Comment: The relationship between black men and the police

Part of your assignment asks you to comment on the relationship between black men and the police, presented in “Walking while black: Michael Brown, black men and white police officers” by Ishmael Sistrunk.

From the start of the article, Sistrunk argues that “young black men have been treated as second-class citizens by politicians and police” (ll. 10-11) since slavery ended. This suggests that, according to the writer, the police has a long history of discriminating against African Americans.

This argument is reinforced by personal examples given by the writer. He was the target of police officers while driving, mainly because he was an African American: “As a lifelong St. Louis resident, I can honestly say that the moment I received my driver’s license is the moment I became a prime target for ...