Sociologists Take Historic Stand on Racism and Police Brutality

The 2014 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA) took place in San Francisco on the heels of the killing of unarmed black teen, Michael Brown, at the hands of a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. It also happened during a community uprising shrouded in police brutality, so many sociologists in attendance had the national crises of police brutality and racism on their minds. The ASA, however, created no official space for discussion of these issues, nor had the 109-year-old organization made any kind of public statement on them, despite the fact that the amount of published sociological research on these issues could fill a library. Frustrated by this lack of action and dialog, some attendees created a grassroots discussion group and task force to address these crises. Neda Maghbouleh, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto-Scarborough, was one of those who took the lead. Explaining why, she said, â€Å"We had a critical mass of thousands of trained sociologists within two blocks of each other at ASA—equipped to marshal history, theory, data, and hard facts toward a social crisis like Ferguson. So ten of us, complete strangers, met for thirty minutes in a hotel lobby to hash out a plan to get as many concerned sociologists as possible to contribute to, edit, and sign a document. I was committed to helping in any way possible because it’s moments like these that affirm the value of social science for society.† The document† Dr. Maghbouleh refers to is an open letter to U.S. society at-large, that was signed by over 1,800 sociologists, this author among them. The letter began by pointing out that what transpired in Ferguson was born of â€Å"deeply ingrained racial, political, social and economic inequities,† and then specifically named the conduct of policing, especially in black communities and in the context of protest, as a serious social problem. The authors and signatories  implored â€Å"law enforcement, policymakers, media, and the nation to consider decades of sociological analysis and research that can inform the necessary conversations and solutions required to address the systemic issues that the events in Ferguson have raised.† The authors pointed out that much sociological research has already established the existence of society-wide problems present in the case of Ferguson, like â€Å"a pattern of racialized policing,† historically rooted â€Å"institutionalized racism within police departments and the criminal justice system more broadly,†Ã‚  the â€Å"hyper-surveillance of black and brown youth,† and the disproportionate targeting and disrespectful treatment of black men and women by police.  These troubling phenomena foster  suspicion about people of color, create an environment in which it is impossible for people of color to trust police, which in turn undermines the ability of police to do their job: serve and protect. The authors wrote, â€Å"Instead of feeling protected by police, many African Americans are intimidated and live in daily fear that their children will face abuse, arrest, and death at the hands of police officers who may be acting on implicit biases or institutional policies based on stereotypes and assumptions of black criminality.† They then  explained that brutal police treatment of protestors is â€Å"rooted in the history of repression of African American protest movements and attitudes about blacks that often drive contemporary police practices.† In response, sociologists called for â€Å"greater attention to the conditions (e.g., joblessness and political disenfranchisement) that have contributed to the marginalization of residents† of Ferguson and other communities, and explained that â€Å"focused and sustained government and community attention on these issues is required to bring about healing and a change in the economic and political structures that have thus far ignored and left many in such areas vulnerable to police abuse.† The letter concluded with a list of demands required for â€Å"an appropriate response to the death of Michael Brown,† and to address the larger, nation-wide issue of racist police policies and practices: Immediate assurance from law enforcement authorities in Missouri and the federal government that constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of the press will be protected.A civil rights investigation into the incidents related to the death of Michael Brown and general police practices in Ferguson.The establishment of an independent committee to study and analyze the failures of the policing efforts during the week following Michael Brown’s death. Ferguson residents, including leaders of grassroots organizations, should be included on the committee throughout this process. The committee must provide a clear roadmap for resetting community-police relations in a way that grants oversight power to residents.An independent comprehensive national study of the role of implicit bias and systemic racism in policing. Federal funding should be allocated to support police departments in implementing the recommendations from the study and ongoing monitoring and public reporting of key benchmarks (e.g., use of force, arrests by race) and improvements in police practices.Legislation requiring the use of dash and body-worn cameras to record all police interactions. Data from these devices should be immediately stored in tamper-proof databases, and there should be clear procedures for public access to any such recordings.Increased transparency of public law enforcement, including independent oversight agencies with guaranteed full access to law enforcement policies and on-the-ground operations; and more streamlined, transparent and efficient procedures for the processing of complaints and FOIA requests.Federal legislation, currently being developed by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), to halt the transfer of military equipment to local police departments, and additional legislation to curtail the use of such equipment against domestic civilian populations.Establishment of a ‘Ferguson Fund’ that will support long term strategies grounded in the principles of social justice, systems reform and racial equity to bring about substantial and sustained change in Ferguson and other communities facing similar challenges. To learn more about the underlying issues of systemic racism and police brutality, check out The Ferguson Syllabus compiled by  Sociologists for Justice. Many of the readings included are available online.

The Collision of Ones Conscience and Human Law - 1113 Words

The collision of ones conscience and human law is inevitable. Human law is a law generated and made by man. These laws contribute to how society functions and how society is controlled legally. Human law is more familiar to us because our ways of thinking have lived, grown and developed in a society where conforming to human law is practiced by majority. The interference of ones conscience and human law creates an ongoing debate of whether the law or personal morals should come first when a conflict regarding the two presents itself. When choosing between the two, man commonly chooses to trust human law and ignore their conscience in order to feel accepted into society. This diminishes the chances for man to counter and test the unjustness’s in society. The conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment that assists in distinguishing right from wrong. The corruption of governmental control over society leads man to doubt his own ethics and consciousness. The Human Law destructs and damages the most important law of all: Natural Law. Natural law, the law that was bestowed upon us by a higher power, allows man to use his conscience to apply our personal ethics to the world around us. In order to find the moral and ethical solution to a conflict, mans conscience should be trusted and chosen when a conflict between the two arises. In the analogical words of Henry David Thoreau, when man is presented with an unjust law he can do three things: follow it, break it andShow MoreRelatedThe Conflict Perspective Views Society Less as a Cohesive System and More as an Arena of Conflict and Power Struggles. Compare and Contrast the Main Tenets of the Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives.1319 Words   |  6 PagesThe â€Å"Collective Conscience† is the force which influences the behavior of the people. 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Mill argues that the only restraints set upon people are those in order to prevent someone from doing direct harm to another1 . Rawls goes one step further, where he solves not only the idea of freedom but also the issue of equality in freedom that is not touched upon by previous philosophers. Although the ideas presented by John Rawls may seem far fetched in their mechanisms, I feel thatRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain2951 Words   |  12 Pagesâ€Å"The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain is one of the most successful literature novels in American literature. St. Petersburg, a town on the banks of the Mississippi River, is where the story plot unfolds in times leading to the Civil War. The main characters come from different backgrounds, but combine their willingness to escape what they can’t control. Huckleberry Fin â€Å"Huck Finn† is an uneducated but independent boy who gains intellect through his newly acquired experiences and from

