Opinion | Matthew Guariglia: 'The police as an institution is not fair, balanced or objective. And yet departments are still relied upon to be the arbiters of what did and did not happen.' - NBCNewsTHINK
The early sociologist Max Weberthat the state has the monopoly on legitimate violence, meaning that in a modern nation it is only the government that is politically justified in using force. But it has also been true — to the detriment of the people — that the government, and especially police, have had the monopoly on legitimate storytelling. It’s why police press releases are treated with deference, but eye-witness testimony is scrutinized.
And because of the nature of their work, what testimony does exist can be devalued by the press and an unsympathetic white audience — especially when said testimony is coming from people of color or people with even minor criminal records. There is no such thing, however, as a “perfect” witness against police. By claiming they felt threatened, police still have an easy time legally justifying their actions even if there is video.
That is what African Americans still have to do: build a counterarchive of stories to combat police spin.
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