Summary:
Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have offered different perspectives on the police shootings of African Americans in Oklahoma and North Carolina. Considering that the presidential election is nearing, these two candidates must publicly denounce the shootings and offer proposals for how to avoid similar events in the future. North Carolina is a swing state and the candidates are certainly using this event to try and win over North Carolina's 15 valuable electoral votes. Trump's proposal was a "stop-and-frisk practice," which involves stopping to question and inspect pedestrians; yet many argue that this is targeted against minorities and is based on unjust suspicion. Clinton, on the other hand, believes the relationship between communities and law enforcement must be strengthened in order to reverse oppressive stereotypes; and instead a unified community must be created. Clinton recognizes the likelihood that the shooting was a result of "systematic racism," whereas Trump suggests that the officer just "choked." Knowing the importance of doing so, both candidates are attempting to court African American voters with sympathy and assurance that steps will be taken to avoid this in the future. Clinton uses words like "unbearable" and "intolerable" when addressing the fact that another name is added to the list of African American involved in police shootings. Trump claimed that "African-American communities are absolutely in the worst shape they've even been in before. Ever. Ever. Ever." Most critics are frustrated with this comment and Trump's disregard towards slavery and segregation, a history that we have certainly moved forward from, yet not completely.
Questions:
1. Given how the two candidates responded to the event, who has a better chance of winning over North Carolina?
2. Do you think Trump really believes the officer just "choked?" Explain.
3. What does the cartoon suggest?
4. How would you respond to this shooting if you were the presidential candidate so close to the election?
5. What is your perspective on the officers involved? Do you have any sympathy for them given that they really may have "choked?" Do you think it was racism? Explain your answer.
The cartoon makes multiple assertions about Trump and the Republican party. To begin, it implies that the GOP is composed of white racists, such as members of the KKK. In other words, the artist argues that the "average republican" is essentially a white supremacist who wants America to revert back to its prejudiced ways. In addition, the confederate flag, a symbol of the southern states' desire to secede and protect its slave culture, reinforces the notion that Trump is a violent and racist leader who supports the values of hate groups such as the KKK.
ReplyDeleteThe cartoon depicts Trump talking to what he believes to be republicans just like himself that are looking to better the country, but the positive support he is gaining is coming mostly from racists that do not really represent the Republican party. I believe that Hillary may have a better chance of winning, at least winning the vote of the black community, she is recognizing the institutionalized racism that the community is faced with and proposing an answer, which is to strengthen the relationship between communities and law enforcement. Trump is not supportive of the black community, his suggestion of a "stop-and-frisk" method to prevent shootings of this kind would only perpetrate more violence against minorities. The mere suggestion proves that he does not understand the black community and will most likely not gain their support. Trump will however gain more support from the racists that already make up the majority of his supporters.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel that for most police officers who become involved in this type of tragedy, it is likely a combination of racism (whether the officer is conscious of it or not) and having "choked". Unfortunately in today's society, racism regarding African-American citizens is very prevalent, even if we do not want to admit it. If someone finds themselves in a more dangerous area, they will probably feel more threatened if they see a black man coming towards them than I white man, just because of stigma and underlying ideology that, even if we don't wish to acknowledge it, is often there. We also have to take into account how stressful a policeman or woman's job can be, and how they are human too. It is entirely possible that they choked or acted impulsively out of fear. This must be taken into account. Of course, with the high proportion of police shooting fatalities being African-American males, it is very reasonable to conclude that racism does play a significant role, either intentionally or unintentionally, as well as so called "choking". Ultimately while we can sympathize with the humanity of all involved, we do need to address this a serious issue in American society. We must work to combat this and try our best live up to our idealistic vision of ourselves, where we are together as a people and that every man (and woman!) is created (and treated) equally. Right now, this is not the case.
ReplyDeleteNo racial bias in police shootings
Deletehttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/11/no-racial-bias-police-shootings-study-harvard-prof/
I think Hillary has a better chance of winning North Carolina because racism is a sensitive issue that demands careful responses. Even though Hillary didn't say anything that compelling or original, her response was still indicative of her stance on the issues of racism and police brutality. Trump's/his affiliates' responses were by no means advocating racism, but they were less affirmative than Clinton's. In a state that is more liberal than other parts of the South and with a large African American population, Clinton should win as a result of her clear compassion with the African American people.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, Trump has a slight advantage over Clinton in North Carolina. I don't think that his response to this event will have any effect on the current poll numbers and that Trump will continue to have the same slight advantage. Trump's reaction to the shootings in Oklahoma and North Carolina will not endear him to any African American voters but, as Trump has essentially no support among African American voters anyway, he won't lose numbers in the polls even if he angers more African American voters. The same can be said for Clinton who is not trying to gain support from African American voters instead, she is trying to convince more African American voters to vote on election day because she knows their support for her is almost guaranteed.
