Black Lives Matter: Race and Law Enforcement in the US

        

              With all of the news coming out of Baltimore, I thought it would be appropriate to take a look at Chapter 14:  Race and Ethnicity.  Especially as incidents similar to the story of Freddie Gray continue to happen across the US, issues of race, discrimination, and institutional racism are being brought to the forefront of both the news and social media.  I will attempt to break the issue down into the response to these incidents, and the systemic problems of law enforcement with regards to race.

            The scenes in Baltimore are hardly new these days.  Ever since the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, scenes of unrest have followed the mistreatment and death of black men by predominately white police officers.  In a country that has been stained in racism since its inception, this probably shouldn’t be too surprising.  Years of institutional racism in all areas of society, and particularly in law enforcement, must eventually lead to people demanding change.  But the large question is whether or not change will come about.  I was only about 9 years old when the Rodney King verdict sparked riots in Los Angeles.  I can remember only bits and pieces of the coverage of the case and subsequent riots, but I remember it following a very similar pattern of mistrust and outrage at racism in law enforcement.  I don’t believe that there has been much change in law enforcement since that time.  The riots in Los Angeles were a violent response, however, and I believe that the response in these more recent cases has been primarily of peaceful protest.  While there has been a focus on any rioting and looting that has taken place in each instance, the toll of destruction and death is nowhere near the level of the riots in Los Angeles.  I think that peaceful protest can lead to a more productive dialogue where issues like race, prejudice, and use of force can all be discussed in a more constructive tone.  Hopefully that process can begin so as to prevent future loss of life.

            Law enforcement in the US also needs to be examined with a great deal of scrutiny.  So many similar incidents of black men experiencing police brutality on video imply a large systemic problem across the country.  All levels of law enforcement need to be analyzed to see how improvements can be made.  Is it simply a matter of hiring racist police officers to the force?  Are there particular prejudices being enforced in training?  Are certain stereotypes in society affecting the police force?  I imagine that it is probably some combination of all of these issues, along with many other factors.  If there is to be fairness in the criminal justice system, these issues have to be discussed openly and changed to eliminate discrimination.

            There is much to be concerned about when it comes to race relations with law enforcement in the US, but overall I am hopeful that improvements will continue to be made as the protests continue on the issue.  These are not problems that are going to be solved overnight, or even in the next few years, but progress can be made as long as people refuse to accept the status quo.  Law enforcement must be told that they are not doing enough to protect minorities from discrimination and mistreatment, and people must not lose the willpower to continue to spread that message until real change has been made.

Baltimore:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-riots/bs-md-freddie-gray-mainbar-20150501-story.html#page=1

Ferguson:  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/12/us/13police-shooting-of-black-teenager-michael-brown.html?_r=0#/#time348_10373