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Sociology of Race Relations with Police Officers

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Submitted By rainbow1
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SOC 370
December 4th, 2014
Sociology of Race Relations With Police Officers
The United States prides itself on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As a country, all men are created equal and have the same opportunities. However, to this day, that is not the case. For decades and arguably centuries, African Americans and other minorities have continued to fight this ongoing battle against racism and prejudice. This struggle is also very prevalent in police and judicial affairs. With the recent racial tension going on in the United States, it is important to understand why African Americans are still feeling this way in order to find ways in which to eliminate police brutality. Using Weber’s theory of authority, one can apply his ideology to the recent events in race relations and police officers in order to understand the ongoing tension and divulging into the reasoning behind people’s reactions to these events, emphasizing the issue is centralized around power and authority.
There are everyday events that occur that highlight the ongoing racial tension between African Americans and police officers, showing that discrimination and racism is not dead here in the United States. For example, take the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. There is major controversy in the telling of the Michael Brown shooting. Michael Brown was shot and killed on August 9th by Officer Darren Wilson (Clarke). Brown was unarmed when the incident happened and the witnesses’ testimony and the officer’s account contradict the actual events. Brown was shown stealing a pack of cigarettes from a convenient store when Officer Wilson first encountered Brown (Clarke). Both parties agree that there was a struggle between the two and then a shot was fired, hitting Brown. Brown and a friend then ran away to which Wilson gave pursuit. Witnesses say that Wilson fired

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