The Atlantic The Paranoid Style of American Policing Ta-Nehisi Coates December 30, 2015 (1092 words)

The topic of this piece focuses on the unnecessary fatal force police officers use against people who are allegedly posing a threat on society. The writer describes a time in their youth when their father was able to easily disengage a fight with one of their brother’s friends. This friend was not always known to be “stable” and sometimes looked for trouble. One day this friend decided to pose a threat by swinging a metal stake around and the writer’s father came out to disengage the young man. The most important note of this piece is that words, not violence were used to de-escalate the situation. The writer then references multiple incidences where police (the members of society we are to honor and pay to protect us) instead kill out of cowardice. In places of high crime (Chicago) we want to believe that the police are there to protect and serve, to mediate conflicts. Not to pull the trigger numerous times on unsuspecting black lives who did not deserve the cruel and unusual punishment of a gun. 

The organization of this piece is done well through the way it articulates a personal story and then brings the reader to the future by describing present day stories. Characteristic elements and things to steal from this story would be personal reflection, quotes, interviews with people and the ability of good transitional storytelling.