Kenya Downs Police Brutality Summary

Adetiba and Almendrala’s article details the traumatic side effects to viewing videos of police brutality, focusing specifically on its impact on Black people. While discussing the side effects, which are similar to that of post-traumatic stress disorder, the authors explicate the reasons as to why the Black community is particularly vulnerable to these symptoms. Citing a psychologist, the authors explain that since the majority of these videos feature Black victims, Black viewers see themselves as the victims, resulting in feelings of anxiety and danger. Although this article presents the downside to these videos, the authors offer an opposing viewpoint, explaining the political benefits to the videos of police brutality. The author notes
Citing Monnica Williams, a clinical psychologist, Downs details the symptoms of watching these videos in the context of the black community, which are remarkably similar to that of PTSD, and refers to this phenomenon as racial trauma. This trauma can lead to numerous ailments, such as depression and psychosis, and exacerbate already present conditions, like high blood pressure. Furthermore, Downs describes how many therapists may lack the cultural understanding in order to aid patients suffering from racial trauma. Thus, the damage done by watching these videos is not easily healed. Downs goes on to explain the controversy of sharing these videos, citing April Reign, a former attorney and current editor of Black Broadway, who argues that the viral and violent nature of these videos is comparable to when white people would sit and watch the lynchings of black people in the South. Throughout this article, Downs prioritizes the psychological health of Black Americans when deciding whether or not people should watch and share videos of police brutality. Specializing in both racial issues and education, Kenya Downs proves her credibility through her referencing of various experts, like activists, editors, and psychologists. Furthermore, her writing dwells specifically on the topic of police
Stuart provides an example of when a homeless man was brutally beaten by officers from the LAPD. Although there was video evidence, the cops controlled the story and claimed they were beating him to save him from eating crack cocaine. Stuart additionally cites incidences where footage is lost or incomplete, leading to little to no repercussions for the police involved. So although these videos provide explicit evidence, they often don’t result in justice and just create unnecessary trauma to its Black viewers. Being a peer reviewed article, in addition to being written by a professor, its credibility seems more than adequate. Despite it being biased, these incidences act as incredible evidence to help me refute the claim that videos of police brutality help to combat injustice, making it incredibly valuable to my paper. Furthermore, the article centers around Black Americans, which is the demographic I plan to focus on when writing my paper. To be brief, this article remains a credible and useful source, providing evidence in support of the censorship police brutality