Workshop: Qualitative Research Workshop: Week 10

Police Brutality Against African American Males

Interview Transcription

Interviewer: What is your definition of police brutality?

Nicole Smith: I define police brutality as the acts of violence directed towards unarmed civilians by law enforcement officials.

Interviewer: Which groups of people are the most affected by police violence?

Nicole Smith: I feel like the African American population are the most affected by the issue of police violence towards unarmed individuals. Most of the cases when reported end up being termed as ‘

Interviewer: Why do you think that is so?

Nicole Smith: Structural racism has contributed to police violence towards unarmed and innocent looking individuals especially of the racial minority. Some of the law enforcement officers believe that the judicial system would act in their favor when they just twist the process to fulfil their needs. Law enforcement officials can term their activities as ‘legally justifiable’ whenever they get accused of police violence or police killings. When victims are black, the system does not follow the investigative process of what led to the events that unfolded. At the end, little can be done can be done to serve justice to the victims. Eventually the case dies down and the bad cops return to the streets to hunt for more innocent blood.

Interviewer: Have you ever been a victim of an observer of a police brutality incident?

Nicole Smith: I have once been the victim of police brutality. As kids, we used to cycle with our bikes around the neighborhood. One day, as I was riding my bike and I nearly got beaten up by a law enforcement official. According to the white cop, he felt that we, ‘black Americans’ do not deserve the privileges offered to us and that we were better off dead. Although the incident did not involve physical violence, I felt so emotionally hurt. Unfortunately even after telling my parents nothing was done to the police officer and he continued to ‘serve’ and harass African Americans

Interviewer: What were the circumstances surrounding the violence?

I was an innocent kid riding my bicycle around the neighborhood when a police officer shouted at me that we did not deserve to enjoy what the United States had to offer. While such comments may come out as casual I feel like it was an act of emotional manipulation leading me to react so that I can be a victim of a physical police violence.

Interviewer: How do you think police brutality has affected your community?

Nicole Smith: Being from a majority black neighborhood, acts such as police violence towards have caused a strained relationship between members of the community and law enforcement official.

Interviewer: What are some of the methods you feel are effective in the fight against police brutality?

Nicole Smith: Policies should be revised to ensure that law enforcement officials found to have engaged in police brutality get heavy punishment. Most people are afraid of punishment and this would therefore serve to reduce the rate of police brutality towards African American males.

Interview: (sighing) Nicole, it has been amazing interview and I would like to thank you for your time as we conclude this.

Nicole Smith: Thank you for inviting me and welcome.

Organizational Structure for Data Sources

1. Opening remarks

2. Introductory questions

3. Build up questions

4. Conclusion questions

5. Closing remarks

Transcription Services

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Reference

Deterring, N. M., & Waters, M. C. (2018). Flexible coding of in-depth interviews: A twenty-first-century approach. Sociological methods & research, 0049124118799377.

Moore, S. E., Robinson, M. A., Clayton, D. M., Adedoyin, A. C., Boamah, D. A., Kyere, E., & Harmon, D. K. (2018). A critical race perspective of police shooting of unarmed black males in the United States: Implications for social work. Urban Social Work, 2(1), 33-47.