It takes a lot to fathom the events happening between police and people of color. As the author of article stated, “to fully understand the people and the events we must use science and develop a sociological imagination.” Looking at the pieces of social and historical evidence all is required to fully understand the whole picture of why this event was an effect of a much deeper cause. The most important to me is the expanding U.S. inequality and the war on drugs.
Palmer described the expanding U.S. inequality as started after the economic boom after WWII. Programs were designed to help many families escape poverty. However, people of color and specifically African Americans were excluded from these important federal programs. As a result it …show more content…
Police officers in our society today are not trained as social workers therefore they instill fear and the people they come across. That has been another factor that has affected situations like the Ferguson shooting. I will discuss two other police involved killing that really impacted me in some way and changed my view of this situation. The first is Oscar Grant, who was shot by an Oakland BART police officer. While he lay face down on the ground, one officer kneeled on his neck while the other officer pulled out a gun and shot Grant point blank in the back. The bullet went through his back, hit the ground bounced back up and pierced his lung he died instantly. This video went viral and sparked a lot of uproar, it even lead to a movie called Fruitvale Station. The movie described the things that lead up to that event. This movie humanized the victim, whose integrity was lost by the accusations of media labeling him a thug. I also learned that before the shooting there was an altercation on the bus, but at that moment the police appeared they had no conclusive evidence to accuse grant of any wrongdoings. This is part of a larger issue because the only outcome that came from this was to instill fear in people of color specifically African American men. As you watch the video you see the police officers had no control of the stir up crowd, to get some sense of
Palmer described the expanding U.S. inequality as started after the economic boom after WWII. Programs were designed to help many families escape poverty. However, people of color and specifically African Americans were excluded from these important federal programs. As a result it …show more content…
Police officers in our society today are not trained as social workers therefore they instill fear and the people they come across. That has been another factor that has affected situations like the Ferguson shooting. I will discuss two other police involved killing that really impacted me in some way and changed my view of this situation. The first is Oscar Grant, who was shot by an Oakland BART police officer. While he lay face down on the ground, one officer kneeled on his neck while the other officer pulled out a gun and shot Grant point blank in the back. The bullet went through his back, hit the ground bounced back up and pierced his lung he died instantly. This video went viral and sparked a lot of uproar, it even lead to a movie called Fruitvale Station. The movie described the things that lead up to that event. This movie humanized the victim, whose integrity was lost by the accusations of media labeling him a thug. I also learned that before the shooting there was an altercation on the bus, but at that moment the police appeared they had no conclusive evidence to accuse grant of any wrongdoings. This is part of a larger issue because the only outcome that came from this was to instill fear in people of color specifically African American men. As you watch the video you see the police officers had no control of the stir up crowd, to get some sense of