The tensions that erupted last month in Ferguson, Mo., following the police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old raised concerns about what other communities might do to foster relations between law enforcement and area residents.

To this end, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s (UALR) Institute on Race and Ethnicity will host a free and public forum at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, in Ledbetter Hall of the Donaghey Student Center to discuss racial and ethnic equality and justice in Little Rock.

Free parking will be available in the UALR parking deck.

A panel of city, religious and university leaders will converge to discuss the issues under the theme, “Not in Little Rock: A Community Forum.”

Members of the panel will include Little Rock City Manager Bruce Moore, Little Rock Police Department Assistant Chief Eric S. Higgins, and Campus Pastor Harry Li, as well as Assistant Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church Lindy Vogado and St. Mark Baptist Church Senior Pastor Phillip Pointer.

Dr. Michael Twyman, director of the Institute on Race and Equality, will moderate the panel, and UALR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson will make opening remarks.

“Crises like the one in Ferguson are a potential concern for any community in which there is a history of tension along racial and ethnic lines,” said Mia Phillips of the UALR Chancellor’s Office.

“Any seemingly small incident could be the next Ferguson. This is why it is important that we address attitudes, beliefs, policies, or practices that could potentially lead to a similar crisis.”

The mission of UALR’s Institute on Race and Ethics is to seek racial and ethnic justice in Arkansas by remembering and understanding the past, informing and engaging the present, and shaping and defining the future.