Community Relationship History
Strained Police-Community Relations
Police community relations refer to the dynamic changes in the relationship between the police force and the communities in which they work or serve (Shjarback, 2016). A proper relationship of police-community is characterized by a high level of cooperation, minimal violence, less corruption, positive race relations among many others. However, the recent activities in the USA that resulted in protests after the killing of blacks by police indicate the continued strained relationship between the police and the community especially since 2014. This has not only been the case in 2020 but there have been previous incidents whereby police have been linked directly to the death of USA citizens. A good example is the killing of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling (Stoughton, (2016; Shjarback, 2016). The police shootings, violence both against and by the police have strained the relationship.
According to Peyser (2016), 2016 was the most deadly year for police officers. At the time the article was published (2016 Dec 11th), there were 62 police officers across the USA who had lost their lives at the hands of assailants (Peyser, 2016). The figure represented an increase of 41 from the number that was recorded in 2015(Peyser, 2016). The rise in the shooting, which according to the author, occurs once a week, raised fundamental questions on the involvement of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. According to some of the USA residents interviewed by Peyers, the involvement of BLM and politicians in the senseless murders of the police officers was to blame. Peyser refers to the Dec. 20, 2014 incident in Brooklyn that led to the death of police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu by a shooter Ismaaiyl Brinsley as the beginning of the bad relationship (Peyser, 2016). The pains inflicted on the families of the officers, their colleagues and other people who care makes it difficult for these incidences to be forgotten as they become the norm across the USA (Peyser, 2016).
There are many other factors that have been attributed to the deteriorating relationship between the police and the communities. The lack of trust between the two has mainly been blamed for the poor relationship. A good example is an attacker who ambushed and killed five Dallas police officers during blacks lives matter protests. According to research, the use of force by the police has been mainly been linked to various issues (Shjarback, 2016). Ecological or neighbourhood has a major impact on the use of force by the police officers. Characteristics of these neighbourhoods with issues such as crime rates, economic disadvantages, and the population demographics have been attributed to the underlying use of force (Shjarback, 2016). In addition, the police culture has also been linked to the killings which have resulted in violent protests and eventually a broken relationship between the community and the police. Police have been blamed for upholding a culture that profiles the minority races in the USA as criminals.
Police are a representation of the government’s right to exercise forces as a means of guaranteeing certain activities or behaviours of the citizens (Shjarback, 2016). However, police are expected to use forces only in a legitimate and lawful fashion. This has not been the case with the majority of the incidents reports in the USA. Today, there is very minimal trust in the police force in the USA than in the past decades. A number of individuals have died in brutal ways at the hands of the police. These cases have been filmed and generate much public attention. As a result, it has led to protests and violent activities against the police officers. Therefore, it can be concluded that the lack of trust and the use of force where it is not necessary by the police officers has had a major impact on the strained relations since 2014.
Black Lives Matters
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a movement that is a movement that is after protesting the deaths of the African-Americans at the hands of the police (Peyser, 2016). The movement originated from 2013 as opposed to many who believe it was established in 2014. The name of the movement was coined in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman from the murder of Trayvon Martin (Baptiste, 2017). While the name was coined in 2013, its activities became more evident in 2014 after police shot an unarmed black teenager. As a result, the protests erupted in Ferguson in Missouri and the spread to other regions such as Chicago, Baltimore and Cleveland (Baptiste, 2017). The activities of the movement on social media were evident during the acquittal of Zimmerman as a number of activists helped in making the hast-tag popular on Twitter. According to Baptiste (2017), the majority of movements usually have these undetermined beginnings and grow to a point of attracting everyone’s attention.
The movement has previously received support from the former USA President Obama, Rev. Al Sharpton, Mayor Bill de Blasio and celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jay Z among many others. According to (Peyser, 2016), the anger by this group is untestable as the loss of lives of their loved ones is not being taken lightly. However, the killing or use of force against police officers is even more saddening. The role of the BLM in the deaths of some of these officers or the lack of a good relationship between the police and the community has divided opinions. While some of the protests have been genuine and peaceful, some have taken advantage and looted, cause damages to businesses and innocent people and more saddening is the loss of lives of the police officers. Majority of the officers that have been killed have been mainly at the hands of shooters who claim to be sympathizers of the BLM.
