AAP/AP/Pool court TV
The conviction of a former police officer for murder is unprecedented - and an indication of the long, brutal history of racism in US law enforcement.
A woman reacts to the news that Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts in the murder of George Floyd.
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Scholars of policing, law, race and Minnesota history explain the landmark guilty verdicts handed down in the trial for the murder of George Floyd.
When should the public be able to see what this camera captures?
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
Nonwhites were less willing to wait for an internal investigation to wrap up before seeing the footage.
New Jersey state troopers salute before an NFL football game.
AP Photo/Adam Hunger
Racism was an early hallmark of the New Jersey State Police, and remains challenging for police agencies in the 21st century.
Members of the Black Panther Party outside the High Point property raided by police.
Sonny Hedgecock/High Point Enterprise
In the early hours of Feb. 10, 1971, heavily armed officers moved in on a house occupied by Black Panther activists – marking a policing trajectory toward a more militarized response to Black activism.
Rioters mass on the U.S. Capitol steps on Jan. 6.
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Ostensibly protesting an election they may have thought was stolen, their actions fed a larger set of goals that American militants are seizing upon to take more extreme action.
A U.S. Capitol police officer stands at a street corner near the Capitol.
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The FBI has long warned that white supremacist groups are seeking to infiltrate police, which makes the events of Jan. 6 all the more concerning.
Taking a peek, but probably not seeing a future career.
Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images
At age 7, Black, white and Hispanic children have a similar opinion of the police. But this increasingly turns negative by the time they are teenagers, especially for nonwhite teens.
Minneapolis Police create a blockade after a campaign rally for President Donald Trump on October 10, 2019.
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
George Floyd’s death has thrust police unions into the spotlight amid a growing recognition that they are not part of the U.S. labor movement but a narrow interest group pursuing their self-interests.
Research shows that arrests for serious crimes are quite rare.
Blake Nissen for The Boston Globe via Getty Images
When police arrest a suspect who is then convicted of the crime, it is a rare exception rather than the rule in the US.
As seen in ‘Alien vs. Predator,’ Hollywood alien movies can be read as depicting Black people as monsters to be feared.
(20th Century Fox)
Anti-black violence exists against the backdrop of the political and cultural dehumanization of Black people. How did this happen and where do we go from here?
Armed white citizens and police have historically worked together in the U.S., though it’s not clear whether that’s what’s happening here.
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For many Americans, law and order has long been as much a private matter as something for the government to handle.
Officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland redirect traffic around an emergency scene.
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A decadeslong process of recruiting a more diverse police force has led to more peaceful communities and widespread, bipartisan trust in policing in Northern Ireland.
Police in Tulsa, Okla., march toward a crowd of demonstrators on June 20, 2020.
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Scholars who study policing explain what they have found that could help reduce police prejudice and violence.
Does college hold the answer to police violence?
Pacific Press/Getty Images
When it comes to making law enforcement professionals less likely to resort to use of force, higher education goes a long way, research shows.
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Representation alone cannot fix racism. But when deployed appropriately, it can provide reassurance and support to communities of colour.
The death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer has sparked widespread outrage.
John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Half a century after the federal government voided Jim Crow laws, the criminal justice system still discriminates against African Americans.
Sheriffs deputies in riot gear move in on protesters in Los Angeles, California.
Photo by David McNew/Getty Images
The militarization of local police departments has been associated with an increase in police violence against citizens.
Protesters outside of a burning Minneapolis police precinct.
AP Photo/John Minchillo
Opinions about demonstrations are formed in large part by what people read or see in the media. This gives journalists a lot of power when it comes to driving the narrative.
Gregory and Travis McMichael who killed Ahmaud Arbery during an attempted citizen’s arrest.
Glynn County Detention Center via AP
Laws enabling citizens to apprehend suspects, which date back to medieval England, were historically used in the US to suppress slave revolts.