing debate within the US: the problem of the relationship between the police force and the Black community which is longstanding but resurfaced after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. Having received an article for consideration, the editors decided to focus on the debate and employ a ‘point-counterpoint’ format in addressing the problem. All participants, the author of the original article and the three reviewers, were informed about our intent and agreed to participate. Nonetheless, all essays were sent out to each participant without any name attached. This included the reviews sent to the author of the article. All were also informed that names would appear when issue 4 number 1 of the journal is finally published.

The issue contains an original essay by John Gaski and three reviews by La Tanya Skiffer, John Harris, and James Thomas. There is a final response by John Gaski to the reviews. The author of the article describes his essay as contrarian, a critique of the widely held view that the Black population in America is under siege from a section of the White establishment, the police force. The volume of violence is seen as higher than towards any other group. Gaski disputes this, laying out a number of arguments including the following: that Blacks are more likely to kill members of the police force than are Whites; that Blacks are not more likely to be shot by the police than members of the white population; that for long, policies favor Blacks not Whites; and that there is a growing anti-White racism in the nation. These and other arguments are evaluated by the three reviewers to which Gaski has responded. The editors hope that this format will encourage readers to join the debate, write to the journal and have their articles published in a follow-up.

The editors also wish to state that the statements and opinions of contributors belong to each and not the editors of the journal.