Ferguson Effect Case Study

Race riots are one of the major news items we hear about via the media when a social crisis occurs. The riots in Baltimore, however, were not so much about race, but more about economic and social class separations. The riots began as a peaceful protest amongst the citizens of Baltimore over the death of one of their own, Freddie Gray. Gray was a young, African-American, from a financially lower class area of Baltimore. Unfortunately, he died while in custody of the Baltimore Police. While this is a tragic loss, he was unlawfully detained by the police (Sarlin, 2015) during this ordeal. On the surface, the riots may appear as a cut-and-dry race provoked, once they are looked into further, that is not necessarily the case.

The shooting of sparked a nation-wide movement not only demanding justice for Mike Brown, but also protesting the racial discrimination deeply embedded in the criminal justice system as well as various institutions in the larger American society. Furthermore, jfdkjfjdakljk something about international recognition. Similar protests and riots have been springing up in other cities since 1960s, and police killings of unarmed black men happen once every 28 hours (Kahle, 2014). However, Michael Brown’s killing has led to the most sustained uprising against police violence in at least two decades, centered among the African American residents of Ferguson, and has rallied significant nationwide support as well as international attention (Kahle, 2014; Taylor, 2014). The killing of Michael Brown is by no means an isolated event, and presence of racial tensions, especially in the St. Louis area, was already present long before. The large-scale pushback that the killing of Michael Brown has set in motion, then, seems to have been the last straw, prompting the eruption of decades of pent up frustration at a racist and oppressive system. That being said, what are the previous straws that have slowly pushed the black community in Ferguson to the breaking point? What are the factors that have caused these tensions to boil over and erupt into such a large-scale upheaval? This paper will explore some of the

Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed on August 2014, by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, Mo. Brown, an 18-year-old African-American was fatally shot and killed in the street shortly after robbing a convenience store. The disputed circumstances of the shooting of the unarmed young man sparked existing tensions in the majority-black community and law enforcements in Ferguson, Mo. The event received considerable attention in the U.S. and elsewhere, attracted protesters from outside the region, and generated a powerful debate about the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans and the police use of excessive force. The shooting prompted protests that shaken the area for weeks. The announcement of the grand jury that they decided not to indict Mr. Wilson set off another wave of protests. Many police officers have defended Wilson, pointing out that officers patrolling violent neighborhoods risk their lives, while demonstrators saw the case in terms of racism and police brutality. However, Brown’s killing and the following events in Ferguson became a national controversy touching on much larger national issues of race, justice, and police brutality. While the specifics of the Brown shooting involved is not clear, the situation would have been dramatically different had Wilson worn body camera which would have recorded the actual event. With new body camera technology

In the article, “St. Louis police chief defends fatal shooting by officers”, Jim Suhr and Jim Salter argue that although police brutality has been a common theme since Michael Brown’s death, the police must be given the opportunity to do their jobs without the constant accusations and racist conclusions. Police officers have been under rapid fire and can no longer make a move without the harsh criticism of citizens nationwide. Salter and Suhr use a quote from the St. Louis Police Chief, Sam Dotson, to explain that people need to let the facts speak for themselves rather than filling up with biased opinions through social media. The fact is that the towns that refuse the help of police, are conventionally the ones that need them the most.

Walking around West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo., the past nighttime, seeing the moderate retreat of that evening's dispute walk, I was sharply clobbered by a racial generalization that hit me right in my social heart.

As the four officer involved in the beating of Rodney King were white, many felt the incident was racially motivated or at least demonstrated a lack of respect for other races on the part of the officers. The incident not only further marginalized the African American community, but raised concern within the white community as well. Prior to the incident 70 percent of white residents indicated they approved of the Los Angeles Police Department. Following the Rodney King incident the approval rate dropped to 41 percent (Walker, 2007). The concern went well beyond Los Angeles. This incident brought the issue of police brutality and use of excessive force to national attention and under federal scrutiny (Rushin, 2014).

The protest between Ferguson’s residents and the city’s government has really had a great impact on political views regarding whether racism between police officers and high officials still exist and its effects towards african americans.

