Key words: Black Lives Matter, qualified immunity, law enforcement, lynching, race, projection, projective identification, psychoanalysis

The qualified immunity doctrine has been used to exonerate over 98% of law enforcement officers charged with the disproportionate killing of Black and brown men, women and children. The Black Lives Matter movement has shed light on this disturbing trend which continues even after the conviction of the murderer of George Floyd.

In this webinar moderated by Dr. Flavia DeSouza, Drs. Ebony Dennis, Constance Dunlap, Justin Hopkins and Jessica Isom apply powerful psychoanalytic theory to deconstruct this doctrine informed by their lived and professional experiences as Black psychiatrists and psychologists. Using clinical vignettes taken from the media, they review salient coping mechanisms which include projection and projective identification to explain why and how this doctrine leads to bidirectional dehumanization of those doing the killing and those being killed. Critical to this understanding is an awareness of the US history of law enforcement, its relationship with the Black community and reform opportunities for the police force.

свернуть