argument top image

How do we think about institutional racism in the American police force?
Back to question

The police are being victimized

Public outcry victimizes the police. Research shows that police institutions are not racist. A study by Harvard economist Roland G. Fryer Jr. found no evidence of racial discrimination in shootings. Reports that suggest otherwise do not account for crime rates and civilian behavior during police interactions.

The Argument

With the recent wave of the Black Lives Matter movement following the deaths of people like George Floyd, many activists and politicians are concluding that police institutions are racist. However, these people are merely taking advantage of the current situation to push their agenda. Race relations between police and black communities have ebbed and flowed over the decades.[1] Systemic racism does not exist within police institutions. As Attorney General William Barr stated, “I frankly think that we generally have the vast, overwhelming majority of police are good people. I think that there are instances of bad cops. And I think we have to be careful about automatically assuming that the actions of an individual necessarily mean that their organization is rotten.”[2] The police are being victimized by politicians, activists, and many in public for doing their job of protecting our society.

Counter arguments

The public recognition of systemic racism within police institutions is the first step toward ending racially motivated police violence. Numerous policy departments recognize this reality and have implemented programs to help officers eliminate any implicit biases they have.[3] With the ubiquity of smartphones, ignoring the problem of police violence has become impossible.[4] Police are not victims; the men and women who die at the hands of police are.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.manhattan-institute.org/no-police-racism-isnt-an-epidemic
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/us/politics/justice-department-barr-racism-police.html
  3. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200827-is-it-possible-to-rid-police-officers-of-bias
  4. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-civil-rights-expert-explains-the-social-science-of-police-racism/
This page was last edited on Monday, 21 Sep 2020 at 19:37 UTC

Explore related arguments