A very brief sketch of the historical context

Slavery: 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:  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:  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” 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 ( ). 1 in 3 police shootings of civilians result from a car after a traffic stop for a minor infraction. ○ Victim may be arguing or resisting, Police may be using force to get obedience, not to protect safety Huge increase of video documentation through phone cameras ○ 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: shootings/ shootings/

The important questions  Why is this happening? Racist or poorly trained police? Tension between civilans 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?