A Rising Storm: Eric Garner and the Explosive Controversy Over Race & Policing
2016
This case study from the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) describes the controversial choking death of Eric Garner in New York City in 2014 and explores difficult questions surrounding race, crime, and policing in poor, racially-isolated urban neighborhoods. It describes the New York Police Department’s policies over the last two decades, as well as the particulars of Eric Garner’s death—including the Grand Jury decision not to indict the police officers involved, the rise of the Black Lives Matters Movements, and the angry reaction from NYPD officers. Though offering multiple strong perspectives, it does not take sides to empower nuanced classroom discussion.
This case was developed for a core ethics course, The Responsibilities of Public Action, where it is used to explore institutional racism, competing public values, and collective responsibility. A three-page appendix accompanies the case, providing context on the role of U.S. laws and policies in creating impoverished, racialized, high crime urban neighborhoods over the course of the 20th century.
The case is currently available for free. Online supplemental resources include short free documents and videos on how to teach with the case method, as well as downloadable related tip sheets and questions for class discussion.
A Rising Storm: Eric Garner and the Explosive Controversy Over Race & Policing
Source:
Varley P. A Rising Storm: Eric Garner and the Explosive Controversy Over Race & Policing. HKS Case No. 2057.0. Harvard Kennedy School Case Program 2016. https://case.hks.harvard.edu/a-rising-storm-eric-garner-and-the-explosive-controversy-over-race-policing.