Are police racist or doing their job? August 9th, 2014 was a day that sparked drastic controversy throughout the United States because of the “shooting of an unarmed African American teenager” (The Carolina Reader 173). This excerpt from The Carolina Reader is written by Tim Dickenson, and relates to the origin of the African American social movements that started in the year 2014, with occurences seen in 2016 as well. The first social movement occured in the small town of  Ferguson, Missouri. Outbreaks of these movements then spread into various towns and cities all over the United States fighting against racial injustice and law enforcement. In Dickenson’s text Ferguson Uncensored, he states “These police unwilling to accept that they themselves are a legitimate target of protest, have barraged protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets, and sonic cannons; fired from war vehicles that have no justification on civilian streets” (Dickenson 174). This statement suggests that the police do not accept themselves as targets of the past protests that have occurred. Dickinson describing police officers as “unwilling to accept themselves as legitimate targets of protest” illuminates our understanding of this cultural issue because when looking back at history, it is obvious that the police did see themselves as targets contrary of what Dickenson is saying. 

During the protests that sparked in Ferguson, the police definitely saw themselves as targets. According to Dickenson in Ferguson Uncensored, “Unarmed protesters decrying the death of an unarmed black teenager were ordered to shut up and stand down by white police officers targeting them through the scopes of sniper rifles” (173-174). This quote shows how race is a definite factor in this issue because the author distinguished the skin color of both the protesters and the police officers. More importantly this quote also reveals that the police officers did see themselves as targets because not only were they protecting themselves with their usual handguns, but also with less commonly seen sniper rifles as well. Having their snipers ready to fire is an example of how law enforcement saw themselves as targets of protest in this situation. 

Violent riots also took place in Missouri. What started off as protests in Ferguson soon became much worse because people turned into violent rioters. When the protesters became violent, law enforcement “barraged them with tear gas, rubber bullets, and sonic cannons” (Dickenson 174). A reported “25 buildings,” (The Damage in Ferguson) were burned down in these past violent acts of redemption. The use of military grade equipment and weapons to prevent further chaos is another example of how police officers saw themselves as targets.

The death of teenager Michael Brown, created the sense of a common enemy for the African American community. This common enemy for the Black Community would be police officers. The officer who killed Michael Brown is a man named Darren Wilson. Officer Wilson wasn’t “charged” (Sharif) with murder or any other offense, while he was responsible for the teens death. In the eyes of the African American community justice was not served and officer Darren Wilson was to blame. Wilson being a white man shows how ethnicity is a major factor in the social movements that occurred in the United States. Tim Dickenson stated on page 174 in Ferguson Uncensored  that “police officers did not see themselves as legitimate targets of protest”, but they obviously did because a killing done by another policer officer was the reason why these protests and riots started in the first place. 

