On the Role of Police Shootings, Recognition of Systemic Racism, and Empathy on White Americans' Support for Police Reform.

This article investigates whether bearing witness to police violence against unarmed Black men influences White Americans' empathy toward victims and their support for policing-related policy reform. Across three studies (total N = 943), results indicate that White participants lower in symbolic racism—a measure reflecting denial of systemic racism—reported greater empathy after viewing police shooting news videos compared to control videos of fatal car accidents, and this empathy predicted increased support for police reform policies. The studies also examined related constructs such as critical consciousness and wokeness, finding that higher levels of these were associated with greater empathy in response to police violence, though they did not consistently moderate the link between empathy and policy support. The research highlights that recognition of systemic racism is a key factor in eliciting empathy and policy support among White Americans, suggesting that simply witnessing police violence is insufficient to promote reform without acknowledgment of its systemic nature.