Historical Context of Policing and Racial Bias in America
Explore the historical timeline of slavery, law enforcement targeting blacks, legal segregation, de-facto segregation, and discriminatory enforcement in the United States, shedding light on the roots of racial bias in policing.
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A very brief sketch of the historical context P POLICING AND OLICING AND RACIAL RACIAL B BIAS IAS
Slavery: 1620-1865 Kidnapped from Africa, considered chattel, inherited status Middle passage auction Abolished in the North by 1789 Nation divided but expanding led to the Civil War Physically, psychologically, culturally brutal Domination through violence Legal to kill a slave if he/she strikes the master Illegal to teach a slave to read
Law Enforcement & Blacks: 1870-1960 Thousands of blacks lynched with no prosecutions Laws targeting blacks returned them to plantation slavery Vagrancy, intent to gamble, etc. Convict lease system Emmit Till 1955 Beaten to death for talking to a white woman in the South. White men who did it aquitted.
Legal Segregation: 1865-1954 Laws require non-whites to live separately Must sit in the back of the bus Can t buy/rent in white part of town Can t sit in white section of restaurant Whites-only schools Juries, police and judges are all white Plessey v. Ferguson 1892 One drop rule Legal end: Brown v. Board of Education
De-Facto Segregation Neighborhoods change slowly Homes inherited School funding based on local property taxes so inequality continues Unequal access to goods and services based on neighborhood Employment opportunity changes slowly People comfortable hiring people like themselves Affirmative Action for women and minorities Required colleges and employers who get federal money to develop a plan to bring parity to the numbers of minority and women getting admitted or hired. Not a quota system, but often challenged as such Resulted in more women doctors and more minority police
Discriminatory Enforcement President Nixon declares a War on Drugs 1971 Targets blacks and hippies, two groups opposing him politically in the Civil Rights movement and Anti-War movement Disproportionate sentencing for black & poor communities 1 in 4 black men is sent to prison in this country. Profiling potential criminals develops in this context.
Profiling: definition & justification Suspicious person/behavior Is he/she supposed to be here? Racially biased in white neighborhoods & businesses Driving while black/brown Is he/she acting unusual? Cultural difference or fear of police might explain unusual behavior Sometimes based on gang attire Could be personal/cultural style
Policing Gone Wrong In 1 in 10 cases of police shootings of civilians, the victim was unarmed (2015- 2016). 1 in 3 police shootings of civilians result from a traffic stop for a minor infraction. Victim may be arguing or resisting Police may be using force to get submission, not to protect safety Huge increase of video documentation through phone cameras Many believe a long-standing problem is coming to light
A Few High Profile Cases Eric Garner, 7/14, NY Michael Brown 8/14,Ferguson, MO Anthony Hill, 3/15, GA Walter Scott, 4/15, SC Freddy Grey 4/15, Baltimore MD Samuel DuBose, 7/15 MO Jeremy Mardis, 11/15, LA Jamar Clark, 11/15, MN Philando Castile, 7/16, MN Shaun King, 7/16, FL Find them and others here: http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/controversial-police- shootings/
Some Important Questions Why is this happening? Faulty police training? Tension between civilians and police? Media hype (not really an issue)? What should be done? More training for police Hold police more accountable prosecute for killings (how?) Community relations work (effective?) Demonstrations/marches When does media attention change things? Something else?
