Mary Gillis

Stop the Violence.

Stop Police Brutality. Stop Rioting. Stop Stereotypes. Stop the Violence.

Fall 2014

People and power dont mix. Having just one person in charge with too much power is
never a good idea. Some people become addicted to having that power and dominating over
other people. It makes them feel more important and gives the ability to do anything they want
and get away with it. This is especially dangerous when it is mixed with stereotypes and racism
that our country has made and supported through the media and other avenues. However just
like with any story it goes both ways and there are people who really are just doing their job,
risking their lives and hoping to just get home to their families. Just like with any career there are
good and bad people in each career the major difference is that when there is a bad person in law
enforcement it can ruin it for good people and for other good police officers. I believe that
although there is police brutality and it does happen too African Americans that there is the other
side as well and that rioting and causing more violence and destruction is not the way and should
not be the way to solve problems and get results. We need to stop the violence from both sides;
more from the law enforcement I will admit however solving violence with violence will do
nothing. I have decided to have a campaign; if you will here is the slogan and what I am
centering my paper on. Stop Police Brutality, Stop Rioting, Stop Stereotypes, Stop Violence.
Police Brutality is, the ways in which the police have traditionally behaved in dealing
with citizens, particularly those in the lower classes. The most common practices are the use of
profane and abusive language, commands to move on or get home, stopping and questioning
people on the street or searching them in their cars, threats to use force if not obeys, prodding
with a nightstick or approaching with a pistol and the actual use of physical force or violence
itself(Reiss). African Americans are wrongly accused of a crime almost every day. They are
pulled over and stopped by police officers more. They have excesses amount of force used to
arrest and incarcerate. They have been denied rights and privileges that should be allowed to all

American citizens and people because of someones own racism and hate. The lives of African
Americanworld is not as safe as that of many other Americans. Each day, regardless of class,
they live at higher risk of assault, rape, and murder than White Americans do.. Encounter with
law enforcement officials are often negative. Being stopped by police without cause leads to
feelings of frustration, rage, powerlessness, and depression (Weaver). This needs to stop and
officers need to be held more accountable for events and other occurrences of when they do
something out of line or against the law because they are police officers and should be held even
more to the law then the average person because they are supposed to know it inside and out.
However there are law enforcement officers who were simply in a situation where they had to
make a hard choice and it ended up being the wrong one or the one that is not more correct.
Officers main job and what they are trained to do is to protect people and when they are
threatened and have someone who could potentially hurt them or others in the community they
have to make a judgment call and do something. Not only this, but, they have to live with all of
the consequences of both choices. Police officers truly see the worst our world has to offer
everyday and they have to judge and seize up every job and call they go too. Because anything
could turn wrong and go south really fast. Another problem that affects both sides is that the
media only portrays one side of the story and a lot of time it is inaccurate or is skewed for
political gain or for more viewers. No one will ever know what happened in every situation all
we have is the limited knowledge of what is available for us.
One way to help this would be to make it mandatory for every law enforcement office to
have a body cam on them at all times and to have one in every police car and to make this
footage available for the public to view it. Make someone else in charge of going over the
footage and keeping track of what officers are doing. Another idea is to make it mandatory for

every officer to have a partner with them at all times and to switch up partners every year or so
that they dont get to comfortable with each other and dont keep the other honest. One of the
best things you can do though is if you see it happening or taking place is to make a complaint
and to do something about it by calling and reporting them. And if you are on the other end of it,
as hard as it may be is to keep calm because if you do anything that could be conceived as
resisting arrest then you have lost your case but if you keep calm and give them no reason then
you get a lawyer and fight it. The truth though is that the police are going to have to make major
steps in earning the trust that they have lost in law enforcement. Stop Police Brutality.
I had an experience last Saturday night that honestly made me really question if that was
the right avenue to protest. My husband and I live downtown in Salt Lake City, as we were
driving home from hanging out with friends we saw the protesters and I thought to myself that
that is awesome that they are out there and taking a stand, however driving up a little further I
witnessed a few protestors jump out in front of a car, the car had to slam on their brakes to keep
from hitting them and they honked their horn. The protestors then started slamming their fists
onto the hood of the car. This made me extremely angry and made me want to take back my
earlier thoughts of happiness and pride for the protestors. I know that those thoughts however
were wrong and I know that the whole group should not be held responsible for the actions of
one.
Rioting and fighting violence with violence is not the way to handle injustices and laws.
What it does is continued to feed into stereotypes and hurts your own community and members
in the community. It is economically detrimental, Property risk might seem higher in central
city neighborhoods than before the riots, causing insurance premiums to rise; taxes for income
redistribution or more police and fire protection might increase, and municipal bonds may be

