Ferguson https://www.morningsidecenter.org/ en Responding to the Murder of Officers Liu and Ramos https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/responding-murder-officers-liu-and-ramos <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Responding to the Murder of Officers Liu and Ramos</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>Background for the Teacher</h4> <p>On December 20, 2014, police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were on patrol in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant.&nbsp; According to reports, at 2:47 in the afternoon, they were ambushed by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28. Earlier in the day, Brinsley allegedly shot and wounded his former girlfriend, Shaneka Nicole Thompson.&nbsp; He had also made threatening posts online against the police.&nbsp;</p> <p>Brinsley is believed to have shot and killed both officers at short range before running into a nearby subway station, where he shot and killed himself.&nbsp; It now appears that Brinsley was a mentally disturbed loner who, according to his family, had psychological problems since he was young.&nbsp;</p> <p>The murders came at a time when police departments around the country have been under increased scrutiny because of a pattern of police brutality against men of color highlighted by the recent deaths of Eric Garner, Akai Gurley, and Michael Brown. The grand jury decisions not to indict in the cases of Brown and Garner drove people into the streets by the tens of thousands to demand institutional reform and racial justice.&nbsp; Nearly all the protests were peaceful.</p> <p>After Officer Ramos and Officer Liu were murdered, some police leaders suggested that the protests had somehow helped fuel the attack by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, and that New York City Mayor de Blasio had "blood on&nbsp; his hands." Brinsley had made statements on social media that he was angry about the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. &nbsp;Mayor de Blasio, like other political leaders, had supported the right of citizens to express themselves in protesting for reforms following the deaths of Garner and Brown, but he had also said that violent protests would not be tolerated and that police officers must be respected.&nbsp;</p> <p>In the days since the killing, many people, including police officers and protesters, as well as the mayor, have mourned the deaths of the two officers.&nbsp; However, there has also been a lot of finger pointing and accusatory language. &nbsp;At the funeral of Officer Ramos on December 29, many officers turned their backs as Mayor de Blasio was speaking.&nbsp;</p> <p>In the activity below, students consider a wide range of statements about this convergence of events. Some of the quotes are inflammatory; others call for healing or&nbsp; emphasize the need for peaceful protest and reform to bring about a safer and more just society for everyone. In guided discussion, students consider the statements, what the speaker intended to achieve,&nbsp; and whether they feel the statement was helpful.</p> <p>These <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-about-controversial-or-difficult-issues">guidelines for discussing controversial issues</a> may be helpful in discussing this potentially emotional subject.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Gathering</h4> <p>Ask students what they know about the death of two police officers in the New York City neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant on December 20, 2014.&nbsp;&nbsp; Elicit and explain what took place, and touch on the fallout since then.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Responses to the killing of Officers Liu and Ramos</h4> <p>In reacting to the killings of Officers Liu and Ramos, some have focused on division and escalation. Others have sought to recognize that many people are hurt and angry, and that empathy and understanding can be part of the healing that needs to take place. Many also emphasize that achieving justice and respect for all often means pushing for positive reforms and standing up for those who have been harmed. &nbsp;</p> <p>Invite your students to read a selection of the quotes below and ask them to discuss whether they think the statements help or harm the situation today. Does the statement escalate or deescalate matters? &nbsp;Deescalating conflicts can help us see common ground that we can't see in the heat of the moment. &nbsp;Help students look for any common ground as they consider the quotes. Many of the protesters believe that standing up for those who have been harmed and pushing for institutional change is a necessary step toward improved community relations and greater safety and justice for all.</p> <p>You might use the following debrief questions as you invite students to reflect on the quotes:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this quote?</li> <li>What do you think this person is trying to achieve with what they’re saying?&nbsp; Do you think they’ll be successful?&nbsp; Explain.</li> <li>Do you agree/disagree with the quote?&nbsp; Explain.</li> <li>Do you think the statement helps or damages the current situation in New York and beyond?&nbsp; Why/How?&nbsp;</li> <li>Do you think it escalates or deescalates the current situation in New York and beyond?&nbsp; Why/How?</li> </ul> <p>In the course of discussion, try to answer or clarify questions that come up. Record unanswered questions on the board for future research.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p><strong>Patrick Lynch</strong>, President of the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association: "There’s blood on many hands tonight...&nbsp;&nbsp; Those that incited violence on this street under the guise of protest, that tried to tear down what New York City police officers did every day... We tried to warn it must not go on, it cannot be tolerated.&nbsp; That blood on the hands starts on the steps of city hall in the office of the mayor."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/22/protest-groups-demand-apology-nypd-linking-them-co/">http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/22/protest-groups-demand-apology-nypd-linking-them-co/</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Cornell William Brooks,</strong>&nbsp;president of the NAACP:&nbsp; "It was unfair to link the criminal insanity of a lone gunman to the peaceful protests" over grand juries' refusal to indict white police officers in the killings of Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO.&nbsp;"The fact of the matter is, in this country, we have a violence problem... Think about it this way. The tears of the families of these police officers and the tears of Eric Garner's family and Michael Brown's family aren't shed in law enforcement blue, racially black or brown. They're colorless. They're tragic and unnecessary."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nypd-vigil-20141221-story.html">http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nypd-vigil-20141221-story.html</a></p> <div> <hr> <p><strong>NYC Police Commissioner William Bratton,</strong> speaking at the funeral of Officer Ramos: "The police, the people who are angry at the police, the people who support us but want us to be better, even a madman who assassinated two men because all he could see was two uniforms, even though they were so much more. We don’t see each other. If we can learn to see each other, to see that our cops are people like Officer Ramos and Officer Liu, to see that our communities are filled with people just like them, too. If we can learn to see each other, then when we see each other, we’ll heal. We’ll heal as a department. We’ll heal as a city. We’ll heal as a country."<br> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/30/opinion/police-respect-squandered-in-attacks-on-de-blasio.html?ref=todayspaper">http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/30/opinion/police-respect-squandered-in-attacks-on-de-blasio.html?ref=todayspaper</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>President Obama</strong>: "I unconditionally condemn today's murder of two police officers in New York City. Two brave men won't be going home to their loved ones tonight, and for that, there is no justification. The officers who serve and protect our communities risk their own safety for ours every single day and they deserve our respect and gratitude every single day. Tonight, I ask people to reject violence and words that harm, and turn to words that heal—prayer, patient dialogue, and sympathy for the friends and family of the fallen."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/killings-nyc-officers-27751701">http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/killings-nyc-officers-27751701</a></p> </div> <hr> <p><strong>Ronnie Gonzalez</strong>, cousin of slain Officer Rafael Ramos: "He's [the gunman] forgiven already. He's in the hands of God now. We don't believe in vengeance; we just forgive." <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/killings-nyc-officers-27751701">http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/killings-nyc-officers-27751701</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams,</strong> a former police officer:&nbsp; &nbsp;"Those who were calling for police reform were not calling for police retribution ...&nbsp; Blood is not on the hands of the mayor." &nbsp;"I understand some of the concern that many people have in the law enforcement community. But this is not about one voice. This is about the<strong> </strong>voice of the entire city crying out for unity, crying out of saying, ‘How do we come together and deal with real issues in policing, at the same time, protect our officers?' ... We cannot allow someone to get in the way of moving towards police reform."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/killings-nyc-officers-27751701">http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/killings-nyc-officers-27751701</a><br> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/12/21/meeks-defends-de-blasio-against-criticism-over-slain-nypd-officers/">http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/12/21/meeks-defends-de-blasio-against-criticism-over-slain-nypd-officers/</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Reverend Al Sharpton</strong>, a civil rights leader who has led protests calling for reform:&nbsp;&nbsp; "Our city is hurting, we are hurting. Today we mourn the loss of two NYPD officers who were gunned down in a vicious act of senseless violence.&nbsp; ... Violence never has and never will have a place in the true fight for equality and justice." &nbsp;<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/sharpton-city-hurting-murders-nypd-officers-article-1.2052285">http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/sharpton-city-hurting-murders-nypd-officers-article-1.2052285</a></p> <div> <hr> <p><strong>Former New York City Mayor Rudolf Giuliani:</strong> "It goes too far to blame the mayor [de Blasio] for the murder or to ask for the mayor's resignation. ... But I don't think it goes too far to say the mayor did not properly police the protests. He allowed the protesters to take over the streets. He allowed them to hurt police officers, to commit crimes, and he didn't arrest them. And when you do that ... you create a great riot."