Race: Crime, Law & Incarceration
Collection by The Sociological Cinema • Last updated 4 weeks ago
This board explores the history of racial inequality in the criminal justice system. Police violence is one dimension of the problem. For instance, a recent study demonstrates that Black males are 21 times more likely than white males to be killed by police & high-income Blacks were just as likely as low-income Blacks to be killed. It's also important to examine other aspects of the CJS, such as the effect of implicit bias, the way sentences are handed down by the courts & mass incarceration.
Race: Symbolic Representation
White lady:“Help! Somebody call 911!” Black man:“Good luck with that, lady..We defunded the police”
[Image is an editorial cartoon that depicts a Black man wearing a black face mask and a hoodie while attempting to steal a white woman's purse] On some level, this cartoon from The Missourian appears to be an effort to criticize of the call to defund the police. However, the cartoon missed its mark, and instead serves to stoke white fears by resurrecting the classic racist stereotype of a Black brute victimizing a white woman, June 10, 2020. Artist: Tom Stiglich h/t to Dr. Shanti Parikh
The Sociological Cinema
Bill O'Reilly to Marc Lamont Hill, PhD: "Let's say you're a cocaine dealer - and you kind of look like one a little bit." (see the clip here: http://youtu.be/cB-YKx0_-ZM) Follow this link to find a...
Percentage of African-American Suspects in TV News Crime Reports vs. NYPD Data Source: Media Matters for America
Media spin on violence against police - Sociological Images
Number of News Stories on Violence against Police Have Been on the Rise While Violence Against Police Has Declined - "According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund’s data, in the year following M. Brown’s death, 43 police officers were shot & killed, which is significantly less than the average of 54 police officer shooting per yr over the last 10 yrs. Looking back even further, policing is much safer now than any time in the last 45 yrs" - Source: Aaron Major / Huffington Post
Media Coverage of Domestic Violence More Likely to Excuse White vs. Black Perpetrators - Sociological Images
The Society Pages (TSP) is an open-access social science project headquartered in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota
Race: Stereotyping, Profiling & Implicit Bias
Helpful Rebuttals for Racist Talking Points
Harry Anslinger, Director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics from 1930-1962. "...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races. Marijuana leads to pacificm and communist brainwashing. There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage."
Stereotypes: A Fundamental Concept for Teaching Sociology
The caption should read: "Stereotypes are awesome! But BOTH of them are convicted felons." Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart (Martha Stewart Living) bake a cake. [click on this image for analysis and videos exploring stereotypes]
The Sociological Cinema
Why Are You Angry about the Zimmerman Verdict?! - "...we should worry about a country that allows one person to pursue and kill another person based on something so flimsy as subjective suspicion. In a country like the United States, with our history and white supremacist institutions, too many black people (children included) look suspicious to too many white people too often." ~ The Sociological Cinema
"Stop the Rapes. Stop the Crime. Stop the Murder. Stop the Blacks" The statistics on this racist flyer are inaccurate and misleading. The flyer is from Vanguard America and was posted in multiple places on The University of Utah campus. James Fields, who is accused of driving into a crowd of people, marched wearing Vanguard America apparel on August 12. The group denies Fields's membership and says shirts were handed out to all those in attendance.
What percentage of ... are Black? Percent of crimes committed by Blacks, mean perceived percentage vs. actual percentage. People think nearly 50% of the criminals who commit violent crimes are Black, but the number is closer to 20%. Source: Pickett, Justin T., Ted Chiricos, Kristin M. Goden, and Marc Gertz. 2012. "Reconsideringthe relationship between Perceived Neighborhood Racial Composition and Whites' Perceptions of Victimization Risk: Do Racial Stereotypes Matter?" Criminology…
Race: Incarceration
Rate of Imprisonment per 100,000, by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity, 2018
Source: Carson, E.A. 2020. Prisoners in 2018. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Lori Loughlin was just sentenced to two months in prison for paying bribes to get her daughters into USC. This is the same system that sentenced Crystal Mason, a Black mother of three, to five years for voting when she didn't realize a past felony conviction made her ineligible. ~ @RBReich
Race: Police Brutality
On August 23, 2020, police shot a 29-year-old Black man named Jacob Blake. Blake was shot in the back as he opened the driver's door to his SUV. Three of his sons witnessed the incident from the backseat. In the wake of the shooting, social unrest erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin, drawing both protesters and counter protesters. During the unrest a 17-year-old man named Kyle Rittenhouse used an AR-15-style rifle to shoot and kill two protesters. Artist: Denny_Ow
Answering the Call
Researchers looked at responses to 1.2 million 911 emergency calls in a US city and plotted the use of force involving a gun across neighbourhoods, according to their racial composition. White officers were more likely to use a gun than were Black officers and more likely to do so in predominantly Black neighbourhoods. Source: Nature
How numbers that appear equitable can obscure bias
Scenario 1: The police officer stops 20 people pulling aside equal numbers of Black and white people. Of the 20 people stopped, the officer uses force against 8 of them. The police officer used force against stopped white people and stopped Black people at the same rate: 40%. But that's not the only scenario that can lead to that 40% number. Scenario 2: This time, of the 100 people the officer sees, he stops 50. But this time he is biased in whom he pulls aside...
