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The video is horrific, and the brutality is stark. But that was the case in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014 and Minnesota in 2016. This time, though, white people are out in the streets in big numbers. So we asked some white people: What's different this time? (Original article by Gene Demby, 06/16/20)
This study set is authored by Quizlet to provide a deeper understanding of the original NPR material, and is intended to be used by students and teachers as a study supplement.
Terms in this set (33)
A moment when one's actions will be judged. In the context of the podcast, the phrase "racial reckoning" refers to the idea that many citizens of the United States are judging the impact of racism in American society and attempting to force institutions that perpetuate systemic racism to be less discriminatory.
A Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police officers in May 2020. The officers arrested Floyd because he had been accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill. During the arrest, Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for approximately eight minutes, during which time Floyd repeated that he was unable to breathe. Floyd's death at the hands of the Minneapolis police led to massive protests against police brutality throughout the United States as well as in 60 other countries.
A city in Missouri where Michael Brown, an 18-year-old Black man, was shot by a police officer in 2014. The officer claimed that Brown had initiated a physical altercation and attempted to take the officer’s gun. Brown’s friend Dorian Johnson witnessed the event and contradicts the officer’s account, asserting that the officer grabbed Brown by the neck and threatened him before shooting at him. According to Johnson, he and Brown fled, but the officer chased Brown and shot him even though his hands were raised and he exhibited no threat to the officer. The shooting of Michael Brown led to protests in Ferguson and around the nation calling for an end to police brutality. However, no immediate changes occurred, and the officer who shot Michael Brown did not face disciplinary action.
A 25-year-old Black man who was killed by police officers in Baltimore, Maryland in 2015. Gray was arrested despite not being involved in a criminal act and was placed in the back of a police van, during which time his neck was broken. Eventually he was taken to a hospital where he died due to the injuries sustained in the police van. Residents of Baltimore reacted to this police killing by organizing protests and staging an uprising against the police. While the officers present in the van were charged by the district attorney, none of them were convicted for their involvement in Gray’s wrongful arrest or death. Following Gray’s death, reporting by multiple news outlets revealed that police in Baltimore and elsewhere had a practice of “rough riding,” or intentionally jolting suspects around in the back of a police wagon in order to injure them without directly assaulting them.