According to the article “Social Theory and the Street Cop: The Case of Deadly Force,” expert David Klinger a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri states “police officers must sometimes kill people to protect themselves and other innocents from harm”(Klinger 2). This qoute from Klinger who is also a former police officer, shows how the police do see themselves as constant targets and relating this back to the recent African American social movements this does not change. Being a first hand account it can easily be understood that Klinger has experience in the law enforcement field with knowledge of how the police see themselves especially when it comes to being legitimate targets of protests, yet Dickenson states that the police are “unwilling to accept themselves as legitmate targets of protest, and have barraged protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets, and sonic cannons; fired from war vehicles that have no justification on civilian streets” (Dickenson 174). It does not make any sense for one to “barrage protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets, and sonic cannons; fired from war vehicles,” and to see oneself as a person who is not a targetOn December 20th, 2014 there was a social movement in a mall near Bloomington, Minnesota (Anti-police brutality rally paralyzes Mall of America).  This movement had an “estimated 3000 participants” (Anti-police brutality rally paralyzes Mall of America). These protesters “staged several die-ins in front of retail stores, holding up slogans such as Black Lives Matter" (Anti-police brutality rally paralyzes Mall of America). After about thirty minutes into the rally, “riot equipped police started to clear the area from the ground floor trying to prevent further protests” (Anti-police brutality rally paralyzes Mall of America). As the police tried to remove the activists, many put their hands in the air chanting “Hands up, Don’t Shoot (Anti-police brutality rally paralyzes Mall of America). These acts of rallying and chanting refers back to the shooting of unarmed African American teenager Michael Brown and other African American killings that had occurred within the United States. Protesters rallying and chanting is a simple act of freedom of speech, yet the Police still came to the mall equipped with riot shields to protect themselves. Coming to the scene of protest equipped with riot shields, proves how police officers saw themselves as targets.Another African American social movement that is well known in the United States is the “I Can’t Breathe” movement. This movement started in the state of New York when a police officer “violently choke slammed a black man onto the ground and strangled him to death.” (Marcus 55). With the officer being a white man, this once again displays the racial conflict that had been going on between African Americans and law enforcement. The officers first stopped the man for “allegedly selling loose cigarettes” (Police overreach, Eric Garner and the chokehold of racism). The man’s name was Eric Garner. Forty-three-year-old Garner insisted he was “breaking up a fight” when the police were trying to arrest him (Police overreach, Eric Garner and the chokehold of racism). Since Garner was resisting arrest, the officer saw himself as a target and grabbed Garner by the throat and then slammed him onto the ground. “Eric Garner cried out to the officer who had him in a chokehold “I can’t breathe” eleven times before his heart gave out” (Marcus 55). According to Dickenson on page 174 of Ferguson Uncensored, police are unwilling to accept that they themselves are legitimate targets of past protests. The upheaval of the “I Can’t Breathe” movement is a perfect example of how police officers did see themselves as targets and how it illuminates our understanding of this cultural issue because once again an officer has killed a black citizen and was not “charged with any crime, nor taken to trial” (Garcia). The officer wasn’t charged because he was acting out of self defense, which shows how the police are willing to see themslves as targets. 