<br> <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/killings-nyc-officers-27751701">http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/killings-nyc-officers-27751701</a></p> </div> <hr> <p><strong>Esaw Garner, </strong>the widow of Eric Garner, who was choked by a police officer in August 2014:&nbsp; "I just want to express my condolences and heartfelt sadness for these two officers and their families ... I know what they are going through to lose a loved one right before the holidays. It's so sad."&nbsp; She also made a plea for demonstrations to remain peaceful.&nbsp; "Please protest in nonviolent ways. My husband was not a violent man, so we don't want any violence connected to his name."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/21/garner-sharpton-police-shooting/20728319/">http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/21/garner-sharpton-police-shooting/20728319/</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Twelve protest groups</strong> on the Black Live Matter Facebook page: "Commissioner Bratton and Patrick Lynch must immediately apologize to New Yorkers who desperately want change in the city. Mayor de Blasio and other elected officials should condemn these opportunistic distractions that attempt to avoid meaningful reform ..."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/22/protest-groups-demand-apology-nypd-linking-them-co/">http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/22/protest-groups-demand-apology-nypd-linking-them-co/</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Rev. Stephen Phelps </strong>at a vigil in Harlem:&nbsp; "Those who had participated in the Garner demonstrations were devastated by the officers' slaying.&nbsp; Our hearts were broken...&nbsp; We want to see changes, but at the same time, we want the police to know that we support them. We want the police to know that we want to work with them."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nypd-vigil-20141221-story.html">http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nypd-vigil-20141221-story.html</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Former New York Gov. George Pataki:</strong> "Sickened by these barbaric acts, which sadly are a predictable outcome of divisive anti-cop rhetoric of #ericholder &amp; #mayordeblasio. #NYPD"&nbsp;<br> <a href="https://twitter.com/governorpataki/status/546489605378551808">https://twitter.com/governorpataki/status/546489605378551808</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Mayor Bill de Blasio:</strong> "I think it’s important that, regardless of people’s viewpoints, that everyone recognizes it’s a time to step back and just focus on the ... [Ramos and Liu] families.&nbsp; ... I think it's a time for everyone to put aside political debates, put aside protests, put aside all of the things that we will talk about in due time."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/blaz-political-debates-protests-cease-article-1.2054226">http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/blaz-political-debates-protests-cease-article-1.2054226</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>#BlackLivesMatter</strong>, a national grassroots and social media driven movement at the heart of much of the recent mobilizations against police violence:&nbsp; "Our hearts grieve with New York, a community already reeling from the losses of Eric Garner, Ramarley Graham, Kimani Gray, Akai Gurley, Islan Nettles and many more. An eye for an eye is not our vision of justice, and we who have taken to the streets seeking justice and liberation know that we need deep transformation to correct the larger institutional problems of racial profiling, abuse, and violence."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/21/nypd-cop-killings-blacklivesmatter_n_6362400.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/21/nypd-cop-killings-blacklivesmatter_n_6362400.html</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Travis Morales</strong> of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network: "There have been calls to put aside the protests ... Well, I will tell you this, the NYPD and police around this country have not put aside their murdering of our people."&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://7online.com/news/protests-continue-despite-calls-to-stop-until-after-officers-funerals/448451/">http://7online.com/news/protests-continue-despite-calls-to-stop-until-after-officers-funerals/448451/</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Elle Green,</strong> a 38-year-old social worker at a vigil in Harlem on December 21:&nbsp; "I'm here because all life is valuable and all life matters ... At a time like this it [is] ... important to build trust and safety in the community and to nurture a positive relationship with the police.&nbsp;Just because you're angry doesn't mean you're anti-law enforcement," she said, referring to the anger over Garner's death.&nbsp;<br> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nypd-vigil-20141221-story.html">http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nypd-vigil-20141221-story.html</a><br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Closing</h4> <p>Ask students to share one thing they learned from today’s discussion.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-12-29T13:46:20-05:00" title="Monday, December 29, 2014 - 13:46">December 29, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Mon, 29 Dec 2014 18:46:20 +0000 fionta 492 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Our Lessons on Garner and Brown, Collected https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/our-lessons-garner-and-brown-collected <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Our Lessons on Garner and Brown, Collected</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Only rarely does a teachable moment come along that is as powerful as the one we're in right now.&nbsp;Ever since the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, teachers have been encouraging their students to share their feelings and thoughts, discuss, and learn more about what's in and behind the news. (See this <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/in-racially-divided-america-students-hope-for-change/">CBS News video</a> of students in our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/node/760/" target="_blank">Restore360</a>&nbsp;Program talking passionately about these issues.)&nbsp;</p> <p>We are also helping teachers take advantage of this moment through <a href="http://morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment" target="_blank">TeachableMoment.org</a>&nbsp;(as this <a href="http://www.8newsnow.com/story/27528747/nations-classrooms-reflect-on-ferguson-decision">AP story</a> about teaching on Ferguson recently noted). &nbsp;At least two school districts - in <a href="http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/ABOUT%20DCPS/Press/Brown%20Discussion%20Teachers%20Guide.pdf">Washington, DC </a>and <a href="http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/files/12.1.14FergusonMOteaching.pdf">Madison, WI</a> - have used our TM materials as the basis for teacher guides on discussing this subject.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>Lessons to date include:</h4> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-about-controversial-or-difficult-issues">Guidelines for Teaching about Controversial Issues</a>. These general guidelines are helpful in discussing all kinds of difficult issues.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-do-examining-6-proposals-wake-garner-and-brown">What to Do? Examining 6 Proposals in the wake of Garner &amp; Brown</a>&nbsp;<br> (posted Dec. 11)&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/staten-island-ferguson-considering-responses">Staten Island &amp; Ferguson: Considering the Responses</a>&nbsp;<br> (posted Dec. 6, 2014)&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/circle-events-ferguson">A Circle on Events in Ferguson</a>&nbsp;<br> (posted Nov. 25, 2014)</li> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-justice-what-peace">What is Justice? What is Peace?</a>&nbsp;<br> (posted Sept. 12, 2014)&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/challenging-stereotypes-michael-brown-and-iftheygunnedmedown">Challenging Stereotypes: Michael Brown and #IfTheyGunnedMeDown</a>&nbsp;<br> (posted Aug. 25, 2014)</li> <li><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-happened-ferguson-and-why">What Happened in Ferguson and Why</a>&nbsp;<br> (posted Aug. 21, 2014)</li> </ul> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 9px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(66, 66, 66);">&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-12-15T09:53:40-05:00" title="Monday, December 15, 2014 - 09:53">December 15, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Mon, 15 Dec 2014 14:53:40 +0000 fionta 494 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org What to Do? Examining 6 Proposals in the Wake of Garner and Brown https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-do-examining-6-proposals-wake-garner-and-brown <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>What to Do? Examining 6 Proposals in the Wake of Garner and Brown</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>To the teacher: &nbsp;</h4> <div>This lesson includes two parts. In Part 1, students review the facts about the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases. &nbsp;In Part 2, students break into small groups to discuss six different proposals that have been made to address injustices related to these incidents: police body cameras, community policing, demilitarizing the police, ending racial profiling, the right to know act, and a truth and reconciliation process. Each part will likely take a full class session. &nbsp;If your class has already discussed the cases and has the basic facts, you may want to begin with Part 2. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Our earlier TeachableMoment lesson, <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/staten-island-ferguson-considering-responses">Ferguson and Staten Island: Considering the Responses,</a> may help set the stage for this lesson.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Before discussing this sensitive issue with your class, please see <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-about-controversial-or-difficult-issues">these guidelines.</a></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h3>PART I</h3> </div> <h4>What do we know?</h4> <div>Tell students that the issues we’ll be discussing today are controversial and also emotional for many people. So we need to be very careful to listen to each other and respect each other’s feelings and different points of view. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Write this phrase on the board or chart paper: &nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong><em>Black lives matter.