The latest edition of Cartoons for the Classroom features this cartoon by Clay Bennett from the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Click here to download the lesson, which includes discussion questions and another cartoon on the same topic.
BACKGROUND
The cartoon relates to the killing of Walter Scott, an African-American father of four who was shot in the back while running from a white patrolman. A cell phone video taken by a bystander showed the men in a brief tussle before Scott ran off again, Slager fired his gun and Scott slumped into the grass. Slager has been charged with murder and dismissed from the police force. Scott's death reignited a public outcry over police treatment of African Americans that flared last year after the killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City and elsewhere. Read more >>
THE CARTOON
The cartoon shows the same image of a police officer taking aim with his gun. The only difference is that the image on the right is being recorded on a cellphone. The captions differ too. The scene that is not being filmed is captioned 'Justifiable', while the one that is being filmed is captioned 'Indictable'.
EXPLANATION
The cartoonist is making the point that without the video footage, the police officer would probably have been able to claim 'justifiable homicide', and escaped punishment. However, the fact that his actions were filmed have led to him being charged with (or indicted for) murder.
VOCABULARY
To indict (=in-dight) someone is to accuse them officially of a serious crime. • The Governor has been indicted on 23 criminal counts including fraud. • He was indicted for crimes against humanity.