ReplyDeleteThe cartoon suggests that the Republican party consists of only members of the KKK. Since the crowd consists of members of the KKK who are holding up a confederate flag, it goes to show that the person who created the cartoon believes Republicans are racist white people who believe that they are superior. Also through Trump's campaign poster it is changed to "Make America Hate Again" as a way to relay that if Trump is elected to become president, America will not be great again but rather in a racial divide between whites and minorities. Trump is made to look like this based off of what he says about other minorities, and this will hurt his chances in the election because in order to win, he will need those minority votes.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do not sympathize for the officers involved in recent racially motivated or provoked attacks, simply because they are still alive, I do think that their predispositions and inherent actions are not their fault exclusively. We see many of the occurrences taking place in similar locations with similar demographics and outward appearances, which goes to show that the culture in these places is far different from what we see in Burlingame. I do not agree with Donald Trump's assertions that each of the attacks were accidental and that they are isolated issues, but I do think the conclusion that many of the officers "choked" is correct. When one "chokes," they revert to known, natural instincts, whether they've been explicitly taught or simply observed. If an officer has been exposed to the action we see so much today, their initial reaction when they find themselves in the same situation will be, in a sense, predetermined. Although this could be the case for some officers, it is not true for all. Some perpetrators (cops, in this case) have proven racial biases, that are substantiated by past actions and quotes. This is a case where specific people are not and should not be allowed to hold official positions that serve to protect the rights of individuals because they 1. have repeatedly caused harm to and killed innocent civilians, and 2. have inadvertently inspired generations of officers to operate in the same manner. Overall, the issue is unfortunately extremely hard to draw a line separating right from wrong due to the many different circumstances and outcomes of each event, but there are definitely multiple valid stances and truths that can be held simultaneously to preside over the specific cases.
ReplyDeleteI have no sympathy for the officers involved in this shooting. There is video evidence of Keith Scott backing away from the officer with his hands visible, there was no way to think he was a possible threat. The officer most definitely "choked", but is no excuse for killing a man who isn't a threat to the police officer's life. Killing an African American man that is backing away from you, not lunging towards has no excuse. There have been too many instances when African Americans have been shot with no good reason, and this trend exposes that it's most likely a result of racist cops. This officer that killed this man should be put away in prison. Along with racism, I also feel that some of these police shootings have to do with cops just not doing their job correctly. We need more rigorous police training as well as mental health checks to prevent this tragedies from occurring, as well as more punishment for police officers unjustly murdering these civilians.
ReplyDeleteI believe Trump has a better chance of winning North Carolina because he is slightly ahead of Clinton in polls. Because Trump's voters are mostly racially motivated white men, his comments about Oklahoma and North Carolina shooting would not make a significant change as this is an issue regarding the African Americans and currently Mrs. Clinton receives the most votes from African Americans.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Trump did call for stop and frisking, it is biased to dismiss the fact that he also wanted to improve relations between the police and African American community. Neither candidate has provided good policy to stop the issue. Trump is trying to win over voters by bringing the law and order philosophy while Hillary is hoping to win over and retain the pc crowd.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Trump did call for stop and frisking, it is biased to dismiss the fact that he also wanted to improve relations between the police and African American community. Neither candidate has provided good policy to stop the issue. Trump is trying to win over voters by bringing the law and order philosophy while Hillary is hoping to win over and retain the pc crowd.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Hillary responded much better to this event compared to trump. Hillary presented herself as more sympathetic compared to Trump when discussing the issue. She seemed to appeal to African Americans much stronger than Trump by giving hope to a better system and relationship between communities and police compared to trump who instead proposed frisking which would instead be looked at as a way to target minorities. I feel Hillary has a much larger chance to win based on the way she handled and responded to the even compared to Trump because the voters will feel more hopeful for change proposed by Hillary than Trump's proposal.
ReplyDeleteThe cartoon is illustrating that essentially the Republican Party is composed of white supremacists. It depicts Trump rallying the KKK blatantly referring to the fact that he is racist and does not show sympathy for minority parties. The confederate flag also references that the "average Republican" wants to revert to when slavery was legal further portraying Trump as a racist and someone who supports violence, segregation, and hate.
ReplyDeleteDue to the fact that racism is such a major issue in North Carolina, I believe that Hillary has a better chance of winning over North Carolina. She addressed the fact that these shootings are caused by systematic racism and insists that it's "intolerable," showing sympathy. Meanwhile, Trump just believes that the officer "chocked" in this one situation, not addressing the previous shootings and how to fix them. If I were a presidential candidate in this situation, I would respond to these issues with compassion and sympathy, much like Hillary, but also address a plan to stop future incidents--something Hillary neglected.
ReplyDeleteIf I was a presidental candidate, I think I would handle the situation closer to Clinton, by addressing the situation and coming up with a solution that can't really put the blame on anyone. I would obviously choose this method because I don't want to alienate any voters from South Carolina, which is a major swing state.
ReplyDeleteIf A was a presidential candidate during this conflict I would be sure not to be to polarized in my support for either group. In order to maintain support for both demographics I would say that it is an issue that needs to be resolved, but not comment on who's at fault. The shootings undoubtedly need to stop, and this would best be accomplished by resolving institutionalized racism within the police force.
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ReplyDeleteAfter seeing both responses to the shooting in North Caroline, I believe Hillary's response is the more reasonable of the two. Trump's idea of "stop-and-frisk practice" goes against the 4th amendment of unreasonable searches and seizures. Implementing this idea would only create more problems between police and African Americans because it would be seen as a racist action, only causing more problems. Hillary's solution on the other hand would increase the role of police in the community and could potentially solve the problem.
ReplyDeleteDue to the fact that racism is such a major issue in North Carolina, I believe that Hillary has a better chance of winning over North Carolina. She addressed the fact that these shootings are caused by systematic racism and insists that it's "intolerable," showing sympathy. Meanwhile, Trump just believes that the officer "chocked" in this one situation, not addressing the previous shootings and how to fix them. If I were a presidential candidate in this situation, I would respond to these issues with compassion and sympathy, much like Hillary, but also address a plan to stop future incidents--something Hillary neglected.
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