Photo credit:snowcrash98/Foter/CC BY-SA
The shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014 ignited anger and frustration in that community. When a grand jury failed to indict the police officer involved in that shooting, violence erupted in Ferguson and protests followed in cities across the country. A little more than a week after the Missouri grand jury decision, a grand jury in New York failed to return an indictment against a police officer accused in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man. These incidents and others have ignited fierce debate across the nation about the fairness of our judicial system and concern about increasing police brutality.
Is our judicial system unfair to black citizens? Are the police too quick to use deadly force?High school and college students across the country are participating in protests over the recent grand jury outcomes. Students can find the latest articles on these topics in SIRS Issues Researcher. In addition, ourDiscrimination in Criminal JusticeandRacial Profilingleading issues provide specific debate questions and pro/con arguments to support each side.
