July 12, 2002

A COMMUNITY RESPONDS
Exploring Community Reactions to Police Brutality

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  American History, Civics, Language Arts, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"Lessons From '92 Keep an Angry City Calm, By JAMES STERNGOLD", July 12, 2002

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students will learn about the recent case of police brutality in Inglewood, California. By exploring the case in detail and discussing possible responses, students will learn how such events can be transformed into learning experiences to become the impetus for community action that may prevent future events from occurring.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:   45 minutes - 1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Participate in a word association exercise using the word "police."
  2. Learn about the recent Inglewood police brutality incident by reading and discussing the article "Lessons From '92 Keep an Angry City Calm."
  3. In groups, research and summarize the Inglewood police brutality event then discuss and write recommendations for action to be taken by local government and police officials.
  4. Create posters highlighting recommendations from group work or another suggested topic.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

  1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: At the start of class, hand out one index card to each student. Write the word "police" on the board, and ask students to write down three words that come to mind when they see this word. After giving students time to respond, collect the cards and write student responses on the board without indicating which responses belong to which student (doubles need not be written twice, and care should be taken not to write words on the board that might be deemed too offensive or volatile for the classroom). Conduct a short discussion on the variety of word associations students have with the word "police." Encourage students to share personal experiences and feelings that led them to respond the way they did.
  2. As a class, read the article "Lessons From '92 Keep an Angry City Calm", focusing on the following questions:
    1. Describe James Hicks' appearance. What does his appearance tell you about the ideals for which he stands?
    2. What is the best evidence that a riot in Inglewood is unlikely?
    3. What is the difference between the Rodney King beating and this one?
    4. How has the mayor of Inglewood diffused tensions over the beating?
    5. What evidence does Mr. Ali have for claiming that the beating was not racially motivated?
    6. Describe what occurred in Inglewood, California on Saturday.
    7. What other "preventative measures" are being taken to avoid rioting?
  3. Divide students into groups of three or four. Inform them that they are members of an independent fact finding group assigned to research the Inglewood beating and recommend appropriate responses to be taken by the local government and police force. First, groups research the event by searching for newspaper articles on the Internet. Groups create a one page summary of the event based on at least three different accounts. Then each group discusses the following questions in order to determine its recommendation to the local government and police administration:
    • Could this event have been prevented?
    • What action should be taken against the officers involved? What should be the law, in general, in dealing with police brutality?
    • What changes in police training might prevent future events such as this from happening?
    • Was this a racially motivated event? How can race relations in the city of Inglewood, and the surrounding area, be improved?
    • How could a response to the event strengthen the Inglewood community?
    Groups prepare a 2-3 page recommendation based on the answers to the above questions. The recommendation should make at least three practical suggestions for responding to the event and briefly describe each one's implementation.
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: At home, students create posters highlighting one of the recommendations suggested by their group or another group, or addressing one of the following additional topics: What should civilians do when confronted by a police officer? What are civilians' rights in a police confrontation (prior to or in absence of arrest)? What recourse does a police officer have in responding to an aggressive civilian? Posters should have a short catch phrase (such as "Stop, Drop, and Roll"), a picture depicting this recommendation in action, and a short explanation of the suggestion being depicted by the poster.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on completion of word association, participation in class discussion, participation in group discussion, completion of group summary and recommendation, and completion of posters.

VOCABULARY:
embittered, eruption, sole, defused, polarize, stonewalling, denouncing, brutality, unchecked, batons

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Learn about your town or city police department's stand on racial profiling and police brutality. Interview police officers about the force's rules regarding these issues, and punishments for officers involved in them. Also research the history of your community's police force. Has it been known to racially profile? What new measures have been taken by the force to reduce or discourage this activity? Write an assessment of your community's police force, including the information you collect, and suggestions for further programs that could be instituted to reduce the frequency of such activities in the force.
  2. Research the 1992 Rodney King case. Write a book for middle school students explaining the event and discussing the issues involved. Some questions to address include: Why would police officers act this way? Why did the community react the way they did? Was the response of the community proper? What could have been done differently? What other events since 1992 have also taught us important lessons about police/community relations? What can we do to keep this from happening again? Make sure to explain the issues in a way that a middle school student can understand.
  3. Stage a talk show to address the issues behind the Inglewood police brutality event. Guests may include Mayor Dorn, the Inglewood police chief, Donovan Jackson and his father, Jeremy Morse, Najee Ali, James Hicks, and other community leaders. Make sure to avoid any violence (your goal is to help solve to problem, not add to it) and have different people present their points-of-view rationally and respectfully.
  4. Write a monologue from the point-of-view the Mayor Dorn, Donovan Jackson, Donovan Jackson's father, or Jeremy Morse. Address this person's perspective on the event itself as well as its aftermath. Perform the monologue for your class.
  5. Write a letter to Mayor Dorn responding to his reaction to the Inglewood police brutality event. Support or challenge his responses so far, and suggest ways he might continue to respond to this and other similar events in the future.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Fine Arts- Listen to the song "Like a King," by Ben Harper (from the album "Welcome to the Cruel World"). Then write your own song or poem about the recent incident in Inglewood and about police/community relations in your community or in the country at large.

Geography- Create a bilingual pamphlet for multi-ethnic civilians explaining their rights and responsibilities with respect to police officers. Take into account the specific cultural context of your audience as you write, and address issues that would pertain directly to this audience (for example, you might provide some key English phrases for a non-English speaker to use when talking to a police officer, or explain how some gestures or body language common to their culture might be misconstrued by a police officer). Also include resources specific to this community, such as community groups and cultural organizations.

Global History- Police forces around the world have varying amounts and types of licenses to respond to criminal activity. Learn about the police forces of two different countries and create a poster comparing the two. Consider topics such as use of force, responding to civilian violence, and types of weapons carried in your comparison.

Media Studies- Watch "Cops" or another show that follows law enforcement officers throughout their daily responsibilities. Write a review of the show, focusing on the impression that the show gives of both law enforcement officers and would-be "criminals." Does the show present an even-handed account of the events or is it biased? Does the show represent either law enforcement or civilians acting contrary to basic civil rights? Does the show present a realistic account of the events?

Copyright 2002
The New York Times Company

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