Systems Make Bad Villains: Lessons from Policing Activism Post-Floyd

Despite unprecedented momentum for police reform in 2020, lasting policy change largely failed to materialize. How did such a seemingly prime opportunity for change net so few wins? Dr. Philip Atiba Solomon, Professor of Black Studies and Psychology at Yale University and Cofounder of the Center for Policing Equity, points to a novel, underappreciated cause: That human psychology conspires against holding systems accountable. Regarding policing, that means people prefer solutions that focus on officers and their behavior—“symptom solutions”—over ones that emphasize changes to how, when, and if we use policing. Using experiments, administrative data, and interviews, Dr. Solomon shows how this bias shaped policing politics and explores ways to counteract it to achieve meaningful accountability.

Hosted by the Center for Race, Inequality and Social Equity Studies (CRISES)