Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Target Practice: The Killing of the Black Male Continues

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Download book PDF
Download book EPUB
Race and the Black Male Subculture

  • 1082 Accesses

Abstract

After slavery and into the early 1900s, a game called “Hit the Nigger Baby” was popular for entertaining white families in the South. The purpose of the game was to use a ball to target and hit the bodies of living and breathing black babies (Stegner 1957). There was still a source of elation in the brutality of young black bodies, even after the brutal whippings, lynchings, and killings during slavery when physical and deadly violence against blacks was normal and legitimate.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 19.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    For more information on the game, “Hit the Nigger Baby,” see the 1996 Dictionary of American Regional English, Volume III, I-O. Available at: http://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/cb45/files/20101119151543252.pdf

  2. 2.

    See Hastings, D. 2015. “South Dakota gun show seller defends using racist posters for target practice.” Daily News. Available at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/s-gun-show-vendor-booted-racist-target-sheets-article-1.2152926 (March 17).

  3. 3.

    See Izadi, E. 2015. “Florida police used mugshots of black men for target practice. Clergy responded: #UseMeInstead.” The Washington Post. Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/25/florida-police-used-mugshots-of-black-men-for-target-practice-clergy-responded-usemeinstead (January 25).

  4. 4.

    See Barbash, F. 2015. “Florida police department caught using African American mug shots for target practice.” The Washington Post. Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/16/florida-police-department-caught-using-african-american-mug-shots-for-target-practice (January 16).

  5. 5.

    Ibid., Florida police department caught using African American mug shots for target practice.

  6. 6.

    Ibid., Florida police department caught using African American mug shots for target practice.

  7. 7.

    See CNN News article, “Woman sees images of black males as sniper targets; one is her brother.” Available at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/16/us/florida-black-male-sniper-targets (January 19, 2015).

  8. 8.

    For more information on the demographics of the HPD, see the January 2014 “Houston Police Department: 2014 Command Overview,” authored by Larry J. Yium. Available at: http://www.houstontx.gov/police/department_reports/command_overview/Command_Overview_Manual_2014.pdf

  9. 9.

    See Ashkenas, J., and H. Park. 2015. “The race gap in America’s police departments.” New York Times. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/ 09/03/us/the-race-gap-in-americas-police-departments.html?_r=1 (April 8).

  10. 10.

    See Dolcefino, W. 2011. “13 Undercover looks at HPD brutality complaints.” ABC 13. Available at: http://abc13.com/archive/8017021 (March 17).

  11. 11.

    See DePrang, E. 2013. “Crimes unpunished.” The Texas Observer. Available at: http://www.texasobserver.org/crimes-unpunished (July 10).

  12. 12.

    Ibid., 13 Undercover looks at HPD brutality complaints.

  13. 13.

    See DePrang, E. 2013. “The horror every day: Police brutality in Houston goes unpunished.” The Texas Observer. Available at: http://www.texasobserver.org/horror-every-day-police-brutality-houston-goes-unpunished (September 4).

  14. 14.

    See Pinkerton, J. 2010. “Diversity efforts at HPD pay off—somewhat.” Houston Chronicle. Available at: http://m.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Diversity-efforts-at-HPD-pay-off-somewhat-1711172.php (March 14).

  15. 15.

    See Hallman, T. 2015. “Gov. Greg Abbott signs Dallas-crafted bill for state notifications of police shootings.” The Dallas Morning News. Available at: http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2015/06/gov-greg-abbott-signs-dallas-crafted-bill-for-state-notifications-of-police-shootings.html (June 17).

  16. 16.

    See Waller, M. 2015. “Police mull body camera use amid Texas bill proposal.” Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Available at: http://www.caller.com/news/state/state-bureau/police-mull-body-camera-use-amid-texas-bill-proposal_07095778 (January 30).

  17. 17.

    See Halpern, J. 2015. “The cop.” The New Yorker. Available at: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/08/10/the-cop (August 10).

  18. 18.

    Ibid., The cop.

  19. 19.

    See Whitley, D.S. 2014. “Darren Wilson is a hero.” American Thinker. Available at: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2014/08/darren_wilson_is_a_hero.html (August 23).

  20. 20.

    Ibid., Darren Wilson is a hero.

  21. 21.

    Ibid., Darren Wilson is a hero.

  22. 22.

