When you look at which kids wind up inside our juvenile justice system you find some startling statistics. For example: African-Americans make up 18 percent of Illinois’ youth population, but they represent over half of Illinois kids who are locked up.

We heard two reports—Along the Racial Divide of Juvenile Justice and Why is There a Divide in Juvenile Justice? —about the standing problem known as Disproportionate Minority Contact. Then on Tuesday, April 20, we gathered 200 some community members into a building on Chicago’s South Side to talk about the issue. WBEZ’s Steve Edwards moderated the open forum at The Experimental Station while Richard Steele and Alison Cuddy worked the crowd. Here are excerpts from this community conversation.