more difficult to place; retail outlets might close; businesses and employment opportunities
might relocate(Francis) all of which are detrimental for the community. What does it teach the
next generation that the only way to solve problems is through violence? It is the easiest way
and definitely gets more attention but it does not pass laws or change people opinions it only
hardens them and makes them more close minded. We need to peacefully protest, send letters to
news stations to governors and to our community leaders, spread the word on Facebook,
challenge people to do something. It requires dedication, patience, and persistence. Stop Rioting.
I interviewed an African American protective services officer, his name is Skyler Talbot
my husband and him went through the academy together and have been good friends. I asked if
he thinks that law enforcement stereotypes people or if he has been the victim of stereotyping.
This was his reply, Honestly, I think that the general public calls it stereotyping but the police
call it using their past experience, if I see a young kid driving a civic at am in an area known for
drugs I would more likely stop him then if I saw an old lady in a van at the same time and
place.(Talbot). Law enforcement is trained to notice things and pick out things that are out of
place and or dont look right. Sadly because of the media and the way that our world is, is that it
makes some of their choices the wrong one because they go in having preconceived notions and
some officers let that get the better of them. The truth is that stereotyping is not something we
were born with it is something that is taught. If you dont believe me then all you need to do is
turn on the television and observe what is on. Pamela T. Reid, Investigated the behavior of
Black and White characters on comedy programs to determine whether there were differences in
their portrayal. It was hypothesized that Black characters would differ from White ones along
several dimensions (e.g., activity level and dominance) and that White characters on Black
programs would behave differently from Whites on White or mixed programs. Three episodes

each of Black, White, and mixed comedy programs were videotaped. Raters tallied the behavior
of 110 different characters on 12 types of behavior(the findings) indicated that racial
stereotypes and sex role stereotypes were the basis for character portrayals on TV. The
differences between Black female and White female characters seemed crucial to the depiction
of the races. In addition, the portrayal of White characters on Black programs was
negative(Reid). This supports that stereotypes, even if we dont agree with them are being
thrown at us from every angle. Only animals use their paws, Men use their minds(O'Brien).
However it is up to us as individuals to let either have that define our actions and choices or to
try to change ourselves and beliefs by acknowledge that you are feeling a certain way and not let
that affect our decisions. Another thing that can help is to have conversations with people who
are falling into the system so that you can stand up for others and help the person see that they
need to change as well. Stop Stereotyping.
Stop Violence. I know that simply following these steps will not solve all of the violence
and will not bring world peace but I am hoping that it will get us a little bit closer to that and
closer to respecting each other. Not only that but trying to understand that every story has two
sides and that no matter what everyone loses something in the end.
Brainstorming Interventions
I had so many different ideas while I was brainstorming how to help the problem and what
would have the biggest affect and what would reach the most people. I knew social media was
the key because it is so accessible and almost everyone is on there in some way or another. I
then thought of the ALS challenge and I knew that is what I wanted.
Intervention

My intervention is going to be to peacefully protest and raise money for families who have lost
loved ones through hate crimes. It will be similar to the ALS ice bucket challenge. But instead
of dumping ice water on your head you are dared to do a flash mob in which you creatively use
the slogan to help get the word out and educate people about ending violence by stopping police
brutality. If they choose not to complete the dare then they have to donate money to the fund
to help families who have lost loved ones through hate crimes.
Cost of Intervention
Initially the cost would not come into play because it would really be free to make your video
and post it the only thing that would cost is what you use in your video.
Resistance to Intervention
I could see some resistance coming from people who are against using social media to express
your social and political problems or injustices. And from those who do not believe there is a
problem.
Support for Intervention
My biggest concern would be how to connect donations to families. I am not sure how I would
find those families. That would really be my biggest hurdle and obstacle. I would have to do a
lot more research and would have to find connections and supporters. I think the supporters are
there but having someone assist me with the technical parts would be challenging.
Desired Outcome
My ultimate desired outcome is to bring this issue into the light and to see procedures that come
from this, like each office is required to wear a body camera or something to help change. But
honestly if I change a few people view or helped a few families out it would be worth it.

Bibliography
Black in America: Black & Blue. Dir. Soledad O'Brien. Perf. CNN. 2014. Youtube.
Francis, David R. "How the 1960's Riots Hurt African-Americans." n.d. the National Bureau of Economic
Research. Document. 07 12 2014.
Reid, Ramela T. "Racial sterotyping on television: A comparison of the behavior of both Black and White
television characters." Journal of Applied Psychology (1979): Vol 64(5), 465-471.
Reiss, Alber J. "Police brutality-answers to key questions." Trans-action, Volume 5, Issue 8, pp 10-19
(n.d.). Document.
Talbot, Skylar. Protective Services Officer Mary Gillis. 21 November 2014. Phone.
Weaver, Hilary N. "Exposure to Violence." Weaver, Hilary N. Explorations in Cultural Competence.
Belmont: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2005. 122.