After a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets, both across the United States and around the world. Americans’ reactions both to Floyd’s death under officer Derek Chauvin’s knee and to the ensuing protests have followed a familiar script. Some see it as further evidence that U.S. policing is deeply racist; others think protesters are overreacting to officers trying to do their jobs. Opinion largely divides along racial lines, with some variation by party affiliation.
Why do black and white Americans have such different perceptions of what happened? Here’s what our research reveals. CONT.
Hakeem Jefferson, Fabian G. Neuner & Josh Pasek, Monkey Cage
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