Kool-Aid Plus with Centrum Free Essays

Kool-Aid has been a drink of choice for kids for the past two decades. It is known for a tasty, cool, and refreshing taste for many generations of children and their parents. Kool-Aid has been able to identify their target market and market towards the specific needs of these families. We will write a custom essay sample on Kool-Aid Plus with Centrum or any similar topic only for you Order Now Kool-Aid has always been very affordable however, not the most healthiest of choices. The environment of marketing towards families today has swayed towards being more health conscious. Health issues are becoming a main concern for parents because of the growing number of obese and inactive children who live in the United States. Kool-aid has now found a way to make its product new and improved to the more health conscious consumer. It’s called Kool-Aid Plus. The company is strongly committed to providing moms and kids a product that combines the great flavor of Kool-Aid while providing a â€Å"better for kids† beverage option to help support a healthier lifestyle. The goals are to make a real difference for kids that are growing for a healthy lifestyle. The consumer target market: Families, especially mothers, with average incomes and a kid or kids that are over 18 months old to 12 years old. How are we going to target our market: We will attempt to reach our target market by advertising through channels read and watched by mothers. Magazines, such as Better Homes and Gardens or Oprah, are the perfect channels to reach these mothers with families. We will also advertise our product on major television networks watched by women. The Lifetime Network, The Home and Garden Network, The Cooking Channel, and The Oxygen Channel are all good examples of networks watched by women. Major retailers like Wal-Mart or Target would carry our products because they are major superstores. These superstores are great one stop destinations for mothers because these stores carry many products. Mothers will not have to give up their precious time traveling from store to store. The company will also give specific details on how we want our product placed on shelves or displays. Grocery stores will also be primary targets of which we will distribute the product because of the amount of mothers who shop there. These consumers also have the desirable amount of income needed to buy our product. Product development: The idea to make an alternative solution besides regular Kool-Aid was developed because parents are becoming more educated about kid’s health and fighting child obesity that has been an issue across America. Since Kool-aid has instructions to add a significant amount of sugar content rather higher than other kid’s drinks, we decided to make the product with less added sugar and cobrand it with Centrum for kids. Parents will have to worry less about their child’s daily vitamin intake. The product will still not be the healthiest of products however, it provides competition with healthier drinks like V8 and milk. The product will also be able to compete with soda. It may not provide the taste of soda however, it is a significantly healthier solution. [pic] As you can see from the Nutrition Facts there is low fat and cholesterol however, there is a significant amount of sugar. Instead of 7 grams of sugar the company would like to lower the amount to around 5 grams. The less sugar intake along with Centrum Vitamins will allows the company not to sway too far from the original taste of the product. Price Point: The price will vary depending on the product of quantity. Kool-aid plus will be priced slightly higher than the regular kool-aid products. Regular Kool-Aid packets are around 50 cents, the company plans on selling Kool-aid Plus for 55 cents. This will keep our existing customers because of the slight differential however, allows the company to sustain higher revenues. The price will also help place the product as being better than the previous Kool aid products. Promotion: The Kool-aid mascot is seen by mothers and children and is easily identifiable. We have decided to add a headband to the Kool-aid mascot to show that he is more health conscious now. He will emphasize the importance of daily vitamins in child’s lives. Placement: We will try to hit heavily on commercials between 8:00 a. m – 12:00p. m on Saturdays because of cartoons. Our hope is that children will be excited about the Kool-aid mascot and will encourage their mothers to buy it. We will also have the product placed at the end of the aisles in grocery stores to bring attention with people who walk by. The marketing mix will have to be perfectly used in order to promote and sell Kool-aid Plus. By identifying our target market which are mothers and families with children and average incomes, and advertising towards that market, we hope that our product will sell. Advertising will need to be directed towards these mothers by using media channels directed towards mothers. Magazines, such as Better Homes and Gardens and Oprah, are examples of where printed advertisements will be effective. There are media channels such as commercials on networks largely watched by mothers such as lifetime and The Soap Opera Network where women could see the commercials. The product will be located in one stop superstores as well as grocery stores so the product will be easily accessible for women. We want to position our product on ends of aisles as well as near water so the product will be seen as complementary with other groceries. Our hope is to offer a product that is healthier than our previous products and still has that great Kool-Aid taste. How to cite Kool-Aid Plus with Centrum, Papers

Medical Care as a Right A Refutation

Question: Who does this support? Who has medical rights? What does this say about patients rights? How does this relate to modern day medical care? Do you feel people are deprived of services? Why? How do you feel regarding this authors opinion? Answer: R.M. Sade, Medical Care as a Right: A Refutation, New England Journal of Medicine 285 (1971): 1281, 1289 Sades research on medical care, he supports the doctor stating that medical care is service payables at a fee for his upkeep, indicating that it is immoral for patients to expect provision of care without paying for it. Patients right to seek medical care is entirely dependent on their ability to pay the doctor providing medical services, and; hence, provision of care without remuneration is not a privilege. Concerning modern day care, Sade is of the opinion that patients in need of care get a turn down due to lack of funds to pay for the services denying them the medical care they need. Patients in need of care experience deprivation of the services when they are not able to pay for the service either in cash or by use of insurance cover, which is basically because the provision of care is dependent on the patients ability to pay. Sades opinion reveals that there is the need to have remuneration for the provision of services to the professionals providing care as this money is put to use by them to meet their needs. However, Sades opinion has a bias as it only focuses on the money thus not giving any regard to patients right to access care even without money especially in emergency cases where there is no financial preparedness. P.H. Elias, (Letter to Editor), New England Journal of Medicine 314, no. 6 (1986):391 Elias research supports that insurance companies providing medical cover have made provision of care a business placing the patient lower than the company. In turn, this depicts physicians as those who have a money-orientation and lack dedication to their work. He is of the opinion that patients have rights to access care with or without a medical cover. Elias reveals that patients have the rights to medical care but due to the influx of insurance companies, it has; however, become a business for the companies. In modern day, care for patients from physicians has become a business depriving those patients who are not financially capable medical care. Patients without a cover or cash have no access to care. Provision of medical care to patients ought to be offered even without payment as it is their right. Physicians have been depicted as money-oriented and professions without a dedication to their work or have a concern to the patients. However, the opinion does not have any consideration of the source of income for the professions if they chose to treat without any remuneration. References R.M. Sade, Medical Care as a Right: A Refutation, New England Journal of Medicine 285 (1971): 1281, 1289 P.H. Elias, (Letter to Editor), New England Journal of Medicine 314, no. 6 (1986):391