How Officers Interpret Black Lives Matter
Is It Accurately Understood by Those Who Police the Protests
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19228181 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joshua R Ruffin (0000-0003-0720-2468, Towson University), Joshua Ruffin (Towson University, corresponding author), Genesis Foxworth (0009-0008-6823-3245, Towson University), Melanie Underwood (0009-0003-6261-2651, Towson University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-21 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Race and Justice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2153-3687 • E-ISSN: 2153-3687 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/21533687261451717 |
| OpenAlex | W7162005969 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 37 |
A number of studies indicate biased coverage of Black Lives Matter (BLM), as well as misinterpretations among the public and police officers of slogans endorsed by the BLM organization (e.g., Defund the Police). How BLM is portrayed by mass media can shape public support and one's understanding of BLM, including police officers who are assigned to police BLM-related protests. The current study examines how officers come to understand BLM and how their knowledge of BLM may influence their beliefs regarding BLM protests. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 36 police officers employed at two police departments in Virginia, a year after the 2020 George Floyd protests. Thematic findings reflected a lack of knowledge about BLM, conflicting attitudes about BLM protests, and the impact of race and upbringing on how BLM is perceived. Overall, findings suggest that officers’ understanding of BLM is nuanced, with some officers distinguishing between the BLM organization (e.g., administrative criticisms) versus the BLM movement (e.g., the ensuing protests). Implications discussed are related to improving the mechanisms used to inform the police about BLM, which may impact police-community interactions during times of civil unrest
Civil rights · Police brutality · Public opinion · Race (biology) · Thematic analysis · Critical Race Theory in Education · Policing Practices and Perceptions · Social and Intergroup Psychology
Information Avoidance
Behind the badge and the veil
The Influence of Workplace Friendships on Police Firearm Use
Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis
Systemic Racism in Police Killings
Why we should stop using the term “Black-on-Black crime”
Is it a rally or a riot? Racialized media framing of 2020 protests in the United States
Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights Movement
Measuring double consciousness among black law enforcement officers to understand the significant role of race in law enforcement occupational cultures
From the field
How Representative of the Protest Movement Against Police Violence Are Opportunistic People Looking to Commit Crime
Ferguson as a distal crisis
How Police Behavior Shapes Perceptions of Protests
Police legitimacy and culture revisited through the lens of self-legitimacy
What’s race got to do with it? Factors influencing urban officers’ off-duty participation in Black Lives Matter protesting
Public Expressions of Empathy and Sympathy by U.S. Criminal Justice Officials After Controversial Police Killings of African-Americans
Black Lives Matter’s effect on police lethal use of force
National Burden of Injury and Deaths From Shootings by Police in the United States, 2015‒2020
Taking stock
Turnover in large US policing agencies following the George Floyd protests
No Justice! Black Protests? No Peace
Progress and push-back
A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory
System Justification Theory and Research
Black in blue networks
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |