Date of Award
3-17-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Sociology, MA
First Advisor
Sarah Kendig
Committee Members
Joseph Rukus; Steven Panageotou
Call Number
LD 251 .A566t 2019 M32
Abstract
This study conducts a qualitative thematic analysis of mass media framing of victims and perpetrators of police-involved killings of unarmed black males, the legal outcomes of the investigations into these killings, and the community response in the aftermath. This research finds five themes within the data: Dispute over Justice, Colorblind Racism, Distrust of the Criminal Justice System, Officer Vindication, and Suppression of Black Protest. I find that systemic issues in police use of force are exacerbated by preexisting racial inequalities and ideologies that perpetuate the racial status quo, wherein these killings are deemed justified. The implications that these killings convey to the black community about the significance and value of their lives are discussed, as well as a concept I coin as black disillusionment to define the state of blackness in a colorblind society.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
McCord, Robert Durell, "The New Veil of Race-Neutrality: A Critical Race Perspective on The Disproportionate Police Killings of Unarmed Black Males" (2020). Student Theses and Dissertations. 437.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/437
Included in
Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Law Enforcement and Corrections Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons
