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CND protest at Fairford
Race, language and violence in US policing
An analysis of speech patterns by US police officers shows that escalation can be accurately predicted from the first words they speak to black drivers, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and JOEL HELLEWELL
ew York City Police Department officers stand in formation after arresting multiple protesters marching after curfew on Fifth Avenue on June 4, 2020, in New York, following the death of George Floyd

THE murder of George Floyd in May 2020 by police officer Derek Chauvin was witnessed by millions of people around the world.

That was only possible because of a brave decision by a teenage passerby: 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, who was taking her nine-year-old cousin to the grocery store to buy snacks, started filming the events as they unfolded.

The daily occurrence of horrific police violence against black people, not just in the US but around the world, has been demonstrated over and over, not just by testimony but by recordings like the one made by Frazier.

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