Black Lives Matter & Law Enforcement

Black Lives Matter & Law Enforcement

Yahaira Seawright

The stigma on law enforcement has grown at an alarmingly rapid rate in these modern times thanks to the advancement of technology. According toA Major Victory for the Right to Record Policearticle in The Atlantic, it is American’s Constitutional right to film on-duty police officers in public.  All it takes is a few seconds and the incident, as well as the officer’s actions, to be uploaded onto a social media account and the events are instantly viral for the entire world to see and judge.    

A lot of attention has been placed on law enforcement and their actions, specifically their actions towards the Black community. “Law-abiding Black and Hispanic drivers are often left frightened and humiliated after being stopped by police, who too often see them as criminals” writes Michael A. Fletcher in For Black Motorists, a Never-Ending Fear of Being Stopped. The Black community fears any run-ins with officers and officers are more hesitant to act knowing that their actions will be judged not just by their peers, but by everyone.  

Due to the rise in death in the Black community resulting from coming into contact with cops, Black citizens decided enough was enough. “Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.  It is an affirmation of Black folks’ humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression,” Black Lives Matter: Herstory.

Throughout history, people of color, specifically the Black demographic, struggled through the fight against racism, hate and bigotry. “In 1966, Black Power emerged as a rallying call for African Americans to shift their focus from freedom now to the embrace of black cultural, political, and economic power,” Revolutionary Movements Then and Now: Black Power and Black Lives Matter.  The phase “Black Power” was made public in a speech delivered by Stokely Carmichael, where he moved the civil rights movement towards a black nationalist agenda, leading to the establishment of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. 

“Fatal interactions between police and the public became the subject of increased scrutiny following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown…These fatal interactions are objectively rare in the context of all contacts between police and the communities they serve, but they evoke strong emotional reactions from the public,” writes Vladimir Bejan in Primed for death: Law enforcement-citizen homicides, social media, and retaliatory violence.  In 2016, the Black Lives Matter movement emerged, preceding the shooting of Trayvon Martin.  This movement started in order to advocate for dignity, justice, and respect, especially with the growth of deadly force at the hands of cops towards people of color. The Black community became tired of having to bury their own for deaths that never should have occurred at the hands of those that were sworn to protect and serve.  But does the Black Lives Matter movement endorse violence towards its Peace Keepers?    

This is not a simple black and white matter, but murky gray.  Regarding police officers, “No two situations are the same, nor are any two officers. In a potentially threatening situation, an officer will quickly tailor a response and apply force, if necessary,” Police Use of Force. There is the what is known as the officer perception at the time of the incident.  The training that goes into becoming an officer, that is imbedded in them from day one.  The multi-second life-altering decision that can result in either the officer’s death or the citizen’s death.  Then there is the side of the citizen, who does not undergo the training the officer has to go through or the situations the officer deals with constantly and who does not understand the levels of stress that officer undergoes.  

Police officers never knows what may happen during their shift and thus, needs to be mentally and physically prepared to react and handle any scenario.  Because of the unknown, officers have to undergo vigorous training in the academy prior to becoming an officer in addition to the training requirements mandated per agency, How Police Departments are Using Judgmental Use of Force Training Simulators for Law Enforcement Advancement.  Types of scenarios that officers receive fall under potential ambushes, active shooters, low-light, and suspect control.  

What isn’t heard of is the number of arrests that go on with minimal to no force being applied by police officers.  “Most people do what officers ask of them and this results in officers simply placing handcuffs on arrestees, searching them, and transporting them to a correctional facility or police station,” writes Michael Schlosser in Using Force Scenarios for Training.  Schlosser states that the chance of officers having to use deadly force during their careers is less than 1%.   

The Black Lives Matter movement’s goal is for equality all around, for not having to fear every time they come into contact with a cop. For not having to wonder if they will be harassed just for the color of their skin.  But there is also the consideration that there is an ongoing war on American soil between the black community and law enforcement.  The question is, what will be the casualty count at the end of this war?