Public Awareness of Police Shootings Post-Ferguson Keeps #BlackLivesMatter Going

Public awareness and media coverage of police-involved shootings has increased since the protests in Ferguson, Mo.
Public Awareness of Police Shootings Post-Ferguson Keeps #BlackLivesMatter Going
Demonstrators protest the shooting of Tony T. Robinson, at the state Capitol Monday, March 9, 2015, in Madison, Wis. Robinson, 19, was fatally shot Friday night by a police officer who forced his way into an apartment after hearing a disturbance. Police say Robinson had attacked the officer. AP Photo/Andy Manis
Annie Wu
Updated:

After a Madison, Wis., police shooting left another unarmed black man dead Friday evening, locals who protested his death this past weekend brought out signs and banners bearing the message “Black Lives Matter.”

To anyone who thought the protest movement would end as the spotlight on Ferguson, Mo., and the death of Michael Brown recedes, this latest incident proves that the issue of police use of force is still very much in the public consciousness.

According to local police, officer Matt Kenny initially responded to calls of a man who was jumping into traffic and had just assaulted someone. Kenny pursued 19-year-old Tony T. Robinson into an apartment building. Kenny got into an altercation with Robinson and fatally shot the teen when he assaulted Kenny.

It’s unclear how often American law enforcement shoots and kills a civilian. The federal government lacks reliable national data on deaths that occur in police custody; most states only choose to report that information voluntarily, and when they do, the numbers are collected from various sources.

Police critics say that unarmed civilians, especially young men of color, dying at the hands of police is a pervasive problem.
Annie Wu
Annie Wu
Author
Annie Wu joined the full-time staff at the Epoch Times in July 2014. That year, she won a first-place award from the New York Press Association for best spot news coverage. She is a graduate of Barnard College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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