An authentic discourse: Recentering race and racism as factors that contribute to police violence against unarmed Black or African American men

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study explores the relationship between race, racism, and attitudes toward police violence against adult males. Study participants comprised a national sample (N = 1,974) of adult males and females (M = 48 years) who completed the 2012 General Social Survey (GSS). Secondary data analysis of surveys administered in-person or on the telephone by trained GSS interviewers indicated that race is a key predictor of police violence against adult males [χ2 (7) = 85.710, p < .0001], even after controlling for sex, education, income, and age. Study findings also revealed that attitudes supportive of police violence are associated with negative cultural images of Blacks or African Americans. Participants who approved of police violence against males attributed disparities in employment, income, and housing between Blacks or African Americans and Whites to a lack of motivation and ability to learn, rather than to racial discrimination and lack of education incurred through poverty. These findings challenge us as social work educators and practitioners to further explore the association between racism and police violence and to unmask the debilitating consequences of the presumed limitations of Blacks or African Americans.