Blue Lives vs Black Lives Matter: One Act That Changed the Perceptions of the Dallas Police Department's Officers

Abstract

Ironically, both the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Blue Lives Matter movements share similar tenets and beginnings. Both movements cite the shooting death of a Black male in Ferguson, Missouri, by a White police officer in the summer of 2014. Many subsequent protests or violent acts emerged in Ferguson and cities nationwide. One protest involved the tragic shooting deaths of five police officers after a BLM protest in Dallas, Texas (TX), on July 7, 2016. The aim of this paper is to determine whether Dallas Police officers’ opinions changed toward their views of community support by comparing results from before and after the shooting. A convenience sample of Dallas Police Department (DPD) officers surveyed suggested that views of support from Black citizens decreased after the shooting and increased for White and Hispanic populations. Understanding how officers view the community is vital to strengthening the relationship with the public.