Police violence in the USA: Kassel researcher expects further deaths

Ortlepp does not see the string of deaths as a new development: "Assaults and structural racism have long existed in many American police units, especially in rural areas," Ortlepp says. Rather, he says, what is new is that nationwide media reports of police violence are fueling outrage in black communities. That outrage, however, leads to only limited change in local conditions, he adds. "So, unfortunately, we can expect another African-American man to die as a result of police violence in the near future," Ortlepp predicts. 

According to Ortlepp, police are majority white, especially in Midwestern areas . So-called racial profiling, in which police screen African-Americans without concrete suspicion, is often used, he said. On the other hand, violence is a defining everyday experience for many African-American urban residents, he said. In Baltimore, a 25-year-old African-American died after his arrest under circumstances that have not yet been fully clarified.  

Anke Ortlepp is head of the Department of History of Britain and North America at the University of Kassel. Her previous positions include Research Fellow at the German Historical Institute, Washington, D.C., from 2005 to 2010. Ortlepp conducts research on the history and present of racism in the U.S., among other areas, and is organizing a lecture series this summer semester entitled "#Post-Racism. US American Race Relations in Historical Perspective" at the University of Kassel. 

Contact: 

Prof. Dr. Anke Ortlepp
University of Kassel
Department of History of Britain and North America
Tel.: +49 561 804-3743 (Sekr.)
Email: anke.ortlepp[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
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