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Using Force for Social Problems

Recently police have been shooting people who do not seem to be armed, raising
questions of sending the police to every issue that arises. An article by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The
Myth of Police Reform, is about how police have used their force on social problems. We
analyze the situation by using logic of if they were justified? Coates thinks we should ask instead
were we justified in sending [police]? In fact Coates claim as Americans our answers lay in
our criminal justice system, and our social problems are being dealt with by police.
Coates lists cases that have been handled by police and each case had different symptoms
of social problems, but all resulted in death. He states the problems with expectations of crimefighters to be more like social workers. He writes about his African American history
distinguishing the word Power and Authority. African Americans have lived under the
power of the criminal-justice system, not its authority. The dominant feature in the relationship
between African Americans and their country is plunder, and plunder has made police authority
an impossibility, and police power a necessity. (Coates)
Coates writes about police officers fight crime and are not other professionals. He states
restoring police authority is more a problem of democratic authority. He uses a metaphor of
solving all our problems with a hammer, and asks why the police seem to have lost their minds
is to ask why our hammers are so bad at installing air-conditioners. Using hammers to try to fix
what other tools can do is quite daunting, I can see how trying to send an officer to help in a
situation where other expertise is needed.
In short the writer explains the reform that starts with the officer is not reform. We need
to change the American preference for actions of bad individuals as opposed to the system we

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use to enforce it. If we are constantly using hammers to fix a job where a screwdriver could best
fix the problem, then reform will help.
Reading this article, I had different views, one from his side as presented, and another
from the side of the many people who are affected when there is a police shooting. I am not
African American and cannot understand the hardships, but I can use the words given and try. I
can also try to be in the shoes of the wives of the police officers who put their lives on the line to
help fight crime. I can try and be the officer who has a split decision of pulling the trigger. I think
as humans these are the things we try to do before we make a quick judgment. After I read this
article I felt there is a need for reform, I think it can happen either soon or in the near future.
However, Coates had a few fallacies with his examples he listed using pathos to over simplify
social problems.
Coates suggests that Americas best answer to every social problem is the criminaljustice system. He claims that our social problems are homelessness, drug use, the inability to
support ones children, mental illnesses are being solved by police who specialize in inspiring
fear and ensuring compliances. Coates meekly suggests that the social problems listed above
should be dealt with in other ways than the police. If drug use, which is illegal in most states,
shouldnt be handled by the police, then who should handle it? Additionally, the inability to
support ones children is handled by more than the police. The police get involved when a citizen
has become brazen enough as to not take care of their duties as a parent or human. The police get
involved with mental illness when the person is harming themselves or others. Mental illness has
a variety of conditions that people are able to live with and be functioning adults without the
police being involved.

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In the article he talks about a case with Walter Scott fleeing from the North Charleston
Police. He suggests that Scott was fleeing from incarceration. Later in the article he asks, Was
Walter Scotts malfunctioning third-brake light worth a police encounter? Yes, the answer is
yes. I feel the writer portrays Scotts traffic stop unnecessary, Coates is using pathos to make the
reader seem like he should not have been pulled over and an altercation had occurred. Although,
he may have been pulled over for a simple thing, in many states its a safety factor to have brake
lights out. Also cars used to not have trunk door release levers installed in the trunk. If you ever
got stuck in a trunk via kidnap or accident, ways to get peoples attention is to pull all the cords
or anything you can reach to get the lights out. Even kicking the light assembly out, making it
obvious for a police officer to pull the car over.
Coates creates a logical fallacy when he writes about Tony Robinson from Madison,
Wisconsin was killed because he was high on mushrooms and chased a car. The writer doesnt
talk about Robinsons actions that night. An NBCNews.com article by M. Alex Johnson explains
the police were called because Robinson was jumping in front of cars and intimidating
bystanders. According to Johnsons report [officer] was repeatedly punched and charged by
Robinson, who he feared would either kill him or knock him out and take his weapon. The
police officer didnt have the ability to use non-lethal force.
The writer give example of Anthony Hill, who was mentally ill, stripped off clothing and
was jumping off his balcony. The police were called. They killed him. Coates doesnt let you
know that Hill charged at the officer. NYtimes.com Ashley Southall cites that the officer fired
two shots at the man in a parking lot after the man charged at him and ignored his commands to.
Is a police officer not going to take any action when a perpetrator is running at them and refuses

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to listen to orders? Coates used this as a form of logos to give evidence that Hill has been killed
for just stripping off clothes and being a nuisance.
Coates article was well written and it gave me insight on how he feels about what is
happening today with police force and citizens. I had to research the cases he supplied because it
made me interested to find out what had happened since he didnt give more details on the
instances. Once I learned more about them I felt he shouldve explained more in depth of how
exactly they fit into his writing, instead of me making the decision on my own they were not a
great fit for Coates article. I understand what Coates is saying on how we need to find better
ways of dealing with social problems than just sending in hammers. We also need find how we
can reform without it being a myth. Times change with each generation, I hope we can find a
way to make this change of police and public reform.

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Works Cited
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. "The Myth of Police Reform." The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 15 Apr.
2015. Web. 13 July 2015
Johnson, M. Alex. "Tony Robinson Shooting: No Charges for Wisconsin Police Officer." NBC
News NBC News, 12 May 2015. Web 13 July 2015.
Southall, Ashley. "Naked Black Man Fatally Shot by White Police Officer in Georgia." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 09 Mar. 2015. Web. 15 July 2015