The Real Reasons People Blame Victims for Police Brutality

Even as the list of unarmed black people killed by police officers continues to grow, the victim-blaming continues.

This week, Cincinnati police officers released body camera footage of Samuel DuBose being shot in the head during a traffic stop and, of course, DuBose was unarmed. The police officer who killed him claimed “he feared for his life,” even though the body camera footage shows that DuBose refused to get out of the car before the officer opened fire.

[Sigh]

So, why didn’t DuBose get out of the car? Singer, DJ, and natural hair fashionista Solange summed it up perfectly in just one tweet: “Dear world, black people do not want to exit our vehicles in cop-related incidents because we’ve seen that end in murder too many times.”

And even though the Cincinnati prosecutor announced murder charges, that hasn’t stopped people from arguing with Solange and proclaiming that DuBose could have avoided being shot if he had just gotten out of the car.

Which is basically like saying, “Even though he was well within his legal rights, he was kind of asking for it.”

And when it comes to not being killed by the police the list of dos and don’ts for black people continues to grow.

[As she lists each of these reasons, the following names appear on the screen: Dontre Hamilton, Ezell Ford, Tanisha Anderson, Philip White, Yvette Smith, Sandra Bland, John Crawford III, Eric Garner, Aiyana Jones, Rumain Brisbon, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Jonathan Ferrell, Freddie Gray, Mike Brown.]

• Don’t be mentally ill.
• Don’t fall asleep on a couch.
• Look, don’t carry a pill bottle.
• Don’t use the stairs.
• Don’t play with toy guns.
• Don’t call the police for help.
• Well, don’t have a broken taillight.
• Don’t have an attitude.
• Don’t get in a car accident.
• Don’t buy an air rifle in Walmart.
• Don’t ride in a police van.
• Don’t sell loose cigarettes.
• Don’t walk in the middle of the road, man.

Or, just don’t be black.

So in light of all of these examples, why do people continue to blame the victims?

Well, for some people, acknowledging how racial bias plays a role in police brutality, it challenges the sense that America is safe and just for everyone. And for others placing blame makes them feel safe, the thinking being, “This type of injustice could never happen to me, because I behave a certain way.”

But accepting the truth can be terrifying because what it means is that for a large portion of Americans, life and death encounters with the police can be completely random and no fault of their own.

But the reality is we need to stop looking for ways to blame victims of police brutality and start holding cops accountable instead.

675 have been killed by police since January 2015. Having an attitude, selling cigarettes, or having a broken taillight isn’t a license to kill.

These victims weren’t asking for it, and we need to stop making excuses.

So, why do you think people continue to blame victims for police brutality? Let us know in the comments, and we will see you next week.