</em></strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask students: Why is this phrase in the news? &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Work with students to establish that this phrase is being chanted by protesters around the world &nbsp;in response to grand jury decisions not to charge police officers in the deaths of two black men, Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, NY. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Now write two additional phrases on the board:&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1"><em>Hands up, don’t shoot!</em></div> <div class="rteindent1"><em>I can’t breathe.</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask: What does<strong> <em>"Hands up, don’t shoot"</em></strong> refer to?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Elicit and explain that this phrase refers to the case of Michael Brown, an unarmed teen who was shot and killed on August 9, 2014, by a white police officer, Darren Wilson, in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Explain that the case then went before a grand jury. A grand jury &nbsp;(called "grand because there are usually more than 12 people on it) is convened by a government prosecutor to decide if there is enough evidence to indict someone who is suspected of a crime - that is, to charge the person with a crime and bring them to trial. &nbsp;To indict someone, the jury must establish that there is "probable cause" to believe that the person has committed a crime. About half of U.S. states do not use grand juries.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The grand jury in the Michael Brown case heard differing accounts of what happened in the lead up to Michael Brown’s death on August 9. &nbsp;Officer Wilson testified that Brown had struggled for his gun and was charging at him when he opened fire. Others testified that Brown was surrendering with his hands up when he was shot (hence the phrase "hands up, don’t shoot). &nbsp;All agree that Brown was unarmed. &nbsp;For more details, see <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/13/us/ferguson-missouri-town-under-siege-after-police-shooting.html">this New York Times summary</a>.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On November 24, the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that a grand jury had decided not to indict the officer Wilson. &nbsp;The grand jury found that there was not enough evidence to warrant a trial to determine whether Wilson was innocent or guilty.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask: What does <strong><em>"I can’t breathe"</em></strong> refer to?&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Elicit and explain that this phrase refers to the case of Eric Garner. &nbsp;On July 17, 2014, Garner, who was 43 and African American, died after police officers tried to arrest him for selling untaxed cigarettes. According to the medical examiner’s report, Garner died from the chokehold officer Daniel Pantaleo applied and the compression of his chest by the other officers who were part of the arrest.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>This encounter was captured on <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/staten-island-man-dies-puts-choke-hold-article-1.1871486">videos</a> that have been seen around the world. Garner could be heard repeating "I can’t breathe," in the final moments before his death. The Staten Island grand jury deliberated for less than a day before deciding that there was not enough evidence to go forward with charges against Daniel Pantaleo.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h4>Opinions Vary&nbsp;</h4> <div>In the wake of the grand jury decisions in these two cases, protests have erupted across the U.S. and the world. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>However, people’s opinions vary widely on these two cases. According to a survey by the <a href="http://www.people-press.org/2014/12/08/sharp-racial-divisions-in-reactions-to-brown-garner-decisions/">Pew Research Center, </a>the majority of Americans (and a plurality of both blacks and whites) believe that the grand jury ruling in the Garner case was wrong and the case should have gone to trial. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Opinions are more divided in the Michael Brown case, with 80 percent of blacks saying the grand jury decision was wrong, but only 23 percent of whites saying it was wrong. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Young people (of all colors) are much more likely than older people to believe that both decisions were wrong. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h4>Why are people protesting?</h4> <div>Tell students that today we’ll discuss some of the reasons why people are protesting following these two decisions. &nbsp;Later, we’ll examine a few of the proposals people have put forward to address what they view as injustices underlying the events in Ferguson and Staten Island. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Begin by eliciting from students a list of concerns that protesters, elected officials and others have raised about these two cases. Record students’ responses on the board or chart paper. &nbsp;Prompt students by noting that some of the concerns relate to police behavior and policies, some relate to the way the justice system operates, and some relate to wider issues of racial injustice.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Make sure students understand each of the responses, and correct any misinformation that you can.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Here are some of the concerns students may be aware of:</div> <ul> <li>racial profiling&nbsp;</li> <li>overuse of force (such as the chokehold that killed Eric Garner)</li> <li>racial bias and insensitivity among police</li> <li>racial composition of the police force (many police departments are disproportionately white)</li> <li>bias in the justice system that favors police officers&nbsp;</li> <li>racial composition of the grand juries in these cases&nbsp;</li> <li>a flawed grand jury system</li> <li>overall racial injustice and racism&nbsp;</li> <li>overall economic injustice&nbsp;</li> </ul> <div> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <h3>PART 2</h3> <h4>6 Proposals</h4> <div>Ask students:&nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>What kinds of changes might address the concerns that have been raised by the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner?</li> <li>What reform proposals have you heard about? &nbsp;</li> </ul> <div>Record students’ responses on the board.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Explain that many people have put forward proposals in response to events in Ferguson and Staten Island - including protesters, President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and groups that promote civil liberties and racial justice. These proposals range from modest reforms to broader calls for change. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Today we’re going to explore just a few of the proposals people have made:&nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>police body cameras</li> <li>community policing</li> <li>demilitarizing the police</li> <li>ending racial profiling</li> <li>right to know act</li> <li>truth and reconciliation process &nbsp;&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>(For some additional proposals that focus on NYC, see this <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/government/5467-reform-agendas-behind-garner-protests-emerge-nypd">Gotham Gazette</a> piece.)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Small Group Reading &amp; Discussion</h4> <div>Ask students to break into six small groups.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Give each group a different fact sheet on a proposed reform. (Fact sheets are below, or <a href="/sites/default/files/files/Garner-Brown%20Proposals.pdf">download this pdf.</a>) &nbsp;These brief fact sheets only touch the surface of complex issues, but will provide students with a &nbsp;bit of background. &nbsp;Note that there are links embedded in the fact sheets (and spelled out in the pdf) that can be used for further study of the proposals.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask students to read the fact sheet in their group and then discuss the questions that follow each reading. They should choose a recorder and a reporter for the group.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Give the groups 15 minutes to read the fact sheet and discuss the questions that follow each reading, then reconvene the class.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h4><strong>Whole-Group Discussion</strong></h4> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask each group to say a few things about the proposal they discussed. Give time for other students to ask questions about the proposal. &nbsp;Discuss. Record any questions that remain unanswered.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Repeat the process with each group.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask: Are there any proposals you feel are needed that have not been included? &nbsp;If there are, record these responses and ask students to say why they think this proposal is needed.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <h4>Homework &nbsp;</h4> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask students to research the proposal that they like best, answering any questions students had about the proposal. Then write a short persuasive essay arguing for the proposal and explaining their reasons.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In a later class, have students share their essays. If students are interested, help them decide on a proposal they would like to work on as a group, and support them in taking action.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h4>Closing</h4> </div> <div>Share one thing you would like to see coming out of the events in Ferguson and Staten Island.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Proposal 1: Police Body Cameras</h4> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>After the Ferguson grand jury made its decision in the Michael Brown case, Brown’s family issued a call urging people to protest peacefully and to "join us in our campaigns to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Body cameras (also called "cop cams") are small, pager-sized cameras that clip onto an officer's uniform or are worn as a headset. They record audio and video of the officer's interactions with the public. &nbsp;Police departments around the country, including in New York City, are beginning to use these cameras to document what happens in encounters between police officers and the public, events that are often in dispute - as they were in the case of Michael Brown. &nbsp; President Obama has included body cameras as part of his proposal to "strengthen community policing."