User:Studenteditor03/sandbox

Body Camera Footage and the Black Community

Body camera footage has become more visible within the past few years due to media coverage. Whether it be news publications or posts on social media, everyone has access. A common theme presented within the videos is the harsh linguistic and physical approaches used by law enforcement. When talking to police officers, on average the African American community experiences 61% more negative conversations with law enforcement. Understanding verbal discrepancies presented in video footage can help educate and create police-community trust programs Watching these experiences throughout the media can be disheartening and intimidating to the Black community. For example, a twenty-five-year-old school Black school teacher, Kenya Davis, reflects on her feelings towards police violence. A video was released in 2014 of the murder of Laquan McDonald, who was shot and killed by a police officer while his girlfriend was recording. Davis vividly describes what she saw and felt while watching the video. She explains the officer's body language, shaking while he shot McDonald, and McDonald's behavior, he was cooperating and of no threat. The background of the video was filled with his girlfriend's screams. Even though McDonald was not acting aggressive or confrontational, the officer was still scared. She describes feeling disheartened knowing that just being Black triggers fear and violent tendencies in police's minds. There is more than just this one incident of police brutality being filmed. The list continues with George Floyd, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and many more. The overall feeling from the Black communities after watching footage of police brutality varies in negativity and mental health effects. About 60% of African Americans have a negative outlook on police officers while 48% said they felt unsafe and 45% referenced a decrease in mental health.