Author: TheConversation

By Jill McCorkel, Professor of Sociology and Criminology, Villanova University Protesters and community organizers are increasingly calling for defunding and disbanding the police as a way to end police violence. Advocates argue that moderate reforms like enhanced training and greater community oversight have failed to curb police violence and misconduct. But there’s a major, and usually insurmountable, obstacle to reform: police unions. Research suggests that these unions play a critical role in thwarting the transformation of police departments. Union officials like John McNesby in Philadelphia, where I live and work as a scholar of law and the criminal justice...

By Matthew Valasik, Associate Professor of Sociology, Louisiana State University; and Shannon Reid, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina – Charlotte As protests about police violence among black people continue and become more widespread across the United States, certain individuals and groups have begun to stand out – including anarchists, agitators and members of a variety of far-right groups. With the country’s long history of racist killings, it may be confusing to think that racists and white supremacists are among those objecting to the killing of people of color. But people affiliated with far-right groups aren’t trying to be...

By Janice Chambers, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine; Director, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Mississippi State University Over recent days there have been reports of tear gas being used to control crowds protesting the death of George Floyd, so questions have arisen on the dangers of crowd control chemicals. I am a toxicologist interested in chemicals that could be used as weapons and I do research to develop therapies for some of these chemicals. What is tear gas? The term tear gas refers to a group of chemical irritants that can be used to control or disperse crowds. The...