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Proponents &nbsp;say the cameras would provide evidence that might protect the public against police misconduct, and also help protect police in cases where they have been falsely accused.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Some police officials support the body cameras, but others express concern. &nbsp;<a href="http://www.policeone.com/police-products/body-cameras/articles/7921491-Boston-brass-police-union-fear-body-cams-on-cops/">Boston police Commissioner William B. Evans</a> said he was "worried about its impact on our relationship with the community. &nbsp;I fear that a lot of people... might not want to have that interaction with us if they knew they're on camera or they're being recorded."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Many people have noted that in the case of Eric Garner, there was video and audio documentation of the interaction between Garner and the officers (via cell phone). &nbsp;And yet the nature of the interaction was still in dispute, and the grand jury found there was not enough evidence to charge the officer whose chokehold killed Garner.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The <a href="https://www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/police-body-mounted-cameras-right-policies-place-win-all">American Civil Liberties Union</a> (ACLU), which opposes most kinds of government surveillance, says that "the challenge of on-officer cameras is the tension between their potential to invade privacy and their strong benefit in promoting police accountability. Overall, we think they can be a win-win—but only if they are deployed within a framework of strong policies to ensure they protect the public without becoming yet another system for routine surveillance of the public, and maintain public confidence in the integrity of those privacy protections."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Questions to discuss:</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>1. What are some arguments for and against this proposal?</div> <div>2. Do you think this proposal makes sense? Why or why not?</div> <div>3. What questions do you have about the proposal? &nbsp;Write these down.&nbsp;</div> <div>4. What is important to share with the class about this proposal and what we think about it?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <h4>Proposal 2: &nbsp;Community Policing</h4> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/01/building-trust-between-communities-and-local-police">President Obama</a> and many others have argued that one way to reduce incidents like those in Ferguson and Staten Island is to expand a policing strategy called "community policing." &nbsp;Obama proposed to create a "new task force to promote expansion of the community-oriented policing model, which encourages strong relationships between law enforcement and the communities that they serve as a proven method of fighting crime."&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>"Community policing" is a broad term, and many police departments use some version of it. &nbsp;It can range from getting police out of their cars and into regular face-to-face contact with community members, to regular meetings between police and community members to address crime issues, to more involved strategies in which police are in dialogue with gang members and others to increase understanding, address needs, and reduce crime.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Community policing aims to both engage the community in combatting crime and enable police officers to establish positive relationships with community members, so that police officers can see problems in the community more holistically and humanistically. Instead of simply responding to emergency calls and arresting suspects, police officers have positive interactions with the community.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The <a href="http://www.policereformorganizingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/A-Blueprint-for-NYPD-Reform.pdf">Police Reform Organizing Project</a> &nbsp;advocates for an intensive kind of community policing such as that used in New Orleans as part of that city’s NOLA for Life murder-reduction strategy. The idea is to address the city's crime problem in much the way public health officials work to eradicate infectious diseases, addressing such underlying problems as &nbsp;poor educational and job opportunities, insufficient mental health services, neighborhood blight, and inadequate police training.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Questions to discuss:</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>1. &nbsp;Do you think this proposal makes sense? Why or why not?</div> <div>2. &nbsp;Do you think some kinds of community policing might be more effective than others? Why?</div> <div>3. &nbsp;What questions do you have about the proposal? &nbsp;Write these down.&nbsp;</div> <div>4. &nbsp;What is important to share with the class about this proposal and what we think about it?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <h4>Proposal 3: Demilitarizing the Police</h4> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, protesters took to the streets. They were met with a police response that included military tanks, combat gear and assault rifles. The military equipment came from the U.S. Defense Department, which has been giving local law enforcement &nbsp;surplus equipment from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, including helicopters, firearms, protective gear, night vision, and camouflage clothing.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Jim Pasco, the executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, defended the program, saying it has helped law enforcement keep up with criminals.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In December, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/02/us/politics/obama-to-toughen-standards-on-police-use-of-military-gear.html">President Obama</a> &nbsp;announced that he would tighten standards on the provision of military-style equipment to local police departments, but did not announce support for ending the transfer of military-grade gear to local law enforcement authorities. &nbsp;Obama administration officials argued that the military-style equipment strengthened local policing, but that local authorities needed common standards in the types of hardware they requested and better training in how to use it.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>But some people on both the political left and right say that local police should not be using military equipment and tactics on Americans. &nbsp;"When you begin to confuse and blur the lines between the military and police, you get unnecessary violent confrontations, such as what we're seeing in Ferguson," said Tim Lynch, a criminal justice expert at the libertarian Cato Institute. &nbsp;Kara Dansky, senior counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said &nbsp;that "When people see what looks like a tank in their neighborhoods, they start to think they are under siege," she said. "It's an excessive show of force. It tends to put people in harm’s way and exacerbates the risk of violence."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The organization <a href="http://byp100.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/BYP100-Agenda-to-Keep-Us-Safe-AKTUS.pdf">Black Youth Project 100</a>&nbsp;supports a proposal called the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 would put strict limits on the transfer and use of military equipment to local law enforcement. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Questions to discuss:</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>1. What are some arguments for and against demilitarizing the police?</div> <div>2. Do you think the proposal makes sense? Why or why not?</div> <div>3. What questions do you have about the proposal? &nbsp;Write these down.&nbsp;</div> <div>4. What is important to share with the class about this proposal and what we think about it?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <h4>Proposal 4: Ending racial profiling&nbsp;</h4> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) defines "racial &nbsp;profiling" as "the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin... Examples of racial profiling are the use of race to determine which drivers to stop for minor traffic violations (commonly referred to as ‘driving while black or brown’), or the use of race to determine which pedestrians to search for illegal contraband."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Political leaders from both left and right (such as former president George W. Bush) have decried racial profiling, but it is still <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/05/the-long-halting-still-unfinished-fight-to-end-racial-profiling-in-america/">widespread</a>. It was an issue in Ferguson, MO, where the state attorny general found that black drivers were the target of&nbsp;86 percent of traffic stops in the city&nbsp;last year, and 93 percent of traffic stops that ended in an arrest. (Blacks make up 63 percent of the local population over 16.)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he opposed racial profiling but defended the city’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fixing-new-yorks-flawed-stop-and-frisk-policing/2013/08/14/956c5638-0382-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html">"stop and frisk" policy</a>, in which police have stopped hundreds of thousands of people, about 87 percent of them Black or Latino (89 percent were found to be doing nothing wrong). &nbsp;Bloomberg said that stop-and-frisk is justified: &nbsp; "Unlike many cities, where wealthy areas get special treatment, the NYPD targets its manpower to the areas that suffer the highest crime levels. Ninety percent of all people killed in our city — and 90?percent of all those who commit the murders and other violent crimes — are black and Hispanic." &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>However, a<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/nyregion/stop-and-frisk-practice-violated-rights-judge-rules.html?pagewanted=all"> federal judge found </a>that stop and frisk violated the constitutional rights of the city’s blacks and Latinos.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Not long after the Garner and Brown grand jury decisions, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-dept-to-announce-new-rules-to-curb-racial-profiling-by-federal-law-enforcement/2014/12/07/e00eca18-7e79-11e4-9f38-95a187e4c1f7_story.html">U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced</a> new policies against racial profiling at the federal level. &nbsp;"As attorney general, I have repeatedly made clear that profiling by law enforcement is not only wrong, it is profoundly misguided and ineffective," Holder said. "Particularly in light of certain recent incidents we’ve seen at the local level, and the widespread concerns about trust in the criminal justice process, it’s imperative that we take every possible action to institute strong and sound policing practices." &nbsp;However, Holder’s policies will not directly affect local police departments like those in Ferguson and New York City. