Final answer:
Cities often view police forces as symbols of racism due to systemic racial profiling and discrimination. Incidents like Stop and Frisk or the refusal of companies to hire African Americans, despite their customer base, have historically exacerbated racial tensions. Protests arise from communities of color when they face environmental racism, housing discrimination, and aggressive policing strategies that marginalize them.
Step-by-step explanation:
Many cities perceive police forces as enforcers and symbols of racism. This perception is rooted in historical and ongoing instances of racial profiling and discriminatory practices, as described by former FBI director James B. Comey and former New York police commissioner Bill Bratton. Evidence of these practices includes aggressive policing strategies such as Stop and Frisk in New York, which disproportionately target Black and Latino populations. Additionally, systemic racism manifests in various societal institutions, including in employment discrimination, housing shortages, and unequal treatment by those supposed to enforce the law. Civil rights protests have arisen in many cities across the United States, such as Ferguson and Baltimore, as communities push back against these injustices.
Historically, communities of color have faced environmental racism, where ghettos were used as dumping grounds for social ills and civic disamenities, reinforcing negative racial stereotypes. This sort of institutional neglect extended to practices in hiring, as seen in examples like Southwestern Bell's refusal to hire African Americans despite their patronage. And with housing policies that fostered segregation and discrimination, such as 'white flight' and ghettoization, these actions contributed to the powder keg of racial tensions in urban areas.
The practice of systemic racism is sustained by powerful entities—governments, corporations, and various institutions—and is perpetuated by individuals who, though they may not be overtly powerful, are protected by the dominant social hierarchy. As the civil rights movement has demonstrated, it is essential to challenge such institutions and the discriminatory practices they enable, in order to forge a path toward equality and justice for all.