WEBQUEST
POLICE
BRUTALITY
IN
THE
AND
OTHER URBAN AREAS
The School
for Excellence
INTRODUCTION:
Jose,
Jamal and
Real
quick
Have
you ever heard of anything like this happening?
How often does it happen? Why
does it happen? Is it primarily the
fault of the police, or is it mostly caused by community folk? Or both? Who does it most often happen to – is there a
particular group, or type of person who this usually happens to? In actuality, what percentage
of police officers are guilty of mistreating community people? What do they look like? Where do they come from? What has their background been like? Since they joined the police force what kind
of training have they had? (What is the
definition of training? Are we talking
about the organized, formal, staff development that officers will go through
when they attend the
The
whole topic of police brutality, or police-community relations, is very
confusing, very emotionally charged. It is
also a political football. It gets
kicked every which way, and nothing seems to get accomplished. We will not be able to find all the answers
in this class, but we can make a significant contribution to the eventual
healing, or at least improvement, of a very difficult problem. You are a community activist interested in
seeing police brutality come to an end.
You have come to realize that it’s not quite as “black and white” as you
initially thought. You realize that this
will not be solved without truly looking at it from all angles. So you decide to thoroughly research the
problem, its scope and causes, as well as the public policies already in place
to combat it. You will also propose your
own original public policy solutions in hopes of finally putting police
brutality to rest in your community.
TASK:
Your
task in this WebQuest is to produce (1) a one-page anecdotal essay (your own
experiences and opinions on the issue) and (2) a three-page action plan that
will address the problem of policy brutality and improve relations between the
police and the people in your community.
You will use the websites provided below to help you in your research,
and you will summarize your findings and ideas on the TIPS six-step Public
Policy Analyst worksheets.
PROCESS:
1.
Write
a one-page anecdotal essay in which you will answer the following questions:
a.
Do
you believe police brutality is a serious problem in your community?
b.
Have
you experienced it, or do you know anyone who has? If so, describe.
2. Using the websites provided below, research the problem of
police brutality in the
a.
TIPS Worksheet 1
(Define the problem)
b.
TIPS Worksheet 2
(Gather evidence for the problem)
c.
TIPS Worksheet 3
(Identify causes of the problem)
d.
TIPS Worksheet 4
(Evaluate existing public policy solutions)
e.
TIPS Worksheet 5
(Develop original public policy solutions)
f.
TIPS Worksheet 6
(Choose the best solution)
3. Using the information gathered from
your research, prepare a three-page action plan that analyzes the problem of
police brutality in the
RESOURCES:
http://www.pww.org/archives96/96-07-06-2.html
http://www.amnestyusa.org/rightsforall/police/nypd/nypd-02.html
http://www.oz.net/~vvawai/sw/sw33/pgs_31-40/police-brutality.html
http://shadow.autono.net/sin001/kopwatch.htm
http://www.fff.org/freedom/0497d.asp
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/bronxbeat/1999/may/may3/advocacy.html
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny16_serrano/pr_990206_brutality.html
http://www.progressive.org/mpcontreras1098.htm
EVALUATION:
An
“A” paper meets all of the criteria mentioned above, and it is superior and/or
exceptionally engaging. In addition the
paper may draw upon any number of factors: maturity of style, effectiveness of
argument, use of literary and/or rhetorical devices, depth of discussion,
sophistication of wit or quality of imagination.
A
“B” paper is clearly adequate. The prose
is able to convey the writer’s ideas, but without flair or strong control. Diction and syntax are usually appropriate,
but lack variety. The reader has a clear sense of the writer’s purpose, but is
not engaged by the prose.
A “C” paper is
barely adequate. The paper features
underdeveloped paragraphs. Transition
may be weak or absent. Although the
reader may be aware of some purpose, errors impede the fluency of the paper.
An
unacceptable paper or a “U” paper is compromised by its brevity and it
deficiency of composition, content, diction, syntax, structure, voice and
conventions of language as to render its meaning/purpose almost unintelligible.
The following
Social Studies, Standard 5:1, 5:3, 5:4 http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/socstands/socstand.html
English Language Arts, Standard 1
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/ela/elastandards/elamap.html
CONCLUSION:
By
completing this WebQuest, you have made a contribution to your community,
especially with regard to its relationship with the police. Hopefully, some of your ideas will be heeded
and this problem will improve significantly.