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Protesters and civil liberties organizations support passage of the <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/end-racial-religious-profiling-act">End Racial Profiling Act</a>, which would:</div> <ul> <li>prohibit the use of profiling based on race, religion, ethnicity or national origin by any federal, state, local or Indian tribal law enforcement agency;</li> <li>give individuals recourse if they have been unfairly targeted by such practices;</li> <li>institute programs to eliminate racial profiling that would require training for law enforcement agents, data collection, and procedures for responding to complaints;</li> <li>permit the Attorney General to withhold grants from law enforcement agencies not complying with the Act and provide grants to agencies that are attempting to develop and implement best practices to eliminate racial profiling; and</li> <li>mandate that the Attorney General submit periodic reports to Congress on any discriminatory policing practices to ensure that the intent of the bill is being met over time.</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Questions to discuss:</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>1. What do you think about Mayor Bloomberg’s argument in favor of stop and frisk?</div> <div>2. What do you think of the End Racial Profiling Act?&nbsp;</div> <div>3. What questions do you have about the proposal? &nbsp;Write these down.&nbsp;</div> <div>4. What is important to share with the class about this proposal and what we think about it?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div> <h4><strong>Proposal 5:&nbsp; Right to Know Act</strong></h4> <p><br> This <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/03/this-legislation-could-st_n_6264938.html">proposal,</a> now under consideration by the New York City Council, would require&nbsp;<a href="http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2015555&amp;GUID=652280A4-40A6-44C4-A6AF-8EF4717BD8D6&amp;Options=Advanced&amp;Search=" target="_hplink">police officers conducting warrantless searches</a>&nbsp;to tell the individuals that they have a right not to be searched. Officers would then have to create an audio or signed written record indicating consent to the search. In addition, police would be required to give a business card to people they stop if there is no arrest or summons.</p> <p>The intent of the law, according to the proposers, is &nbsp;to "create greater transparency in law enforcement practices," which will "shield police officers from false claims of wrongdoing, and contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of our criminal justice system."</p> <p>However, Police Commissioner <a href="http://thechiefleader.com/news/open_articles/pba-denounces-as-anti-police-bill-requiring-disclosure-on-searches/article_478f7268-6e77-11e4-921a-9bc9810f034e.html?mode=jqm">William J. Bratton</a> said the bill was "an onerous and unnecessary intrusion...It’s totally unnecessary. It’s part of an ongoing effort to bridle the police and the City of New York."</p> <p>Johanna Miller, the advocacy director at the New York Civil Liberties Union, which supports the Right to Know Act, said that it's "hard to predict" the effect the legislation would have had on Garner's case specifically. However, she said, "to the extent that Eric Garner is the result of a situation that was unnecessarily escalated because a police officer felt challenged in his authority, these bills go right to the heart of that situation."</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Questions to discuss:</strong></p> <p>1. What are some arguments for and against the "right to know act"?</p> <p>2. Do you think the proposal makes sense? Why or why not?</p> <p>3. What questions do you have about the proposal?&nbsp; Write these down.</p> <p>4. What is important to share with the class about this proposal and what we think about it?</p> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Proposal 6: Truth &amp; Reconciliation Process</h4> <p><br> The Brown and Garner cases shine a light on ongoing racial injustice in our society. People have come up with a wide variety of proposals to address some of the underlying injustices that these two cases have highlighted. &nbsp;These include a "national plan of action on racial justice" endorsed by groups including the <a href="https://ushrnetwork.org/index.php">US Human Rights Network</a>.</p> <p>The proposal below describes another approach aimed at achieving greater racial justice.</p> <p>A range of groups, including<a href="http://catholicmoraltheology.com/statement-of-catholic-theologians-on-racial-justice/"> religious organizations,</a> have called for a U.S. "truth and reconciliation" process, modeled on a process used in South Africa, to address historical and present-day racism.&nbsp;</p> <p>Fania Davis, a civil rights attorney and executive director of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, makes this argument for a national restorative process in the magazine <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/this-country-needs-a-truth-and-reconciliation-process-on-violence-against-african-americans">Yes:</a></p> <p class="rteindent1">"To move toward a reconciled America, we have to do the work ourselves. Reconciliation is an ongoing and collective process. We must roll up our sleeves and do the messy, challenging, but hopeful work of creating transformed relationships and structures leading us into new futures. Someone like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who headed up South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, might come to Ferguson to inspire and guide us as we take the first steps on this journey.</p> <p class="rteindent1">A Ferguson Truth and Reconciliation process based on restorative justice principles could not only stop the epidemic but also allow us as a nation to take a first ‘step on the road to reconciliation,' to borrow a phrase from the South African experience. A restorative justice model means that youth, families, and communities directly affected by the killings—along with allies—would partner with the federal government to establish a commission. Imagine a commission that serves as a facilitator, community organizer, or Council of Elders to catalyze, guide, and support participatory, inclusive, and community-based processes....</p> <p class="rteindent1">The process will create public spaces where we face together the epidemic of killings and its root causes, identify the needs and responsibilities of those affected, and also figure out what to do as a nation to heal harms and restore relationships and institutions to forge a new future."</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Questions to discuss:</strong></p> <p>1. Do you think a truth and reconciliation process would benefit our society? Why or why not?</p> <p>2. What questions do you have about the proposal?&nbsp; Write these down.</p> <p>3. What is important to share with the class about this proposal and what we think about it?</p> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-12-11T16:29:25-05:00" title="Thursday, December 11, 2014 - 16:29">December 11, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Thu, 11 Dec 2014 21:29:25 +0000 fionta 496 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Suggestions for Discussing the News from Ferguson https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/suggestions-discussing-news-ferguson <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Suggestions for Discussing the News from Ferguson</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p>Your students may find it helpful to share their thoughts and feelings about the news from Ferguson, Missouri. &nbsp;This kind of sharing is often a useful way to begin a deeper exploration of difficult or controversial issues. Please see these <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-about-controversial-or-difficult-issues">guidelines for teaching about controversial issues</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Begin by asking students what news they have heard about the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri. Elicit that on November 24, we learned that a grand jury has decided not indict the white police officer who shot and killed unarmed African American teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson in August. The grand jury’s decision touched off protests in Ferguson and in cities around the country.&nbsp; Events in Ferguson have raised many issues for people nationwide, including the composition of the police force in Ferguson and elsewhere; racial profiling and other police behaviors and policies; stereotyping of young men of color; the fairness of the justice system, and racial inequality in general.</p> <p>Ask students to put their chairs in a circle. Give each person three to five minutes to say whatever is on their minds about the grand jury decision.&nbsp; They are free to pass. When one person is speaking, the others in the group pay good attention but don't comment. Tell students that what people say in the circle should be kept confidential.</p> <p>In a second go-round, you might ask students to share one thing they wish would happen related to the Ferguson case. The circle is over after every person has had a chance to speak.</p> <p>For more extensive exploration and discussion, see our earlier lessons related to Ferguson:</p> <p><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-happened-ferguson-and-why">What Happened in Ferguson and Why</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/challenging-stereotypes-michael-brown-and-iftheygunnedmedown">Challenging Stereotypes: Michael Brown and #IfTheyGunnedMeDown</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-justice-what-peace">What is Justice? What is Peace?</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-11-25T08:59:41-05:00" title="Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 08:59">November 25, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Tue, 25 Nov 2014 13:59:41 +0000 fionta 500 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org What Is Justice? What Is Peace? https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-justice-what-peace <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>What Is Justice? What Is Peace?</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>To the Teacher</h4> <p>&nbsp;<br> This lesson has been created in response to the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed African American man, by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014. It assumes that you and your students have already discussed Michael Brown's murder by police officer Darren Wilson. You might have them complete <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/what-happened-ferguson-and-why">What Happened in Ferguson--and Why?</a> to help them gather their thoughts and deal with their feelings about the killing. However, this lesson can also be used to explore the broader issue of peace and justice at any time.