The killing of a homeless man by Los Angeles police added yet another incident to the list of high-profile police killings that have rocked the US over the last year. Now the Justice Department is issuing reports and recommendations on police bias, hoping to help repair relations between officers and citizens.
George Kelling was one of the two men who developed “broken windows” policing, which minority communities say unfairly targets them. But Kelling says the theory is misunderstood and even easily misapplied in potentially racist ways, even as it may have helped drive down crime rates nationwide.
Demonstrators have marched in cities across the US to protest a grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer for the killing of Eric Garner. But while protesters say they’re angry and fearful, there are also encouraging signs in how black communities have rallied to each other.
The cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner in the US have their own analogues in Brazil, where relations between black citizens and police are also tense. But one Brazilian activist hopes the news from the US could push Brazilians to talk more openly about racial issues.