However, some criminologist state that these statistics reveal very little about the cause of the increase in violent crime. On the other hand there are some people such as Heather MacDonald author of “Are Cops Racist?”, in the Wall Street Journal who believe that “the most plausible explanation of the current surge in lawlessness is the intense agitation against American police departments over the past nine months” (Jonsson, 2015). There is a lot of back and forth debate of whether or not The Ferguson Effect is “thing”. Of course by accepting the “Ferguson effect” as a new theory of policing on would have to admit that police officers are no longer doing their jobs out of fear of public scrutiny. What is certain is that there has been a

This happening in a community can have a negative impact on how people perceive the safety of their neighborhood and the protection they feel from officers. Community members can feel a disconnect from their community and as if it is not one network. This loss of a relationship and trust within, can lead to negative outcomes. This can include riots or protests against police departments. Riots in honor of Michael Brown started the day after the shooting and ended in November. Order was not well maintained during this time, especially after Officer Darren Wilson was not

In August 2015, Ferguson was experienced an insurgent uprising. There were already previous victims of police brutality that have been affected, but the life of Michael Brown being taken away caused people to completely snap. The fact that racial injustice, the rejection of freedom of speech, and disrespecting American citizens was part of the killing of the teen made people create a full on riot protesting the transgression hoping to make it all end and to prevent any more lives from being taken all because of policemen changing the meaning of their job to something not even close to serving its purpose.

It took one gunshot to put a city into an uneasy frenzy throughout the day, and utter chaos at nightfall. It began with policemen standing side by side and protesters ready to strike; came face to face. All around there were Ferguson citizens, each standing tall defending his or her respective sides. Protesters were holding signs with powerful words like “Black Lives Matter.” In a split second, havoc was reached, and in a blink of an eye, everyone was encircled by the fog from tear gas and flipped police cars. With the sound of sirens echoing through the streets and fires set all around, no one was safe in the city of Ferguson.

Cases involving police brutality among African Americans in communities throughout New York has caused citizens to mistrust the police officials of the NYPD (Barstow). When this happens, conflict between the police and the community increase and causes lack of support from both the police and community. In Figure 4, the New York Daily News took a survey of 500 people, ranging from ages 18 to 25, in five high-crime communities in New York, including: South Bronx, East Harlem, Jamaica, Bedford Stuyvesant, and East New York (Durkin). 88% said residents in their neighborhood did not trust the police (Durkin). Of the 500 people, 59% said that they would not go to a police officer even if they were the victim of a violent crime (Durkin). Ultimately, this can lead to an increase in crime rate and police brutality. Excessive amounts of police brutality can also give a bad reputation to the police department. In the American system, taxpayers are punished by having to pay for settlements caused by police brutality which can inevitably lead to mistrust between the community and the police department. Overall, the actions of police brutality can have a negative effect on a community and cause a lack of trust within

Undoubtedly the most controversial topic in the recent past is police involved shootings. Although not specific to a police officer, the Trayvon Martin case in 2012 gained national media attention surrounding Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law. The case of Michael Brown Jr. sparked the 2014 riots, protests and civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri when shot and killed by Officer Wilson. Areas of the country witnessed the same response by large populations supporting inaccurate facts and circumstances involved with these cases. An instant gratification society coupled the court of public opinion and widespread media coverage yielded disastrous results in many of these cases. Community relations are hugely impacted while investigators attempt to

“Overall, reported homicides were up 16% in 2015, but a majority of cities (44 of 60) have not seen a statistically significant increase in homicides” (Congressional Research Service). Some believe the rate of violent crimes in the United States is increasing due to the Ferguson incident. The Ferguson incident is the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. The shooting aroused protests around the United States pertaining to reforming on how police use force. Experts have been pegging the general increase in violent crimes in the United States due to the Ferguson incident the “Ferguson effect.” The Ferguson effect tells that in wake of the incident, police have become more reluctant to engage in proactive policing.

Racism and racial profiling has been a big argument for years in America. This prejudice blew up in the town of Ferguson, Missouri, over the shooting of a black teenager by a white policeman. Consequently, riots and looting sparked overnight in the streets and the whole controversy spread across the nation as the world watched.