CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
How Black People Are Deprived of Fight or Flight Response
When it comes to confrontations with the police, Black people are asked to do something strange
Fight or flight is an “automatic physiological reaction” to a stressful or fearful situation. You will start to breathe faster, and your blood pressure and heart rate will rise, preparing your body for a possible fight. According to Professor Karin Roelofs, people and animals have various defensive modes that trigger “freezing and active-fight-or-flight reactions.” So, a natural response to danger could be to freeze, like a deer caught in the headlights, escape, or confront the threat by fighting defensively. Isn’t it odd that, despite the prevalence of anti-Black racism in policing, society expects Black people to obey any and all commands from the police without delay?
Dalvin Gadson, a Black homeless veteran who served in the “Army National Guard as a helicopter mechanic,” said he felt “terrified” after officers brutally assaulted him. Colorado Springs police officers stopped Gadson because his vehicle was missing tags, and after allegedly smelling marijuana, an officer decided to administer a sobriety test. When Gadson refused to leave the vehicle, asking “why” they were placing him in handcuffs…
