Social Analysis Project Proposal
In this research for the social analysis proposal my group and I will be focusing on a social problem that we struggle with here in Canada. There are so many social problems that Canada faces daily but one that we found to be very important and has a huge impact on our population would be police brutality. This has become such a huge problem because no one seems to acknowledge how much it bothers the Black and the Indigenous Community. As individuals who have gone through generational traumas the law enforcement system should be able to understand that these people have lost their identity, family, togetherness through the generational trauma that their ancestors faced and now they are facing. They deserve to be accepted and given the same privilege as any other White person would have. They also deserve to be seen as people who also struggle with a mental illness, not just crimes because most of the time they are being mistaken as drug dealers, gang members, and weak individuals. Police brutality between the Blacks and the Indigenous community will only end in Canada if we all come together and use our voices to encourage others that something can be done. They can never do it alone if others do not voice out to the world that things need to change. A person that you might mistake for a drug dealer might be dealing with some mental illness challenges. That is why it is always a good thing for police officers to investigate before they jump into conclusion by quoting that the individual seems dangerous and alarmed. Most black people have lost their innocent lives just because of a broken system. If we do not find ways in which policing in Canada can improve, we first need to come together as one and try to fix the system in any way that we can. If we do not do it now things will never change, people will continue to lose their lives and face consequences that are not meant for them, also policing will continue to get away with their evil plans of killing these people who are trying to survive on a daily basis just like anyone else. Charity starts with people who also see the problem. If we voice it out, someone else somewhere might also see the same problem and acknowledge it. These ethnicity groups need us now more than ever and this is how we show them the support that they deserve. (Jane Ondati)
Before researching more about police brutality, we already recognize that police violence is a very serious issue. Police officers have huge responsibilities to protect the safety of their citizens given power to detain, question, and arrest. However, some policemen abuse their power by using their authority and unnecessary force against individuals for reasons such as hatred of a race. For instance, the case of George Floyd portrays hatred as a policeman pressed Floyd to the ground and knelt on his neck despite being told by Floyd that he couldn’t breath. The police ignored him and continued, causing his death. From our perspective, the police should not have used such violent behaviour on a citizen to detain him especially if there was no sign that he was going to fight back. George Floyd is a black man and the policeman is a white man, and we believe that this is racial discrimination. Racial discrimination reveals the common reality of injustice since he receives such cruel treatment because of his skin colour. No matter what people of colour encounter, they must be taken seriously because everyone has human rights. Police brutality has been an on-going issue for over a century, and I believe all police should act professionally because their mistakes are leading to many deaths of innocent individuals. (Jia Jie Li)
Living in a city of diverse groups, both majority and minority, it is hard to miss experiences of how people are treated differently, both by local people and the government. The world is divided into ranks based on cultures, races, sexuality, gender, social status, and many more groups. People perceive these ranks differently, and if your group is perceived to be in a “better” rank based on the above characteristics, you will receive different treatment compared to those of lower ranks. This is what attacks police brutality against minority groups. Police brutality, which is a form of structural violence, is a social issue that has affected black communities across Canada for a long time. It is rare to miss a black Canadian friend, fellow student, or colleague at work. Listening to their sad stories about how police officers have brutally harassed their relatives or friends just because of their skin color or race is heartbreaking. I would never wish any of my friends or relatives to go through such ordeals because of their race. Videos and images of police brutality towards black people have been common, especially in the past two years. These videos have meaning and hold power. The recent killing of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, which went viral and through collective voice, and many other families that have lost their loved ones through police brutality deserves justice. Therefore, police brutality affects everyone in one way or another, whether you are a black Canadian or white Canadian. This calls for a change, and change requires determination and unity. (Mary Yemane)
In today’s society police brutality has played a major role in a lot of individuals’ everyday life decisions. Personally from the perspective of an african american one can infer that by simply seeing blue, red and white can make a person nervous even if they are not doing anything wrong. A study by CTV news analysis states “ Indigenous and Black Canadians are far more likely to die in a police shooting than white Canadians.” (2020) This is just one of the reasons why I tend to fear the police rather than feel protected by them. I personally believe a lot of police brutality is a reflection of lack of training. There have been numerous accounts where I am hearing or reading stories that involve a police shooting an individual before assessing the situation. An example of this is a cop shooting an individual because they lack knowledge on the situation and how to defuse it without weapons. There have been countless incidents where a cop shots and kills a mentally ill person because they don’t know how to handle the situation. In the future I plan on becoming a nurse. I believe that police brutality will play a role/ affect how I look, treat and assess my patients. Seeing the mistakes that police make has taught me to not prejudge others based on their appearance and behaviour.
Some questions we have in regards to police brutality include:
What are the protocols for handling an individual with mental illness?
How long does a police officer have to wait before they are given a gun? Do they have to undergo an assessment? (Teanna Peters-Harding)
Why do police not have to get additional training or mental health checks once they become officers?
Why does it generally only take 24 weeks – 6 months to become an officer or constable in Canada when it is such a demanding and difficult job?
Why are power trips so common in positions of authority?
Why does the idea of “shoot first, ask questions later” still have a place in society?
Why do police officers tend to get significantly lighter charges for committing crimes than civilians? (Jacqueline Ribeiro)
Thank you for your proposal! You have chosen a very important topic, and your proposal shows that you have started thinking about it. It also appears that you have worked well together as a group. Again, well done!
Your report is well organized, however please make sure you assign someone to proofread and trim down your final report so that you stay within the page count (5-6 pages). Your proposal is longer than the maximum page count and would have benefitted from more paragraph breaks and more concise sentences. In your report, make sure the first sentence of each paragraph is a clear topic sentence that outlines what the paragraph is about. Then, make sure each sentence that follows supports the topic sentence and contains new rather than repetitive information.
You have asked some interesting questions in part 5 of the proposal, but not all of them are relevant for the report. Recall that the purpose of the assignment is to analyse factors that contribute to/cause the social issue. In order to do this, in the report you must apply the Triangle Model of Social Analysis. This means that you need to look at the history and context of the police brutality. You must then research and analyse the 1. structures/systems, 2. ideologies and 3. individual beliefs that contribute to the problem of police brutality. Take a look at the Triangle Model in your textbook for details (around page 76, also posted in the content section). I will be posting a sample outline for the report on the noticeboard which will assist you. In the meantime, make sure you start thinking about how your research fits into the Triangle Model. Again, the purpose of the assignment is to analyse the root causes of a problem using the Triangle Model. Solutions can be discussed in the conclusion of the report.
Some of the questions in number 5 might help you examine the individual beliefs that officers and society hold which contribute to the problem, and others might point at structural issues. however some are not relevant to the assignment. Please make sure you revise the questions you are asking so that you are focusing on the points I’ve outlined above.
Make sure you find academic articles and/or reports from local NGOs. News articles are a great way to start learning about a topic, however in order to conduct substantive research for the report and to apply the Triangle Model of Social Analysis, you will need additional sources. I recommend that you locate and use the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s recent report on anti-Black racism and racial profiling. The work of Desmond Cole (The Skin We’re In) and Robyn Maynard (Policing Black Lives) will also be helpful to review. Both authors have books (referenced above) as well as numerous articles and videoclips online.
I look forward to seeing how you integrate this feedback in your final report. Please take a look at the marking rubric for additional feedback on the proposal. As well, please make sure you read the instructions and the marking rubric for the report so that you fulfill all of the assignment’s requirements.
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