How much do deeply embedded stereotypes play into our decisions? On May 28, undercover officer Omar J. Edwards was shot and killed by fellow officer Andrew Dunton. Edwards was black and Dunton was white.

The reports from the scene paint a blurry picture: Edwards was off-duty and in plain clothes with his gun drawn in pursuit of a suspect he believed tried to break into his car. Dunton and two others had arrived on the scene in an unmarked car and had reportedly called out “Police! Stop!” before opening fire. While the autopsy states that the bullet entered through Edwards’ back, implying that he had not heard the officers, Dunton and his colleagues claim Edwards had turned to face them weapon in hand.

Either way, things progressed so quickly that it was difficult to discern if Dunton gave Edwards enough time to react before pulling the trigger. There is plenty of speculation about how Dunton could have reacted differently, and Dunton is by all accounts extremely remorseful. But the more difficult question is whether Dunton would have given Edwards more time to respond if Edwards had been white.

The question isn’t quite as far-fetched as it may seem. In 2002, Joshua Correll of the University of Chicago began a series of studies inspired by the shooting of Amadou Diallo in 1999. Correll created a video simulation designed to test unconscious bias by having subjects play police officers in a split-second decision environment and tracking their decisions to shoot or not to shoot. Over 450 people (270 were police officers spanning precincts from 15 different states) took the test. Correll made two major findings: trained police officers are less likely to shoot an unarmed person — regardless of skin color — than laypeople, and a clear racial bias was apparent in subjects’ reaction time.

Reporting on the study for Colorlines, Shelley Zeiger summarized Correll’s findings on reaction time:”[Subjects] were quicker to decide not to shoot an unarmed white suspect than an unarmed black suspect and slower to decide to shoot an armed white suspect than an armed black suspect. The results, Correll believes, suggest that participants associate African Americans with more violence.” The association could have deadly results — if blacks are associated with more violence, officers are more likely to perceive them as a threat and escalate to more lethal tactics.

This type of racial prejudice is a quiet bias. It doesn’t manifest itself the way that other forms of racial aggression do, and it is not as noticeable as overtly racist actions. But this bias still exists, lurking quietly around the edges of our subconscious minds, for civilians and police alike.

As subconscious as it may be, blacks and other minorities are well aware of its effects. And that knowledge fosters a sense of insecurity and tension not just between communities and police but inside the police force as well. As former police captain Eric Adams told The New York Times, “If you speak with nine out of 10 officers of color they would tell you that when they hear sirens, in their head they are thinking: ‘I hope these cops know that I’m one of the good guys.’”

However, only considering the attitudes of white officers does not go far enough. Are Asian Americans or Latinos free of bias against black officers simply because they are not white? And vice versa? While most of the studies on racism focus on white supremacy and the impact of white racism on people of color, studies are beginning to emerge focusing on internalized oppression — when nonwhites begin to believe the stereotypes about themselves and other members of their groups — and the biases that exist between communities of color. Ultimately, it is the race of the slain victims that is the tell-tale mark.

We do not know what caused Officer Dunton to react in the way he did. Was it his training? A hunch? Or the looming specter of a stereotype that prompted him to pull the trigger? But one thing is clear — we need to have effective discussions about race and bias on the police force, especially in the larger context of societal prejudice and unequal power structures. While people like Attorney General Eric Holder have hinted at the need for a deeper conversation, historically, the country has shied away from systemic discussions of race, preferring easily quantifiable examples of personal bias. It is critical that we find a way to move these kind of conversations into mainstream discussions before yet another person is subject to a bias test at gunpoint.

Last night, over fifty people gathered at Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C. to hold a candlelight vigil for imprisoned journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The two reporters for Current TV were in China filming a piece on sex trafficking when they inadvertently crossed the border into North Korea. They were detained by North Korean forces and have been awaiting trial for the last three months. The trial began today and there is still no word on the fate of the two journalists.

The D.C. event was one of six happening across the nation, with people from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Portland, and Birmingham all coming out to show their support. At the vigil, fellow Current Journalist Dan Beckmann shared his experiences working closely with Ling and Lee.

A letter of support written by recently freed Iranian-American journalist Roxanna Saberi was read, along with remarks from Lucie Morillon of Reporters without Borders. The group tracks freedom of the press around the globe, and runs a tally of journalists and media makers who have been abducted, killed, or imprisoned for their commitment to the truth. So far this year, 21 journalists have been killed, 143 were imprisoned (along with nine media assistants), and 70 cyber-dissidents (including bloggers) have been imprisoned.

Press Freedoms Under Attack

The purpose of a free press has been a major topic lately, with many newspapers and legacy media institutions running low on funding and slashing their coverage of local news and in-depth reporting. What Ling and Lee were doing with Current TV’s Vanguard program was an attempt to reverse that trend by creating accessible journalism that covered topics like the recession and the drug war in Mexico in a way that was understandable for a wide audience.

Ling and Lee’s work is invaluable to what I do as a media maker. As we enter a world where corporate interests often trump stories that impact every day people, Current TV’s work developing user generated content and training citizens to become journalists is rapidly emerging as a model to follow to keep citizens engaged in their communities.

But, it is like the old truism: Nothing in life comes for free. In the process of fighting for truth, we have to dig deeper and go to places we never thought we’d go, often at the risk of running afoul of authorities who would rather this information was not released. I read an article published in the Guardian newspaper a few weeks ago where the writer noted that with all the monitoring of digital sites and email addresses that investigative journalists would be wise to adopt the tactics of drug dealers to keep their sources safe.

While it seems ridiculous that reporters would need to buy prepaid phones by the pound and run messages via courier, we may be approaching a time where information will be worth as much as a kilo of cocaine and possessing this information will be just as dangerous as trying to run drugs. This is why Lee and Ling’s case matters so much. We all hope and pray for their return. However, their treatment and what happens to them will also serve as a much larger symbol of what we sacrifice for freedom of the press. All the information and news bytes we take for granted come with a cost attached. The question is simple: Are we prepared to pay this cost and keep fighting?

The Vigil Continues

Though lightning and thunder were picking up force overhead, most of the attendees stayed put until the end of the program, shielding their candles from the wind and sharing umbrellas as they listened to Pastor Eom Myong-Heui speak of her experiences as a refugee from North Korea. She spoke about the terrible events that occurred in her home country and led a prayer service for Lee and Ling to be returned home safely.

Dan Beckmann shared one last note he had received from Laura Ling on the day of their apprehension. He seemed desperate to convey one last connection, one last emotion, one last thought to the audience.

At that point, the skies opened up and most of the assembled group ran for shelter. Waiting for the rain to abate, we all checked email, sent Twitter updates, and set our clocks for 2 a.m. EDT — the time when the trial was set to begin.

After that, there was nothing we could do but wait.