This document is an individual journal entry summarizing an article about the fatal shooting of an unarmed African American man by a white police officer in South Carolina. The student notes that the incident was captured on video, contradicting the officer's claim that he felt endangered. The shooting has raised questions about whether racial stereotyping was a factor, as African Americans are often disproportionately suspected of crimes. Racial stereotyping, discrimination, and a lack of solutions to address them continue to be major problems, especially in countries like the US.

1. FOUNDATION IN NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
AUG 2014 INTAKE
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
[PSY30203]
INDIVIDUAL JOURNAL 4
Name : Foong Wing Hoe
Student ID : 0320085
Tutor : Shankar Thiruchelvam
Submission date : 27th April 2015

2. Stereotyping is a human’s belief about a social group sharing the same traits such as physical
appearance, activity preferences and/or behaviours. It could be positive or negative, accurate or
inaccurate, agreed or disagreed. It is a person’s theories which guides them to judge and process
the social information, which might in result in prejudice, and later on discrimination. The article I
read on April 7th, a white South Carolina police officer was arrested and charged with murder after
a video showed him fatally shooting a fleeing, unarmed African American man in the back. North
Charleston Police Officer Michael T. Slager, 33, can be seen shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott
after a confrontation on Saturday, according to The Post and Courier. Slager chases Scott and
shoots at him eight times in the video recorded by a passerby. Scott died there, though it wasn't
clear if he died immediately. This graphic video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=kXO3Ix_GIyI&bpctr=1430078396) raises questions about Slager's original assertion that he
used his gun because
he felt endangered. Did
he shot the man for
being an African
American? It is usually
discriminated that
African Americans are
the usual suspect for
any criminalisation. The
confrontation started
when Slager had
reportedly pulled over
Scott because of a broken taillight. It escalated into a foot chase as Scott allegedly fled because
there were family court-issued warrants for his arrest. Slager pursued Scott into a grassy lot and
claimed that he fired his Taser to subdue him. Moments later, Slager reported on his radio, “Shots
fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser,” according to the Times. This heated up to a
debate due to the recent incident took place in Ferguson where also another 18 years old African
American was shot dead by a police officer. Racial stereotyping has been a major matter especially
in countries such as the US, Russia and the United Kingdom where usually incident of racial
stereotyping happens but no real solution to deal with it. In a nutshell, this matter can continue to
occur and protestors continue their riot which let an endless cycle of hatred and destruction.