Chapter 24: Stony the Road we Trod: Black Males Share Lived Experiences With Police Brutality

As natives of Charleston, South Carolina, we often frequent the city of North Charleston, which is approximately five miles from downtown Charleston where we were born and raised. On April 4, 2015, the unjust shooting of Walter Scott, a 50 year old Black male, brought North Charleston into the national spotlight. Michael Slager, a 33-year old White male officer, shot Scott eight times in his back as Scott was running away from him. Slager claimed that Scott attempted to take away his taser prior to the shooting. However, cellphone video which circulated on social media and in the popular press, contradicted Slager’s assertions. Feidin Santana, a local barber who was on his way to work, captured the interaction between Scott and Slager via his cell phone video camera.