Police officers are more likely to use excessive force with blacks, 2003 to 2013
Police officers are more likely to use excessive force with blacks than with whites in similar situations, 2003 to 2013 Source: New York Times
"BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DEFUND THE POLICE?"
"Hi, Mr. Brooks. I'm w/ the Dept. of You OK? So, you OK? Looks like you fell asleep in your car Lemme get you a ride home. I'll be by your home tomorrow to check on you. Here's my number. Looks like your ride's here. Good night, sir." ~ @wkamaubell
The Sociological Cinema
The murder of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy. What happened to George Floyd was not the result of a bad apple; it was the predictable consequence of a racist and prejudiced system and culture that has treated Black bodies as the enemy from the beginning. What happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis is the fruit borne of toxic seeds planted on the shores of our country in Jamestown... Ben & Jerry's
Has anyone mentioned that the police will leave you alone if you don't do illegal stuff? ~ @TheJordanRachel Breonna Taylor was sleeping ~ @MireikaEdwards
Race: Stops, Detainments & Searches
An Inside Look at the NYPD's Stop-and-Frisk Policy
Tags: crime/law/deviance , inequality , prejudice/discrimination , race/ethnicity , violence , criminology, new york city, police, racial profiling, 11 to 20 mins Year: 2012 Length: 13:15...
"Equal Justice" Artist: Clay Bennett
Black people ‘40 times more likely’ to be stopped and searched in UK
"You're 28 times more likely to be stopped and searched in London if you don't have white skin, because we're still really racist." Artist: Strike Magazine *The figure is likely based on findings from the Equality and Human Rights Commission report. While Black and Brown people in London are much more likely to be stopped and searched than white peopoe, the figure probably refers specifically to the West Midlands Police.
Race: Arrests
Drug Arrest Rates for Blacks and Whites per 100,000, 1972-2011
Sources: Uniform Crime Reports / Bureau of Justice Statistics / Federal Bureau of Investigation
Tim Wise on Colorblind Racism
"3 Myth: Justice is Applied Equally" "4 Myth: Black Kids have Behavioral Problems" [Without exposing racist myths, society can not address the harmful consequences of myths. Click on this image to find a brief clip and analysis about colorblind racism and the prohibition against talking about race in the United States]
Other Pins
Helpful Rebuttals for Racist Talking Points
Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected
What Was Happening in Ferguson, Missouri BEFORE Police killed Michael Brown?
Anyways, Breonna Taylor
Crime Myths Debunked
Racism in Ireland - July - December 2016
Racism in Ireland - January - June 2017
Soldier stands besides his M60 on the U.S. Capitol steps, April 1968.
Soldier stands besides his M60 machine gun, which is mounted on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to deter rioters from entering the building during the social unrest following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., April 1968. In light of the fact that Trump supporters successfully storming the Capitol building in recent days, many have noted that the building only appears to be well protected when Black and Brown protestors are at its steps.
Two Americas
One of the most disturbing aspects of the riot at the Capitol building on January 6, 2021 was the casual way in which some Capitol police appeared to treat rioters, even going so far as to take selfies with infiltrators. In one widely shared photograph from the day, a smiling white man is shown carrying a podium while walking toward the Capitol exit. The police were nowhere to be found. Artist: @TheFakePan