Unseen Ripples: Police Violence’s Far-reaching Effects
Late one October evening in Baton Rouge, a high-speed crash rattled a sleeping neighborhood. An off-duty officer, speeding through the quiet streets, collided with a family car, sending it into a deadly spin. Inside the vehicle was Seyaira, a one-year-old who never regained consciousness. This tragic scene is a startling reminder of the unseen ripples police violence casts over individuals, families, and communities.
The Overlooked Hazard
Police violence in the United States represents a chronic and pervasive threat to public health, extending far beyond the direct victims. Its impacts ripple across generations, deeply embedded in structural racism and systemic inequity.
And it seems increasingly relevant each day.
Traditional approaches to examining these impacts have often missed the broader picture, focusing narrowly on singular incidents without considering the sweeping effects over time. This oversight fails to capture the complex web of physical, psychological, and socio-economic harm endured by victims, witnesses, and communities.
Challenging Assumptions
While it might be comfortable to think that police violence only affects those directly involved, current research shows a different reality. Witnesses, family members, and entire neighborhoods are shocked, their lives altered permanently.
For instance, the study using data involving 573 cases of fatal interactions with police highlights that the effects of police violence—much like an earthquake—are felt long after the initial impact. Unlike a singular event, these interactions are part of a continuum of stress and trauma affecting those intertwined in the victims’ lives.
Reframing Our Understanding
Dr. Jé Judson and Dr. Mienah Z. Sharif propose a dynamic model that views police violence as recurrent and widespread, akin to aftershocks that continue to disrupt long after the initial event. This reconceptualization is framed through the lens of Public Health Critical Race Praxis (PHCRP), emphasizing the persistent, racialized nature of policing.
What This Means in Practice
This expanded framework is critically important for public health professionals, researchers, and policymakers to consider:
- Data Collection: Move beyond incident-based data to include longitudinal community impacts.
- Intervention Development: Frame interventions to address the intergenerational and community impacts of police violence.
- Cross-sector Collaboration: Leverage resources across social service, health, and legal domains to support affected communities comprehensively.
Barriers & Challenges
Approaching police violence with this breadth poses challenges:
- Resource Allocation: Expanding research scope requires sustained funding and institutional support.
- Community Trust: Engaging affected communities must prioritize rebuilding trust and ensuring their voices guide the work.
Future Pathways & Open Questions
To effectively counteract the widespread damage of police violence, research needs to evolve:
- How might public health frameworks be adapted to prioritize prevention and response across the life course?
- How can data systems be engineered to capture nuanced, multi-level impacts of police violence?
- What resources and partnerships are essential for grassroots movements to confront and reduce police violence?
As public health professionals, addressing police violence means facing the uncomfortable truths of systemic racism with transparency and action. The work to untangle these complex and pervasive impacts is critical to building a just and healthy society.
