In April 2019, Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff presented a TED Talk titled ‘How We Can Make Racism a Solvable Problem: And Improve Policing’. Dr. Atiba argues that the problem of racism, especially in the police force, is solvable (Goff, 2019). The primary challenge that racism presents is its definition. In most of the cases, it is often interpreted as lack of love and compassion towards people of the other race. This definition makes it impossible to solve the problem of racism and police brutality in the United States because it would require a policy that will promote love and compassion. People choose who to love even when dealing with people of the same race. As such, Dr. Atiba suggests that the best approach to solving the problem is to redefine racism based on action. For instance, police officers should be reminded that using excessive force is an aspect of racism that they can stop. Instead of training them on the concept of love and hate, the focus should be on behavioral change and approach to handling specific tasks.
I agree with the argument of Dr. Atiba that it may not be easy to train Americans to love everyone as is taught in the bible. The government cannot develop and effectively enforce laws of love. Instead, the focus should turn into an individual’s actions. I share the view that the best way of improving policing is to focus on actions that officers take when making arrests or responding to a distress call. They need to understand that the skin color of a person cannot define who they are. As such, they need to treat everyone equally and should avoid the use of force as much as possible.
Reference
Goff, P. A. (2019). How we can make racism a solvable problem: And improve policing [Film]. TED Talk.