Johnita Due, a CNN reporter, compiled a news report about a woman and her daughter who were shot and killed by an officer right in their own home. The reporter indicated that one of the victims was eating ice cream while the other was enjoying a video game when the incidence happened (Due, 2019). According to the recent news, the issue of police shooting on innocent persons seems a trend that occurs after a short while and mainly affects the African-Americans. The reporter sarcastically asks, “are Botham Jean and Atatiana Jefferson the ‘perfect’ victims to galvanize the nation in a sustained movement to hold the law accountable for the use of deadly and excessive force against African-Americans? Or will they be viewed as exceptions?” (Due, 2019).
Crime seems to fade as the social and human rights groups are reluctant to fight for justice on victims of police murder. Due, the CNN reporter giver perfect examples and asks rhetoric questions as a way to provoke the readers on the need to take relevant actions before the “next victims” find themselves in the same circumstance. The reporter gives a perfect example of persons such as Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castille and Walter Scott among other others who have fallen victims of police shootings, yet society seems to forget about these issues. Due in her report notes that, some cases involving police shooting, the victims got justice while a majority of the cases has never been solved. None of the reported cases has significantly changed how society assists the victims get justice. Also, some of the victims are discredited by the media as a defense strategy, and on the other hand, the perpetrators are elevated to compassionate status. Despite there being several cases of an innocent person shooting, the society, as Due reports, seems to wait for a “perfect” victim to sympathize and to show care. Sadly, the cases keep on escalating with little being done to control the situation. Essentially, Due notes that we need to be careful not to confine our outrage to the murder of the “perfect” victims. Due did the facts and analysis to the US police database on innocent shootings, evidence that there is a likelihood of more killings of unarmed African-American as compared to unarmed white Americans. Surprisingly, recent research reveals that annually, the cases of unarmed police shootings total to more than three hundred African-Americans. The reporter concludes by recommending that the police departments should be accountable while on duty and stop unjustified shootings on African-Americans. Also, Due suggests that society should be outraged to take action instead of waiting for “perfect” victims to spur the outrage (2019).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Analysis of the Event
To examine the cases of police shootings as described by Due in her report, the concept of social constructionism is essential in developing a jointly constructed understanding of the current issue based on assumptions and reality (2019). Social constructionism questions what is regarded as social reality based on social expectations and events that surround the period when the event happens. Concerning the current event when a mother and her daughter were shot at their home, we gain an in-depth understanding of the society that African-American live in due to the increase in social impunities. Also, through the facts presented by the reporter, the statistical figures evidence that black Americans are greatly affected by police shootings. Through social constructionism concept applicable in the current event under study, the issue of giving justice to white American seem to have value as compared to African-American. For instance, there are little or no cases involving the white Americans shot ( Khan, 2019). On the other hand, the instances of African-American being shot have escalated, and the victims find no justice at the end (Due, 2019).
Also, there is the concept of social stratification. The society categorizes people based on their social-economic status. Notably, the idea applies in the current case where the African-Americans struggle to find justice because of their race and social status. Due to her report notes that police killings on innocent persons significantly affects black Americans of the low political class, low income among another poor social-economic condition (Due, 2019). As a result, cases of police shootings, as listed by the reporter, continue to escalate. If no relevant measures are taken, the issue will continue to affect the African-Americans since they are the most vulnerable group.
The concept of social control, involves social norms, rules and regulations, and the general structure that regulates human behaviors. Social control significantly assists in maintaining social order as the community cannot exist without controlling the population behaviors. In application to the case of a police shooting on an innocent mother and her daughter, it was expected that the responsible police officer arrested the mother in a situation when she had done an offense instead of shooting them. The constitution of the US does not allow killing innocent people or unlawful arrests of people based on their race or social-economic class (Due, 2019). Human behaviors are governed by social norms and rules that ensure equality among all people in society, and this needs to be applied among all people in the US.
In sociology, crime is a deviant behavior whereby a person violates the prevailing norms or the set cultural standards on how human beings are expected to behave. The act of innocent shooting is classified as a crime since this is a deviant behavior according to the laws of the country and human expectations. Stringent legal measures need to be taken against any armed who take law into their hands and shoots at innocent people.
Deviance, as related in sociology, refers to any behavior which violates the social norms and warrants disapproval from society. For instance, Due reports that Botham Jean and Atatiana Jefferson are “perfect” victims of excessive use of force against African-Americans, a factor that classifies the act as defiance against the law (2019). The behavior of killing innocent persons at the comfort of their homes warrants the action as crime and violates the social norms. There are several cases mentioned in the news by the reprter, Due, on police brutality, particularly on innocent African-Americans (Due, 2019). Deviance is double-edged as it can be a criminal offense or non-criminal. However, as learned in class, and according to sociologists, deviance violates social norms and can only be classified as a crime ( Khan, 2019).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the issue of police shootings particularly African-Americans had significantly over a short time. The case of a mother and her daughter shot at their home spurred mixed reactions in the society of what is acceptable both legally and socially. Notably, the cases of injustices going on are alarming, while the relevant security administration is doing little to control the situation. The sociological concept analysis of the latest instance of police shooting evidences that the act was heinous and appropriate measure is urgently needed to curb such cases. Justice needs to be done for Botham Jean and Atatiana Jefferson while the responsible officer arrested and aligned in a court of law. Human rights groups in collaboration with human rights activists need to fight for equal rights between the white Americans and African-Americans against police brutality in the US.
Reference
Due, J. (October 24, 2019). Outrage must continue even when victims of police shootings don't seem 'perfect'. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/24/opinions/police-shooting-victim-botham-jean-atatiana-due/index.html
Khan, A. (December 5, 2019). Police shootings of unarmed black people linked to health problems for black infants . Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2019-12-05/police-shootings-black-people-babies-health
