From the poll:
- 49 percent of Americans think racism is a big problem
- 64 percent of Americans said racial tensions have increased over the last decade
- 57 percent of Black people said they experienced some form or racial discrimination in their lifetime
- 34 percent of whites reported similar experience
- 35 percent of Latinos reported similar experience
- 53 percent of black people, 36 percent of hispanic people, 15 percent of white people said they had been unfairly treated in a public place
- 60 percent of white people said their work colleagues were all or mostly white
- 68 percent of white people said their social circle was mostly white
- 69 percent said they neighborhood was mostly white
- Discrimination, education opportunities, broken families played role in economic> majority of blacks and hispanics said yes.
- 64 percent of black people said it’s easier for them to achieve the American dream than it was for their parents
- 53 percent of white people said it’s easier for them to achieve the American dream than it was for their parents
- 31 percent of white people said it’s easier for them to achieve the American dream than it was for their parents
A CNN and Kaiser Family Foundation poll found racism is a “big” problem, but Ball State students' opinions varied.
The survey consisted of 1,951 Americans from across the country. 772 were white, non-Hispanic, 501 were black, non-Hispanic and 500 were Hispanic. The survey was conducted from August to October and was published in November, according to CNN.
Nineteen percent of black people and 17 percent of Hispanic people said they were treated unfairly by police because of their race in the past 30 days, according to the poll. Three percent of white people said they were treated unfairly.
Senior criminal justice major Kashja Tabor said she thinks people tend to label something racist when it may not be.
“I don't think the law enforcement on campus is racist, and I say that because I work very closely with them for class," Tabor said. "I do believe that there are a lot of times when we see something happen to someone and we yell racism."
A majority of Americans said racism is a big problem that is not getting better, according to the poll.
Junior business major Kurtis Foster said he thinks racism isn’t getting worse, but the media is reporting on it too much.
“I think police have a very hard job of making quick decisions and some may make the wrong decision to use more force than they should," Foster said. "So, police brutality is always going to be an issue, I think."
University Police Department Chief Jim Duckham said UPD is trained to avoid brutality.
“Department members participate in ongoing training on topics such as cultural diversity, bias incidents, hate crimes and racial profiling,” Duckham said in an email.
UPD makes an effort to interact with students with program such as Lunch with a Cop, a program where police and students sit together over lunch, Duckham said.
Although UPD makes an effort to get to know students, senior psychology major Lindsay Taylor said the numbers speak for themselves.
“All the cop brutality against black men has been really disturbing and makes me ill. It's scary and doesn't make me proud to be part of this country," Taylor said. "I think the problem lies in who we’re giving [police] power to. With all these incidents there needs to be different standards to work in these positions."
While Taylor hopes for different standards, Tabor said she takes race-related police brutality personally. She said she hopes she can be an example.
“It's very difficult for me to talk about this topic because I am a black female who also is applying at various departments to become an officer," Tabor said. "I think that seeing everything going on today makes me want to get out there more so that my people, black people, feel safe coming to a police officer."
Tabor said nothing about racism is okay, and she would like for people to connect on a human level.
"I wish that my father didn't have to teach my brother not to make eye contact, not to run, and to do everything they tell him with a 'Yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir,'" she said. "I wish that people would get involved with one another and learn from each other."
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