</p> <hr> <h4>Goals</h4> <ul> <li>define peace and justice</li> <li>analyze the relationship between peace and justice</li> <li>determine what actions follow from different understandings of the relationship between peace and justice&nbsp;</li> </ul> <hr> <h4>Defining the Terms</h4> <p>1. &nbsp;Have students write their definitions</p> <p>Write the words peace and justice on chart paper or the board. Explain to students that in this lesson they will be looking at what these two words mean and how the concepts of peace and justice are related to each other. Ask students to write their own definitions of the words on a sheet of paper. Explain that the definitions should based on their own understanding of these words, not on what the dictionary says. Give them two minutes for the task.&nbsp;</p> <p>2. Discussion: What is "peace"?</p> <p>Have students give you their sheets of paper. Without identifying who wrote which definition, read aloud their definitions of peace. Have one student serve as scribe, writing the definitions on the board under the word peace. (There's no need to write the same definition more than once.) Give students an opportunity to comment on the definitions if they wish. Then ask one student to have a go at putting the definitions together and stating a definition of peace that the whole class can use. Give other students the chance to modify that definition until the class has agreed on one definition.</p> <p>3. &nbsp;Discussion: What is "justice"?</p> <p>Go through the same steps to define the word justice. Keep in mind that there may be more disagreement about what this word means than there was about peace.&nbsp; Some people use it to refer to what is just or fair, while others use it as a synonym for punishment or revenge (as in the idiom brought to justice). Ask one student to look up and read aloud definitions of justice online or in a dictionary. Ask students why they think justice has come to be used to mean revenge or punishment. Have the class agree on one or more definitions of justice.</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Peace, Justice, and the Murder of Michael Brown</h4> <p>1. Read the following aloud to students:<br> &nbsp;</p> <div class="rteindent1">Angry residents of Ferguson, Missouri protested after Michael Brown, an unarmed African American man, was shot and killed by a police officer in August 2014. Residents gathered day after day in the weeks following the killing. For the most part, they protested peacefully, holding signs and chanting things like "No gun, don't shoot." Occasionally, a few protestors looted stores in town. Police responded to the protests in riot gear, creating a military-like presence in the town. Despite calls from public officials for an end to the protests, sad and angry residents continued to congregate in town. Some wore T-shirts with Michael Brown's picture and the slogan "No justice no peace." Michael Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, told a reporter, "Justice will bring peace I believe."&nbsp;</div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Write these two quotations on the board so that students can see them:&nbsp;</div> <ul class="rteindent1"> <li>"No justice no peace."</li> <li>"Justice will bring peace I believe."&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>2.&nbsp;Divide the class into small working groups. Give students the following questions to help them discuss the two quotations.&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What do you think "No justice no peace" means?</li> <li>Which definition of justice are you using to answer the question?</li> <li>How does the meaning of the phrase change if you use a different definition of justice?</li> <li>What do you think "Justice will bring peace I believe" means?</li> <li>Which definition of justice are you using to answer the question?</li> <li>How does the meaning of the phrase change if you use a different definition of justice?</li> </ul> <p>Point out to students that using different definitions of justice might well lead to taking different actions.<br> &nbsp;<br> 3.&nbsp;Give students the following two prompts. Ask each student to complete the prompts in writing.</p> <ul> <li>To prevent outbreaks of violence that are fueled by injustice, I would...</li> <li>To respond to outbreaks of violence that are fueled by injustice, I would...</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;<br> 4. &nbsp;Ask students to share what they have written with others in their group. &nbsp;Ask them to identify what definition(s) of justice they have used in their writing.</p> <p>Have a representative from each group share a summary of the group's discussion.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Closing</h4> <p>In a go-round, ask students to share one thought or feeling they take away from the discussion today.<br> &nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-09-12T16:40:57-04:00" title="Friday, September 12, 2014 - 16:40">September 12, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Fri, 12 Sep 2014 20:40:57 +0000 fionta 521 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Challenging Stereotypes: Michael Brown and #IfTheyGunnedMeDown https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/challenging-stereotypes-michael-brown-and-iftheygunnedmedown <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Challenging Stereotypes: Michael Brown and #IfTheyGunnedMeDown</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>Gathering or Opening Ceremony</h4> <p>Read the following quote out loud:&nbsp;</p> <div><em>"People, please realize that we should never just think we know who or what someone is based on their economic status, ethnicity, gender, etc. We need to start learning more about each other rather than relying on statistics and stereotypes."</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Tell students &nbsp;that the quote is from a social media post about how the media has portrayed Michael Brown, the black teen who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask students to reflect on the quote, either in a circle or a regular classroom setting. &nbsp; Then ask the question: How does the quote relate to the events in Ferguson, Missouri?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h4>Michael Brown's Image in Mainstream Media</h4> </div> <div>Share with students that on August 9, 2014, unarmed black teen Michael Brown was shot dead by white police officer Darren Wilson, in Ferguson, MO, touching off weeks of protests. After the killing, a particular image of Brown prevailed in the media. In the photo, he towered over the camera flashing a sign that some people interpreted as gang-related. &nbsp;Other, less prominent images show Brown in a cap and gown at his high school graduation and one in which he looks like a younger, some say "innocent looking," teen wearing headphones (see below).&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</div> <div><img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/mike-brown-fbphotos.jpg" style="width: 324px; height: 237px;">&nbsp;<img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/michael-brown.jpg" style="width: 157px; height: 237px;"><br> &nbsp;</div> <div>Invite students to look at and compare these images. &nbsp;Ask them to consider the following questions:<br> &nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>If a picture is worth a thousand words, what might be some of the words you'd use to describe the pictures of Michael Brown that the media have used since his shooting death?</li> <li>Do you think the image of Brown standing over the camera in light jeans, a red shirt and flashing some kind of sign "tells a different story" than the image of Brown in the blue jacket with headphones or the image of Brown in a cap and gown? &nbsp;If so, how? What story does each image tell?</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Share the following excerpt from an Al Jazeera news story with students.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">"Recent debate over the types of photos used to portray black shooting victims exposes a widely held bias that assumes they are criminals, rights advocates said this week as many in the African-American community called attention to what they say is mainstream media misrepresentation in the wake of yet another police shooting of an unarmed black man.</div> <div class="rteindent1">&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">Some experts said such media portrayals reveal a pattern of criminalizing black bodies in the U.S. media.&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">Criminalization occurs when images chosen by media consciously or unconsciously create a justification for why people of color are killed, he said." (Renee Lewis, August 14, 2014, Al Jazeera)&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Ask students:</strong></div> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this excerpt?</li> <li>How does it relate to what you just shared about the different images of Michael Brown that the media has used in recent weeks?</li> <li>What do you think the term "criminalizing the black body" means?</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h4>Social Media Response: "If They Gunned Me Down"</h4> </div> <div>In the aftermath of Michael Brown's shooting death, young people of color turned to social media to express their anger and critique how the mainstream media portrays black victims of crime by all too often using stereotypical and prejudicial images. &nbsp;A powerful Twitter feed and Tumbler blog were created, featuring different images of the same person asking the question "if they gunned me down which picture would the media use to portray me?"</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>If computers are available in your classroom:&nbsp;</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Give each student six post-it notes. Then ask students to break into small groups. Ask each group to visit the Twitter or Tumblr site below to look at the tweets or posts. Ask each group to select one that they find particularly powerful. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>See:&nbsp;</div> <div>Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23IfTheyGunnedMeDown&amp;src=tyah">#IfTheyGunnedMeDown</a> or&nbsp;</div> <div>Tumblr <a href="http://iftheygunnedmedown.tumblr.com/">http://iftheygunnedmedown.tumblr.com</a></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask students in each group to discuss why this particular tweet or post is powerful to them. &nbsp;(If you're doing this as a circle, invite students to use a talking piece in the small groups like they would in the larger group). &nbsp;Students should consider the following questions:<br> &nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>Why did you pick these images?&nbsp;</li> <li>Are your thoughts and feelings different about the different images? &nbsp;Why?&nbsp;</li> <li>If you were to describe each image using three words only, what words would you use? &nbsp;</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask each student to write on their post-it notes the words they associate with each of the images. &nbsp;Then have students consider:&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>Are some associations more positive, while others are more negative?