After a riot broke out in 1967, Minneapolis officials squandered an opportunity to address the structural racism that led to George Floyd’s death and a wave of unrest across the country.
That George Floyd died at the hands of four police officers is uncontested, but interpretations of his death and its aftermath differ greatly. The result is two starkly opposed narratives.
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.
The US has a centuries-old tradition of killing black people without repercussion – and of publicly viewing the violence. Spreading those images can disrespect the dead and traumatize viewers.
The court says people need to be able to trust the government to abide by the rule of law, make rational regulations, and not intrude on the rights of those subject to the law.
In 1967 race riots nearly tore Detroit apart. The next year, the Kerner Commission, appointed by president Lyndon Johnson, placed the blame on the way the police and had handled the response.
Efforts to keep the city segregated led to one of the largest civil rights rebellions of the 1960s, and interactions between citizens and police turned deadly.
The demise of the first academic department dedicated to policing at the University of California has left unanswered questions about the best way to educate cops.
Emmanuel Macron is driving through his neoliberal agenda by relying on French police forces renowned for their violence against ethnic minority citizens, protestors and migrants.
The deployments of SWAT teams by public police for routine police activities have risen in major Canadian cities. This militarization will likely fall disproportionately on those from minority groups.