The article by Whitely (2017) reports on the death of five police officers in Dallas that occurred on 2016 Dec 7th. The officers were attacked at the end of a Black Lives Matter protests. The objective of the lone attacker was to avenge for the deaths of the black men at the hands of the police. Texas Governor Greg Abbott condemned the attacks and called for more respect of the police officer who gives their all in the protection of the lives and property of the public (Whitely, 2017). This resulted in reduced protests activities by the BLM movement despite new cases of police brutality on minorities being reported. Although questions have been asked on the BLM involves, it is clear from the reports by Whitney that even the innocent individuals in the protests have been shot. BLM has also moved in and tried to engage the police officers in changing the situation (Whitely, 2017). In addition, they have set certain rules that aim at eliminating the use of force against police officers that have been experienced in some of their protests before. Therefore, while they can be blamed partly for some of their peaceful protests that have turned violent, they have tried to minimize such situations.
George Floyd Protests
The 2020 protests that have been evident in a number of the USA that has also spread into other countries in the world were instigated by the killing of George Floyd by a police officer (Montgomery, 2020). Floyd who was killed in the recorded video in the streets of Minneapolis in Minnesota was seen being handcuffed by the police and did not show any sign of resisting arrest. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer responsible for Floyd’s death is seen kneeling on the victim’s neck (Montgomery, 2020). Floyd was handcuffed and facing down while begging for his life and at some point protesting that he was unable to breathe. The other three officers that were present did not take any action to save the life of Floyd instead they restrained the bystanders from helping him. A few minutes later, Floyd was seen motionless and didn’t have a pulse as medics arrived. This incident led to protests across a number of USA cities with the destruction of property and attack on police officers and building being burnt down (Montgomery, 2020). It represented the bad relationship that exists between the officers and the community.
Role of Movements in Restoration of Relations
Movements, as seen in the above discussion, play a vital role in influencing the public, especially through social media activities and protests. Similarly, these movements can play a vital role in influencing the relationship between the police and the community (Partee, 2017. Engagement of these movements, their representatives and other activists in the recruitment process of police chiefs among many other activities may help in restoring the dignity and the relations with the community (Partee, 2017). In addition, as seen in the article by Whitely (2017), the control of movements of their members from engaging in violent protests can be vital in ensuring that the police do not use similar force which has been the main cause of broken relations.
BLM Members
Viewing all the BLM members as the same would be unfair. Majority of these individuals are after passing out a message in the right way especially through peaceful demonstrations. However, there are those who take advantage and engage in violent activities such as the shooting of police officers. Evidently, these shooters have confessed of their hate for police officers and at the same time expressing their sympathy for the BLM. In addition, BLM members have previously engaged the responsible institutions to try and end the bad relations with the police. Therefore, all members should not be viewed as the same since the majority are peaceful.
References
Baptiste, N. (2017). Origins of a Movement: A new book charts the rise and resilience of Black Lives Matter. The Na. http://thenation.s3.amazonaws.com/classroom/NATION.BLMreview.Feb27.2017.pdf
Montgomery, E. (2020). A Call for Collective Action in the Face of Racial Injustice. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=montgomery
Partee, M. (2017). Three “I”s to Repairing the Police/Community Relationship. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.domesticpreparedness.com/commentary/three-is-to-repairing-the-police-community-relationship/
Peyser, A. (2016). 2016 was a deadly year for cops — and BLM may be to blame. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://nypost.com/2016/12/11/2016-was-a-deadly-year-for-cops-and-blm-may-be-to-blame/
Shjarback, J. (2016). Cops, culture, and context: The integration of structural and cultural elements for explanations of police use of force (Doctoral dissertation, Arizona State University). Retrieved from: https://ccj.asu.edu/sites/default/files/shjarback-dissertation_draft_docx.pdf
Stoughton, S. (2016). Is the police-community relationship in America beyond repair?. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/is-the-police-community-relationship-in-america-beyond-repair/2016/07/08/595c638c-454b-11e6-bc99-7d269f8719b1_story.html
Whitely, J. (2017). Dallas police ambush: What happened to the movement for black lives?. Retrieved 14 June 2020, from https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/07/07/dallas-police-ambush-anniversary/458218001/