Dangerous Times

Abstract

Well into the middle of the second decade of the 21 st Century, I wonder if we are living in a time warp. As I write, Israel is once again involved in a ground war in Gaza resulting in the death of thousands on the ground, though increasingly the Israelis are using a page out of the US wars in the Middle East using force from a distance to "pinpoint" their assault, essentially bomb indiscriminately. Looking at images, I am reminded of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebenon and the resistance of Arafat in Beirut. Over thirty years and little has changed.Closer to home, Michael Brown is shot dead on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri by a police officer, apparently while his hands were raised. Perhaps eye witness accounts may be somewhat contradictory, perhaps there was more provocation leading up to the event. But what seems to be undeniable is that Michael Brown was unarmed, at a distance from the police officer, and apparently in a surrendering posture. We recently were made aware of the dangers of simply being a young Black male with the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida two years ago (by a police wannabe). What makes this shooting of Michael Brown (and I was about to write, this latest shooting until I realized several young Black men have since been shot by the police under questionable circumstances) such a galvanizing event is how frequently this happens, and how this community has reacted 1 in general protest. This reaction is reminiscent of the community's reaction to the Rodney King beatings by police in 1982, once more anger fueled by long simmering hurt boils over. Another time warp.People have started to compare photos of the militarized police response to community demonstrations in Ferguson with photos of police responses to Civil Rights demonstrations in the Jim Crow South, as heavily armed police and their attack dogs harassed and assaulted peaceful marchers. Let's not forget the rioting in Detroit, Newark, and elsewhere in the 1960s as communities rose up in response to long-standing harassment and violence. Another time warp, another reminder that laws passed over the last 50-60 years may reflect progress legislatively, but that day-to-day events point to the reality that this country has not progressed socially, and may indeed have regressed, on matters of race and equality.We must understand events as a product of a continuous history of oppression and violence that shapes and directs our society. It is perhaps the reason that we see so much gun related violence, why we are confronted by an armed police increasingly eager to use their weapons on the society it is supposed to serve and protect. The British police officers on the street are unarmed (though there is an increasing effort to militarize them) and they seem to be as, if not more, effective in maintaining order. This country ranks first in the number of guns per capita, almost double the next two on the list, which are Serbia and Yemen. What is remarkable is that we consider those two countries Editorial

Expanding the Castle: Explaining Stand Your Ground Legislation in American States, 2005–2012

“…Some have claimed that SYG laws are likely to increase violence in civil society that will disproportionately harm the life and health of minority communities (Jansen and Nugent-Borakove 2007). David Fasenfest (2014) argues that proliferation of guns, police shootings, as well as SYG laws show the enduring power of racial prejudice in American society. Alexandra Filindra and Noah Kaplan (2017) find a correlation between racial prejudice and opposition to gun control among whites.…”