The increasingly frequent tale of white police officers using force against African American men is being told again, but this time with more chilling evidence than ever before. One week ago in North Charleston, South Carolina, fifty year old Walter Scott was fleeing a traffic stop, back turned and running, when he was shot several times in the back by police officer Michael. T. Slager. At first, Slager claimed that his shots were justified because he felt threatened. His defense was that Scott had attempted to steal his Taser; however, evidence has proven otherwise. It transpires that the entire encounter between Slager and Scott was caught on cell phone video by a passing stranger, whose footage may well have changed the outcome of this case. Armed with that footage, Americans everywhere have been able to see firsthand the chilling reality of police brutality. The uproar has been enormous, and many see this latest story as the continuation of the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, and Tamir Rice saga. Though this story is no less tragic than those before it, it has resulted in greater justice with Slager being fired and placed in jail. In the wake of this tragedy, the support for the Scott family has been immense with hundreds attending the funeral service including Republican Senator from South Carolina, Tim Scott.
This story represents the continued struggle of African Americans in US society centuries after the end of slavery, and decades after the end of Jim Crow. This story is a reminder that we may never live in a post-racial society. The fight to create a more just society is not a sprint but a marathon, and it is not won with singular actions but with continuous resistance to the injustice of the status quo.

Work Cited:
Blinder, Alan, and Frances Robles. “Hundreds Gather at Walter Scott’s Funeral One Week After Police Shooting.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Apr. 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. .