    See Ferguson, D. 2015. “Cops make disgusting online ‘memorial’ mocking death of Ferguson’s Michael Brown.” Raw Story. Available at: http://www.rawstory.com/2015/08/cops-make-disgusting-online-memorial-mocking-death-of-fergusons-michael-brown (August 7).

References

  • Alexander, M. 2010. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York: The New Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayley, D.H., and H. Mendelsohn. 1969. Minorities and the Police: Confrontation in America. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Correll, J., B. Park, C.M. Judd, B. Wittenbrink, M.S. Sadler, and T. Keesee. 2007. Across the Thin Blue Line: Police Officers and Racial Bias in the Decision to Shoot. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92(6): 1006–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fyfe, J. J. 1978. Reducing the Use of Deadly Force: The New York Experience. In U.S. Department of Justice. Police Use of Deadly Force. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fyfe, J.J. 1982. Readings on Police Use of Deadly Force. Washington, DC: Police Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graef, R. 1989. Talking Blues: The Police in Their Own Words. London: Collins Harvill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S., C. Critcher, T. Jefferson, J. Clarke, and B. Roberts. 2013. Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State and Law and Order, 2nd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, D., and R. O’Brien. 1998. The Determinants of Deadly Force: A Structural Analysis of Police Violence. The American Journal of Sociology 103(4): 837–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James, L., D. Klinger, and B. Vila. 2014. Racial and Ethnic Bias in Decisions to Shoot Seen Through a Stronger Lens: Experimental Results from High-Fidelity Laboratory Simulations. Journal of Experimental Criminology 10(3): 323–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, H., J. Hyunseok, I. Yun, L. Hyeyoung, and D.W. Tushaus. 2010. An Examination of Police Use of Force Utilizing Police Training and Neighborhood Contextual Factors: A Multilevel Analysis. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management 33(4): 681–702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macdonald, J.M., R.J. Kaminski, G.P. Alpert, and A.N. Tennenbaum. 2001. The Temporal Relationship Between Police Killings of Civilians and Criminal Homicide: A Refined Version of the Danger-Perception Theory. Crime and Delinquency 42(2): 155–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, S.L., K. Zielaskowski, and E.A. Plant. 2012. The Basis of Shooter Biases: Beyond Cultural Stereotypes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 38(10): 1358–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers, K.A., K.B. Forest, and S.L. Miller. 2004. Officer Friendly and the Tough Cop: Gays and Lesbians Navigate Homophobia and Policing. Journal of Homosexuality 47(1): 17–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plant, E.A., and B.M. Peruche. 2005. The Consequences of Race for Police Officers’ Responses to Criminal Suspects. Psychological Science 16(3): 180–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reiner, R. 1991. Chief Constables. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiner, R. 2010. The Politics of the Police, 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skogan, W., and K. Frydl. 2004. Fairness and Effectiveness in Policing: The Evidence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skolnick, J.H. 1966. Justice Without Trial: Law Enforcement in Democratic Society, 1st ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skolnick, J.H. 1994. Justice Without Trial: Law Enforcement in a Democratic Society, 3rd ed. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skolnick, J.H. 2007. Racial Profiling—Then and Now. Criminology and Public Policy 6(1): 65–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, D.J., and J. Gray. 1985. Police and People in London. London: Gower.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorenson, J.R., J.W. Marquart, and D.E. Brock. 1993. Factors Related to Killings of Felons by Police Officers: A Test of the Community Violence and Conflict Hypotheses. Justice Quarterly 10(3): 417–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stegner, W. 1957. The Big Rock Candy Mountain. New York: Sagamore Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun, I.Y., B.K. Payne, and Y. Wu. 2008. The Impact of Situational Factors, Officer Characteristics, and Neighborhood Context on Police Behavior: A Multilevel Analysis. Journal of Criminal Justice 36(1): 22–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, M.D. 2001. Controlling Police Decisions to Use Deadly Force: Reexamining the Importance of Administrative Policy. Crime and Delinquency 47(1): 131–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Houston - Clear, Lake, USA

    William T. Hoston

Authors
  1. William T. Hoston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Copyright information

© 2016 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hoston, W.T. (2016). Target Practice: The Killing of the Black Male Continues. In: Race and the Black Male Subculture. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58853-1_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58853-1_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-59045-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-58853-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation