Police Officers Kneel Alongside Protestors
Police Officers Kneel Alongside Protestors, Should We Trust Them?
Police Officers Kneel Alongside Protestors Ever since the world watched George Floyd suffocate and die under a White man’s knee, ‘anti-racism’ has become a trending topic. It’s as though hundreds of corporations and millions of White people have suddenly come to the realization that racism exists. Amazon, Uber, Goldman Sachs and Warner Bros. Studios, among others, have posted inspiring images and messages on social media, declaring (more than 400 years after African people arrived on slave ships at Virginia’s coast) that Black lives do matter.
Over the past few weeks, another emergent trend has become incredibly pervasive across social media: Viral images of police officers kneeling in solidarity with protestors have been shared millions of times across platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
Is Police Kneeling A Form Of Reconciliation?
Is Police Kneeling A Form Of Reconciliation? The mainstream media, among other well-meaning White allies, have applauded the kneeling officer’s actions and adopted these images as sentimental, feel-good proof that law enforcement and the Black community are well on their way towards reconciliation.
Will Police Return To Business As Usual?
However, after centuries-worth of false promises, and witnessing the way in which the suppression of Black folks has surely changed form since the abolition of slavery without ever fully disappearing, some of us are a bit more skeptical of these seemingly ‘commendable’ actions. As a result, we’re forced to ask ourselves a barrage of serious questions: Are police officers only kneeling because the cameras are rolling and it makes for good press? Are they doing it simply to appease rightfully angry and frustrated protestors in hopes of preventing a larger or more violent insurrection against law enforcement? Will they leave the protests only to immediately return to stealing Black lives when they believe no one is watching?
Ultimately, although a police officer kneeling with or embracing a group of protestors may warm our hearts for the moment, it’s essential to continue viewing these instances in context: The police still represent an organization that’s proven to be racially biased against Black people. Even in Minneapolis, where George Floyd died, officers are seven times more likely to use force against Black people than people of other races.
While some officers may be genuine in their decision to kneel with protestors, kneeling won’t solve this deadly problem. To fight the battle against police brutality, we need to put forth a specified agenda and call for real policy changes that result in police oversight, universal body cams, restrictions on the use of force and overall accountability. Now is the time to be suspicious, to seize the moment of relative White self-awareness in order to pursue real change. By Niara Savage
Racial Disparity in the United States Criminal Justice System
Racial Disparity in the United States Criminal Justice System . In 2016, dark Americans contained 27% of all people captured in the United States-twofold their portion of the all out population.8) Black youth represented 15% of all U.S. kids yet made up 35% of adolescent captures in that year.9) What could show up at first to be a linkage among race and wrongdoing is in huge section an element of concentrated metropolitan neediness, which is definitely more normal for African Americans than for other racial gatherings. This records for a significant part of African Americans’ improved probability of carrying out certain fierce and property crimes.
But while there is a higher dark pace of contribution in specific violations, white Americans misjudge the extent of wrongdoing carried out by blacks and Latinos, disregard the way that networks of variety are excessively casualties of wrongdoing, and markdown the commonness of predisposition in the law enforcement system. Police Officers Kneel Alongside Protestors
