Assignment:
1. Why do think there is tension between people of color and the police? What do you believe are the perceptions of minority groups when it comes to the police and where do you think these perceptions stem from? To what extent do you agree with these perceptions? Where do you stand on the ongoing conflict between people of color and the police? Do you believe there is room for compromising and what would you propose?
2. Do you believe that the shootings of unarmed African American men are simply isolated incidents from officers or within departments? Or do you believe that they point to a greater systemic issue within law enforcement as a whole? Explain your reasoning.
3. One of the main arguments utilized in my class is that law enforcement has too much power over citizens. Factors such as stop and frisk policies, police being equipped with military-like weaponry, and the shooting of people of color with little to no penalty have created this perception. Many argue that police should not be able to stop you without witnessing criminal behavior (because they believe it to be invasion of their rights), that police do not need such weaponry, and that law enforcement should be subject to a full penalty for the murder of an individual who has not committed a crime. Do you believe that law enforcement exhibits too much authority over citizens? Why or why not? Where do you believe there can be compromises in the limitation of power of law enforcement - or is such action dangerous?
4. What is your opinion of the Black Lives Matter movement?
5. Do you think it is justifiable to consider a person's race when you are perceiving an individual as "suspicious" or potentially criminal?
6. One of the biggest issues, in regards to racism and law enforcement, is the criminalization and mass incarceration of people of color. The United States has a prison population of about 2.2 million people (Kann, 2018) and it has the "highest prison population rate in the word, at 716 per 100,000 people" (Lee, 2015). African Americans consist of 33% of the sentenced prison population - in comparison they represent only 12% of the U.S. population (Gramlich, 2018). Why do you think this to be the case? Do you believe that the culture of African Americans plays a role in their increased prison population? Do you believe that over-policing keeps African Americans in jail and the community down? What other factors do you think cause this?