RT Article T1 Participant accounts of police violence during black lives matter protests in Chicago JF Policing and society VO 35 IS 2 SP 171 OP 186 A1 Brunson, Rod K. A2 Chillar, Vijay F. A2 Holmes, Malcolm D. A2 Trapassi, Jessica A2 Pirrone, Demi LA English YR 2025 UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1916275370 AB Black protest events in the United States have been characterised by police use of violence against protestors during periods, such as the widespread riots of the 1960s, when many white people and police see black people as posing a special danger to the status quo. It appears that the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd, which triggered widespread Black Lives Matter protests, is another such time. However, social scientific evidence that addresses the question of whether police responded with unnecessary violence to these black-led protests remains in short supply. In this study, we conducted a content analysis of protest participants’ federal court statements about their lived experience with police violence during Chicago, IL, protests. Their accounts suggest that police, rather than protestors, initiated violence and relied on it to control protestors in ways that violated Chicago Police Department policies and constitutional protections afforded citizens. Despite efforts to reform police management of protests over the last half century, our findings suggest that the historical pattern of police use of militaristic tactics and gratuitous violence to control black protest events persists today. We consider the implications of the findings for relations between the police and black communities. K1 police protest control strategies K1 Police violence K1 Black lives matter protests DO 10.1080/10439463.2024.2378310