</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>If computers are NOT available in your classroom:&nbsp;</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask students to break into small groups, and give each group a copy of <a href="#FergusonH1"><strong>Handout #1</strong></a> (at the bottom of this lesson, or <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Ferguson%20Handouts%201-3.pdf" target="_blank">view as a PDF</a>), as well as the post-it notes. Ask each group to choose one of the posts of images to work with. &nbsp;Discuss why this particular tweet or post is powerful to them. &nbsp;Have students consider the same questions as above, and have them create post-its of words they associate with the images they chose.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Sharing our words</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Next post two pieces of chart paper, one on either side of the classroom, on which students can post their words. Instruct students to put their positive associations on one sheet and their negative associations on the other. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>If you're doing this lesson as a circle, ask students to post their words on the floor around the center piece. &nbsp;One side of the center piece will be dedicated to the more negative associations, the other to the more positive associations.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Once all the words have been posted, ask students to take some time to read the words, either on the chart papers or on the floor around the center piece. &nbsp;They can get up if needed, but ask them to do this in silence as they take in the words.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>When students are back in their seats ask them some or all of the following questions:</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about the words you just read (on the flipcharts or around the center piece)? &nbsp;Why?&nbsp;</li> <li>Was it easy to distinguish between the negative and positive associations? &nbsp;Were there any words that were more ambivalent?</li> <li>Consider the particular images your group chose: &nbsp;Was there a clear divide between the associations you had with one image versus the associations you had with the other? &nbsp;Why do you think that is?</li> <li>Why do you think the Twitter feed and Tumblr blog "IfTheyGunnedMeDown" were created? &nbsp;What is the message people who post their pictures are trying to convey? &nbsp;How do you feel about that?&nbsp;</li> </ul> <div> <hr> <h4>Media Framing&nbsp;</h4> </div> <div>Give students<strong> <a href="#FergusonH2">Handout #2</a></strong> (below, or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Ferguson%20Handouts%201-3.pdf" target="_blank">view as a PDF</a>), "Three Segments on Media Framing," and ask them to read it. &nbsp;Then discuss the reading as a class, asking the following questions:</div> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about these segments? &nbsp;Explain.</li> <li>What do these segments tell you about how black victims (and white suspects) are often represented in the media? How do you feel about that?</li> <li>How do you think this might relate to George Zimmerman's behavior and &nbsp;Darren Wilson's behavior?</li> <li>How do you think family members of the victims feel when needing to prove that their lost loved one was "one of the good ones?" &nbsp;</li> <li>What does this imply about "the bad ones"?</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Invite students to go back to their small groups and to the images they worked with in the previous activity. &nbsp;Then consider the following question:<br> &nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>If the mainstream media were to use three words only to describe your two images, what word associations do you think they might use?</li> </ul> <p>Provide students with additional post-its to write down the words they believe the media might associate with these images. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Invite students once again to contribute their post-its either to the chart paper sheets, by posting them underneath their own word associations, or to the center piece by posting them to the outside of the word associations already there. &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Ask students once again to take some time to read the words in the silence. &nbsp;Then ask the following questions: &nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about the words you just read? &nbsp;Why?&nbsp;</li> <li>How do your words compare to those you think the media might use? &nbsp;Why do you think that is?</li> </ul> <div> <hr> <h4>Closing or Closing Ceremony</h4> </div> <div>Ask students to share one thing they'd like to say to the media based on today's lesson.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h4>Extension activity: &nbsp;The Four I's of Oppression</h4> </div> <div>For homework, or the next time you convene, ask students to read <a href="#FergusonH3"><strong>Handout # 3</strong></a> (below, or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Ferguson%20Handouts%201-3.pdf" target="_blank">view as a PDF</a>). &nbsp;When you gather your class consider discussing some or all of the following questions:</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about what you read?</li> <li>Was there anything new or surprising about what you read? &nbsp;If so what?</li> <li>Think about the events in Ferguson, Missouri, in the wake of Michael Brown's death. How do these events relate to each of the four I's?</li> <li>Where do you think you fit into this system? &nbsp;How do you feel about that?</li> <li>Talk about a time in your life that you've had experience with one or more of the four I's. &nbsp;What was that like?</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Now have students consider a discussion that took place on If They Gunned Me Down about white privilege.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>One person posted this comment:&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">"Can white people stay out of the #IfTheyGunnedMeDown tag? This isn't about you. Stay in your lane. Let black folks heal."<br> &nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this post?</li> </ul> <div>Other posts have read: &nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">"What really frustrates me is the white people who participate in the IfTheyGunnedMeDown hashtag, with a picture of them and their mom then them flicking off the camera in a hoodie. UNLESS they understand the media would choose the picture with their f[***]in mom. Because if they don't, they don't understand what the hashtag means or situation at hand at all. :/"</div> <div class="rteindent1">&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">"White privilege is taking a serious conversation that black people are having about our portrayal in the media and making a joke of it which my way of saying a hearty ‘F[***] You' to all the white people treated the ‘If They Gunned me Down' tag on twitter as a joke. It must be nice to be so far removed for worry of whether or not your character would be accurately presented that you can make a joke of those who worry about theirs."</div> <div class="rteindent1">&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">"I'm not trusting of white people participating in the #iftheygunnedmedown Twitter trend not only because a lot of them are making a mockery of it, but also because this is an issue that they benefit from. If it's anything that they need to be doing it's discussing their position of privilege and how they can use it to productively criticize media coverage of police brutality."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this?</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Another person posted this comment:&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">"Due to my race and privilege, the media would consistently run first photo. As a white American I am granted very different standards than the ones so often set for minorities in this country. As a white American, I am granted the privilege to continue to feel the freedom to speak out against these injustices without fear of retribution. As white Americans, it's our duty as human beings to listen to the stories of minorities before we begin to jump to conclusions about things we wouldn't understand. "We all bleed red, but whose blood is on the streets?" #mikebrown"</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this?</li> </ul> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <h4><a id="FergusonH1" name="FergusonH1"></a>HANDOUT 1</h4> <p><em><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Ferguson%20Handouts%201-3.pdf">PDF version</a></em></p> </div> <div class="rtecenter">&nbsp;<img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLesson1.jpg" style="width: 472px; height: 624px;"> &nbsp; &nbsp; <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLesson2.png" style="height: 426px; width: 486px;"><br> <img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLesson3.jpg" style="width: 486px; height: 273px;"></p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLesson4.jpg" style="width: 486px; height: 372px;"></p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLesson5.jpg" style="width: 408px; height: 350px;"></p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLesson6.jpg" style="width: 362px; height: 238px;"></p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLesson7.jpg" style="width: 315px; height: 158px;"></p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLesson8.jpg" style="width: 486px; height: 324px;"></p> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <hr> <h4><a id="FergusonH2" name="FergusonH2"></a>HANDOUT 2</h4> <p><em><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Ferguson%20Handouts%201-3.pdf">PDF version</a></em></p> <h4><strong>Three Segments on Biased Media Framing&nbsp;</strong></h4> <div><strong>From <a href="http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/08/15/racist-housing-policies-media-framing-helped-fuel-tension-outrage-ferguson/"><em>The Atlanta Black Star</em></a>&nbsp;</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">While Brown had no criminal record, recently graduated high school and was on his way to college, many headlines and published images didn't reflect that.<br> &nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">Some stories suggested Brown was possibly a "gang banger" and others focused on reports that he allegedly struggled with police before the shooting. ...<br> &nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">The media has a long history of portraying white <u>suspects</u> in the news in a better light than Black <u>victims</u>.<br> &nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">James Holmes, the white man behind the movie theater shooting in Colorado in 2012, was referred to as a "genius." Some outlets called him "misguided" and headlines focused on how his friends and family said he "didn't seem like the type" to do something so horrific.