On August 14th, 2016 another social movement broke out. Earlier that day a 23-year-old “Sylville Smith was shot and killed by a Milwaukee police officer” (Jamal). According to the National Review, the officer pulled Smith over and “Smith fled from the scene with a stolen handgun” (French). Smith was chased down and later caught by the police officer. The officer “reportedly ordered him to drop the gun, and opened fire when Smith failed to comply, shooting him once in the chest and once in the arm” (French). These two shots killed Sylville Smith and lead to protests and riots. Since Sylville Smith was killed by a police officer it’s clear that law enforcement did see themselves as the sole targets of protest. The African American Community outraged by yet another killing of a black man wasted no time starting up protests and had no exceptions for this officer who was also of African American decent. Law enforcement were once again the bad guys, yet this officer was acting out of pure self defense.According to the Milwaukee police, “hundreds of residents rioted, burning police cars, looting stores, and attacking police” (French). This quote shows how what started off as protests, escalated into a more violence driven riot. Not only were rioters attacking police officers, but they set their vehicles on fire along with innocent nearby businesses and buildings. One place that was “torched” by protesters was a gas station (“Police Shooting in Milwaukee sparks violent protest”). Many stores were also robbed as this riot was going on because thieves saw this as a perfect time for them to steal items without being seen. There is no doubt that law enforcement was the main target of this riot in Milwaukee. At one point during the riot some officers got in their cars to leave and “rioters in the crowd started smashing squad car windows” (“Police Shooting in Milwaukee sparks violent protest”). Police having their squad car window’s smashed by rioters is another example of how law enforcement is being attacked, yet on page 174 Dickenson states “that police officers are unwilling to accept themselves as legitimate targets of protest. This movement in Milwaukee like all the movements prior to it, have shown that the police did see themselves as legitimate targets. Charlotte, North Carolina also had major protests that turned into riots. The incident that caused protests to rise was the death of an “African American named Keith Scott” (Lavandera, Ed). “Violence came one day after police shot and killed Keith Lamont Scott, who police say was armed and ignored commands to drop his weapon” (Eversley). “Police in riot gear crowded downtown Charlotte as protesters shouted "hands up, don't shoot," banged against a police van and broke a window of the City Smoke barbecue restaurant and bar” (Eversley). Police officers set off smoke bombs to try and disperse the crowd, but “Sixteen police officers were wounded in the violence that erupted that night” (Eversley). Since law enforcement went into downtown Charlotte with riot shields to protect themselves, it is obvious that they saw themselves as potential targets and in danger. In these recent Social Movements the police are seen as enemies to the African American community, but they are just doing their jobs. Police officers have a civic duty that they carry out day by day in order to protect the citizens within the state they work for. “The duties of a police officer, also known as a law enforcement officer, focus on protecting people and property; They patrol the areas they are assigned, which sometimes include entire jurisdictions, respond to calls, enforce laws, make arrests, issue citations, and occasionally testify in court cases” (How to Become a Police Officer). “They also make traffic stops, respond to domestic disturbances, and, at times, provide first aid to someone involved in a traffic accident or injured in a domestic dispute until paramedics arrive” (“How to Become a Police Officer”). Law enforcement officers also “spend much of their time writing reports, and filling out forms,” (“How to Become a Police Officer”) in between their patrol hours. When police officers are called to the scenes of protest they are there to protect citizens and property. So are the police rascist or are they doing their job? Although racism may still be seen in the United States, the police are not racist. It is only probable that an officer whose job is to protect the state he or she works for, will encounter someone of another race breaking the law. If a group of white people were running through the streets with rage and damaging property like for instance setting a gas station on fire as seen in Milwaukee; law enforcement would show up with no regards to the groups race. The police would be there to try and stop the madness and protect all that they possibly could because it’s their job.Data posted by Todd Beer a sociology professor and researcher in inequality, race, and culture, shows how in 2015 there were actually more white people killed by cops than black people. Beer says that there were “578 whites killed” in the United States in 2015, while there were “301 blacks killed” (Police Killings of Blacks: Data for 2015). This data by expert Todd Beer helps support the fact that police are not racist. On Tuesday April 12th of 2016 a police officer killed a white man. The man was a Denver resident named “Dion Damon” (Randal).  Damon was a “bank robbery suspect” and was killed before he was brought to court (Roberts). Like many of the African American social movements people were in the streets protesting after this man’s death. Law enforcement officers were called to the scene with no idea of race in mind, instead it was their responsibilities of restoring order.The protests that followed Damon’s death proves how the police are not racist because the majority of the protestors were white and being there is part of the police’s job no matter the race of the citizens.

 Are the police legititamate taregts of the past protests that started in 2014? Police are always seeing themselves as targets because they are the ones preventing the people who want to break the law from doing it. In the case of the past African American protests the police definitely saw themselves as targets even more than usual. This can be explained by the instances where the police had riot shields for armour seen in Minnesota and Charlotte, NC. Another way it can be understood that the police saw themselves as targets, is when rioters in Milwaukee smashed the windows of a squad car while the officers were inside trying to drive away from the scene. In this instance the police were obviously being attacked. All of these social movements have facts with clear evidence proving that police officers did see themselves as targets in the past protests. With expert data and statements it is also palpable that although there may still be racism in the United States, the police are not racist and the past African American Social Movements have caused more harm than good. The police would react the same way to any type of crime or social movement no matter the ethnicity of the group. The way in which Dickenson described law enforcement in Ferguson Uncensored, illuminated our understanding of this cultural issue because it is obvious that police officers everywhere see themselves as targets every time they are called to protect people or properties of the state they work in; Whether it be to restore order in a mall with thousands of protesters who remained peaceful, or to try and stop hundreds of mad rioters from burning down and damaging properties. 
