Question #1 Given what you read, as well as what you saw in the movie, why would authorities and white residents refer to the unrest in Detroit as a "riot" and black residents refer to it as a "rebellion"? Include at least two quotes from the assigned readings (or other sources, if you like) to substantiate your answer.
Authorities and white residents refer to the unrest in Detroit as a "riot" because of the violence that occurred, and it is a perfect description of the events that took place. Whereas, according to the Detroit Free Press, "critics of that label say it is too superficial… 'it' sells short the built-up anger and long-simmering resentment over police brutality, racial discrimination and social injustice that blacks had endured for years in Detroit" (McGraw, 2017).
Question #2 Three Michigan State Police troopers were present during the initial moments of the Algiers Motel Incident. After seeing the Detroit Police Department officers' brutal treatment of the detained subjects, the troopers decided to leave without intervening. They met their supervisor in front of the motel and informed him of what they saw. What reason did the supervisor give for not wanting to intervene? What is confirmation bias and how might it effect people who believe police do not equally protect all citizens, especially citizens of color, and learn of this incident?
The supervisor's reasoning for not intervening seems to be a little absurd to me. He had said something along the lines of "not liking what they had seen there." In my opinion, that tells me that the troopers knew that what was happening was very wrong, but they decided to leave instead of helping the innocent. The definition of confirmation bias, according to dictionary.com is "the tendency to process and analyze information in such a way that it supports one's preexisting ideas and convictions" (Wason, 1960). The people that believe police do not equally protect all citizens hear about events like the Detroit riots and use it as definitive proof to back up their original opinions.
Question #3 In the film, how did the officers' defense attorney try to discredit the victims and witnesses? In what way were similar tactics used to defend ex-police officer Jeronimo Yanez when he was on trial for killing Philando Castile? How do stereotypes of people of color impact a jury's receptiveness to such actions by the defense? Find articles that substantiate your answer to each of these questions.
In the film, the officers' defense attorney tried to discredit the victims and witnesses by stating that their memories were not accurate, therefore making them untrustworthy. The attorney also brought up "white fear" and the resentment all of the victims and witnesses held. Doing this made the public feel less sympathy for them. According to an article posted by the Star Tribune, the defense attorney in the Yanez case "relentlessly cross-examined Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, in an attempt to raise doubts about her credibility" (Xiong & Stahl, 2017). In both cases, the witnesses' credibility was doubted. I believe that there is a strong stereotype towards people of color that makes people believe them to be much more violent than white people. Jury members go into the court room with this pre-existing stereotype in their head that may sway their opinion without them even noticing.
Question #4 What do you think Congressman John Conyers meant when he said, "Police criminality needs to be treated the same as any other form of criminality?" How is alleged criminal conduct by police officers treated today? Would Congressman Conyers' comments still apply today? Find and discuss one recent article supporting your point.
In my opinion, when Congressman John Conyers said "Police criminality needs to be treated the same as any other form of criminality" he meant just that. If someone goes and shoots someone that ends up dying, that person is more than likely going to prison. Whereas, police officers seem to receive a little more leniency when they do the same exact thing. I am not saying that all police that have shot to kill are bad people because there comes a point where it truly is self-defense. But in the case of the Detroit riot, it was not self-defense which calls for punishment. The officers did have a good defense attorney but that does not mean they were innocent. I believe that alleged criminal conduct by police officers is taken a lot more seriously today than it was back then, even though some officers still make poor decision. I do not think you can classify all police officers as bad just because a handful of them are. According to The United State Department of Justice, "It is a crime for one or more persons acting under color of law willfully to deprive or conspire to deprive another person of any right protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States" (Gore, 2015). Color of law can be defined as a "person doing the act is using power given to him or her by a governmental agency" (Gore, 2015).
Question #5 Based on what you read and what you saw in the movie, what was the mission of the Detroit Police Department at that time when it came to the city's black community? In your opinion, how might the behavior of Detroit police officers have been different if the department's demographics were more representative of their community?
When someone says the word "police", the first words that come to mind are typically "safety" and "law enforcement" but "in the 1970s, it was the police that made Detroit's streets deadly" (Gilbreath, 2017). In my opinion, the behavior of Detroit police officers would have been incredibly different if the department's demographics were more representative of their community. If there were black police officers, I truly do not think that the Detroit riots would have ever became a part of history because they simply would not have happened. I am not saying that having a multi-race department will solve all problems, but I really do believe it would help. When you are working side by side several people all of a different race than your own, it seems relatively hard to be racist towards a specific group of people. I believe that the victims of these riots would have had better advocates and many, if not all, of the black police officers would not have stood by and watched. They would have stepped in to try and resolve the issue.
Question #6 What long-term impact does learning about both historical and recent incidents of police racism and brutality have on communities of color? How do you feel when you learn about such incidents? As a police officer, what would you do to build (or in some cases, rebuild) trust with the citizens you are sworn to serve and protect?
I believe that learning about both historical and recent incidents of police racism and brutality has a tremendous long-term impact on communities of color. History is one thing but when police racism and brutality continues today, proving that history does repeat itself, it creates a bad stereotype for all police officers. Learning about these incidents happening today creates a confirmation bias for these communities. When I learn about these incidents, I personally am disgusted. I am not sure how one person can treat another person so poorly, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity or any other difference they may have. Then, it makes me even more disgusted when it is police officers doing such horrible things to people. Police officers are supposed to be role models and keep their communities safe, but that is hard to do when some of them are causing the violence. As I mentioned in a question number 4, not all police officers that have used violence are bad. Police officers have hard and dangerous jobs. Jobs that occasionally require self-defense, but there is a line between self-defense and brutality. That line is sometimes hard to determine though, especially if the victim of the violence is dead and only one side of the story is being heard. As a police officer, I believe that it is incredibly important to build that respect between you and your community – in and out of your uniform. In order to be respected, you must give respect and I think that is something that often gets overlooked. Overall, whether you are a police officer or not, I do not believe it is that hard to just be a decent person and respect those around you.