Police Violence Against Black Protesters: A Public Health Issue

Abstract

With the increased number of documented cases of violence perpetrated by police against protesters of the Black Lives Matter movement, public health officials are starting to list police violence as a health risk or a public health issue for black Americans. Using several timely theoretical explanations, we explore reasons why law enforcement officers routinely inflict violence against black protesters and avoid criminal stigma. Although police use of excessive force and untimely killings of blacks have always been criminal justice issues, the number of negative health consequences that are emerging after violent police confrontations implicates public health concerns. We argue that several strategies can be used to reduce police violence in the future.

From Posts to Pavement, or Vice Versa? The Dynamic Interplay between Online Activism and Offline Confrontations

“…The line between protesting (a constitutionally protected form of expression) and rioting (a criminal act) is admittedly fuzzy and inconsistent. Sometimes the interpretation of a riot is influenced by the media, public discourse, implicit bias held by certain communities, and sometimes by the police's overreaction or excessive use of force against protestors (Simmons 2017;Anderson et al 2022). It is also a formidable challenge to parse the motives of different protestors, rioters, or looters.…”