WEEK 6: 14 attendees
Chapter 6: Is police brutality really about race?
The discussion started out focused on the recent shooting in Fort Worth.
This entire incident played as if it were, sadly, a textbook illustration of the words in this chapter.
The group discussed individual reactions to police stops; contrasts were drawn between interactions between law enforcement and white or non-white citizens. Many personal stories were shared.
The potential issues for law enforcement personnel were reviewed:
1. Implicit bias
2. Law enforcement’s role: Enforcement or protection?
3. The tendency of some personnel to enter the law enforcement profession as a means to extend the scope of personal power
4. The tendency of law enforcement to “close ranks” when presented with the existence of “bad apples”; the priority of Brotherhood over Justice
The implications of the views of law enforcement as a potential enemy rather than a friend in a community:
1. Division
2. Fear
3. Acceptance or denial of crime
Repeatedly, the question was raised, “Why would you call the police? Didn’t you think about the potential consequences?”
After our class, the following article was circulated:
As was this one;
https://www.google.com/amp/s/time.com/4404987/police-violence/%3Famp%3Dtrue
Along with that were two questions to be addressed AFTER reading the article:
(1) When you read the article, did you detect how the examples given in first few paragraphs may subtly differ from the examples we will be discussing tomorrow?
(2) How do you feel about the suggestion that police simply kill innocent people regardless of race? I am not asking do you believe it’s true. I’m asking does that suggestion make you feel better?
(3) Lastly now, if it is true that police are indiscriminate in their killing of innocent people, why do non-white people fear the police but white people don’t?
Peace,
— Duncan Taylor