<br> &nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">Holmes attended the midnight screening of the Batman movie, <em>The Dark Knight Rises</em>, before setting off tear gas in the theater and firing into the crowd. A dozen people were killed and 70 were injured.</div> <div class="rteindent1">On the other hand, headlines about Trayvon Martin, the Black teenager who was shot and killed in 2012 by volunteer neighborhood watch George Zimmerman, focused on disciplinary issues that Martin had in school. &nbsp;(Emphasis added)</div> <div><br> <strong>From the <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/the-character-assassination-of-michael-brown-20140819"><em>National Journal&nbsp;</em></a></strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">After Trayvon Martin, an unarmed, black 17-year-old, was killed by a neighborhood watchman in 2012, commentators tried to justify his death with photos of Martin throwing up "gang signs"—which amounted to photos of him flipping off the camera, smoking, and wearing a backwards baseball cap—as evidence that Martin was a "thug."<br> &nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">Similarly, the shooting of Michael Brown by a law-enforcement officer has undergone media thuggification.&nbsp;</div> <div><br> <strong>From<em> <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/8/14/ferguson-media-iftheygunnedmedown.html">Al Jazeera America</a>&nbsp;</em></strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">"It's playing into the bias exposed after Trayvon Martin was killed. Even though young white people wear hoodies too, [George] Zimmerman saw someone who was ... ‘up to no good,'" said Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a group aimed at strengthening black Americans' political voice. ...<br> &nbsp;</div> <div class="rteindent1">Many African-Americans feel as if they have to prove they are "one of the good ones" in order to gain sympathy in mainstream America, he said, noting that Brown's mother told reporters after his death that her son had graduated and was headed for college.</div> <div class="rteindent1"><br> "They have to earn the right for the benefit of the doubt or to be humanized or to gain empathy for their family," Robinson said. "This is how the media views the humanity of black people, their dignity in life and in death."</div> <div class="rteindent1">Others agreed and said the United States has a long history of negative media representations of African-Americans. ...</div> <div class="rteindent1"><br> "The traditional narrative is that black people are no good — they're out there selling dope and shooting each other. And Trayvon, they said he was a little thug ... but it doesn't matter. The Constitution said you can't go shoot someone on suspicion."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>From Tumblr "<a href="https://www.tumblr.com/search/if%20they%20gunned%20me%20down">IfTheyGunnedMeDown</a>"&nbsp;</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLessonH2I1.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 250px; float: left; margin: 2px;"><em>If they gunned me down, which picture would they use?</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>Would they paint me as a kid who had trouble in school? Who was struggling with mental illness and was probably unstable and probably running the streets at all hours of the night?</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>Or would they paint me as a kid who was loved in school by teachers? A kid who had trouble, but did their best? A kid with lots of friends and family?</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><br> <img alt src="/sites/default/files/pictures/FergusonLessonH2I2%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 273px; float: left; margin: 2px;"><em>#iftheygunnedmedown Which picture would they use? Would they mention my troubled past or that I occasionally smoked weed ...or would they mention that I was a responsible university student interested in creating a society in which young people aren't getting gunned down due to our fears , judgment , and lack of understanding. </em> <p><em>People please realize that we should never just think we know who or what someone is based on their economical status , ethnicity , gender , etc. We need to start learning more about each other rather than relying on statistics and stereotypes.</em></p> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><strong><a id="FergusonH3" name="FergusonH3"></a>HANDOUT 3</strong></h4> <p><em><a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/documents-pdfs/Ferguson%20Handouts%201-3.pdf">PDF version</a></em></p> </div> <h4>THE FOUR "I's" OF OPPRESSION&nbsp;</h4> <div>by John Bell, YouthBuild USA</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The following is a piece on four interrelated faces of any oppression. We think it helps people understand how oppression is a system, not just prejudice. &nbsp;...</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Ideological Oppression</strong> &nbsp;First, any oppressive system has at its core the idea that one group is somehow better than another, and in some measure has the right to control the other group. This idea gets elaborated in many ways—more intelligent, harder working, stronger, more capable, more noble, more deserving, more advanced, chosen, superior, and so on. The dominant group holds this idea about itself. And, of course, the opposite qualities are attributed to the other group—stupid, lazy, weak, incompetent, worthless, less deserving, backward, inferior, and so on.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Institutional Oppression</strong> &nbsp;The idea that one group is better than another group and has the right to control the other gets embedded in the institutions of the society—the laws, the legal system and police practice, the education system and schools, hiring policies, public policies, housing development, media images, political power, etc. When a woman makes two thirds of what a man makes in the same job, it is institutionalized sexism. When one out of every four African-American young men is currently in jail, on parole, or on probation, it is institutionalized racism. When gay or lesbian couples are banned from the military, it is institutionalized gay oppression. When young people are excluded from decision-making in almost every area that affects their lives, it is institutionalized oppression of young people, or adultism.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Interpersonal Oppression</strong> &nbsp;The idea that one group is better than another and has the right to control the other, which gets structured into institutions, gives permission and reinforcement for individual members of the dominant group to personally disrespect or mistreat individuals in the oppressed group. Interpersonal racism is what white people do to people of color up close—the racist jokes, the stereotypes, the beatings and harassment, the threats, the whole range of personal acts of discrimination. Similarly, interpersonal sexism is what men do to women—the sexual abuse and harassment, the violence directed at women, the belittling or ignoring of women's thinking, the pornography, the sexist jokes, etc. &nbsp;Most people in the dominant group are not consciously oppressive. They have internalized the negative messages about other groups, and consider their attitudes towards the other group quite normal.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Internalized Oppression </strong>&nbsp;The fourth way oppression works is within the groups of people who suffer the most from the mistreatment. Oppressed people internalize the ideology of inferiority, they see it reflected in the institutions, they experience disrespect interpersonally from members of the dominant group, and they eventually come to internalize the negative messages about themselves. If we have been told we are stupid and worthless and have been treated as if we were all our lives, then it is not surprising that we would come to believe it. This makes us feel bad.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Oppression always begins from outside the oppressed group, but by the time it gets internalized, the external oppression need hardly be felt for the damage to be done. If people from the oppressed group feel bad about themselves, and because of the nature of the system, do not have the power to direct those feelings back toward the dominant group without receiving more blows, then there are only two places to dump those feelings—on oneself and on the people in the same group. Thus, people in any target group have to struggle hard to keep from feeling heavy feelings of powerlessness or despair. They often tend to put themselves and others down, including their own children, in ways that mirror the oppressive messages they have gotten all their lives. Acting out internalized oppression runs the gamut from passive powerlessness to violent aggression. ...</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>The Four "I's" As An Interrelated System</strong> &nbsp;It should be clear that none of these four aspects of oppression can exist separately. &nbsp;... [E]ach is completely mixed up with the others. ... It is crucial ... [to] see any oppression as a system. It should also be clear that trying to challenge oppression in any of the four aspects will affect the other three.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>No "reverse racism"</strong>. These kinds of oppressive attitudes and behaviors are backed up by the institutional arrangements. This helps to clarify the confusion around what some claim to be "reverse racism". People of color can have prejudices against and anger towards white people, or individual white people. They can act out those feelings in destructive and hurtful ways towards whites. But in almost every case, this acting out will be severely punished. The force of the police and the courts, or at least a gang of whites getting even, will come crashing down on those people of color. The individual prejudice of black people, for example, is not backed up by the legal system and prevailing white institutions. The oppressed group, therefore, does not have the power to enforce its prejudices, unlike the dominant group. For example, the racist beating of Rodney King was carried out by the institutional force of the police, and upheld by the court system. This would never have happened if King had been white and the officers black.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>A simple definition of racism, as a system, is RACISM = PREJUDICE + POWER.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>© YouthBuild USA, 58 Day Street, Somerville, MA 02144</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2014-08-25T08:57:54-04:00" title="Monday, August 25, 2014 - 08:57">August 25, 2014</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Mon, 25 Aug 2014 12:57:54 +0000 fionta 524 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org