Oral History Interview with Cole Ballinger

Partial Transcript: So, if you wouldn't mind to restate your name, age, and birthplace.

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger is a twenty one year old student at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) from Rockcastle County, Kentucky. Ballinger attended Rockcastle County High School and worked on his parent's cattle farm prior to entering college. Ballinger also assisted in caring for his disabled grandfather and did some work for a landscaping company during the summer. Ballinger is studying broadcasting and electronic media with a minor in anthropology at EKU. In college, Ballinger worked as a server at a restaurant called Cooper's Mi Hacienda in Richmond. Ballinger has been working at Cracker Barrel in Richmond for the past two years.

Keywords: Climax (Ky.); Kingston Elementary School (Berea, Ky.); Rockcastle County High School; Rockcastle County Middle School

Subjects: Berea (Ky.); Broadcasting; Cattle; Cracker Barrel (Firm); Eastern Kentucky University; Education; Farms; Grandfathers; Hospitality industry; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Landscaping industry; Parents; Restaurants; Rockcastle County (Ky.); Undergraduate

Partial Transcript: So, now to get into--uh--the topic, Black Lives Matter . . .

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger attended a protest in Richmond in June of 2020. Ballinger attended the protest because he felt strongly about the issue of police brutality. Ballinger attended the protest with two friends and says that he found out about the protest on social media and in the newspaper. Ballinger recalls walking to the protest with his friends from his apartment to downtown. Ballinger used Instagram as his main source of information about the protests, explaining that most Generation Z activists were posting frequently on the site. Ballinger found out about incidents of police brutality through Instagram stories and by reading NPR daily.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Breonna Taylor; Friends; News media; NPR; Signs

Subjects: Activism; Black lives matter movement; COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-; Demonstrations; Farms; Generation Z; Instagram (Electronic resource); Kentuckians; Kentucky; National Public Radio (U.S.); Newspapers; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Richmond (Ky.); Rockcastle County (Ky.); Roommates; Social distancing (Public health); Social media; Violence; Walking; Work; Young adults

Partial Transcript: What--what made you decide that protesting was necessary, what were your--like your personal reasons for participating . . .

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger explains that he wanted to protest because he felt that injustices were happening in the U.S. at the hands of police. Ballinger says that he did not support his tax dollars going to police forces that were unjustly killing the citizens they were sworn to protect. Ballinger also felt solidarity with other Gen Z young adults who were protesting throughout the country. Ballinger adds that protesting was a more concrete way of expressing discontent with the current police systems in the U.S. than posting on social media. Ballinger mentions the concept of slacktivism, in which people post on social media about political issues without attempting to rectify the situation beyond expressing their opinions online. Ballinger is a firm believer in protesting as a catalyst for societal change. Ballinger had some reservations about protesting due to media portrayals of protests in other cities as violent, but ultimately decided that he wanted to have his own firsthand experience of a protest. Ballinger adds that the Richmond protest he attended was very peaceful and well-organized.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Breonna Taylor; Discontent; George Floyd; Looting; Media; Slacktivism

Subjects: Anger; Black lives matter movement; Change; Experience; Fear; Generation Z; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Louisville (Ky.); Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Racial justice; Richmond (Ky.); Social media; Society; Solidarity; Taxpayers; Vandalism; Violence; Young adults

Partial Transcript: . . . How had COVID-19 impacted the way you were living your life in terms of work, in terms of school, and your social life.

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger says that he was isolated from his family at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic during the spring of 2020, since they did not live in the same household. Ballinger continued to live in his apartment in Richmond while his family remained in Rockcastle County. Prior to the protest, Ballinger felt that life was at a standstill. Ballinger views the risk of spreading COVID-19 resulting from massive gatherings of people from the protests as a moral dilemma. Ballinger says that he is still conflicted over the preventable deaths from COVID-19 that may have directly resulted from the summer of 2020 protests, but holds firm to his stance that the protests were necessary. Ballinger compares the moral implications of preventable deaths from COVID-19 resulting from lax policies on preventing the spread of the disease from the Trump administration to that of police brutality victims resulting from a lack of oversight and legislation to limit police power.

Keywords: Donald Trump; Family; Institutional racism; Isolation; People of color

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Corruption; COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-; Crowds; Death; Ethics; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Masks; Morals; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Public health; Racial justice; Richmond (Ky.); Risk; Rockcastle County (Ky.); Roommates; Safety; Social distancing (Public health)

Partial Transcript: So, when you were going to this protest, did you know that you were going in the days before . . . your decision to participate?

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger was conflicted about his role in the protest as a white male who had not experienced police brutality firsthand. Ballinger decided to make a sign for the protest and struggled with what would be appropriate. Ultimately, Ballinger decided to write "Love thy neighbor," a motto that he tries to emulate in his own life. Ballinger explains that police should be kind to the citizens that they serve. Without such a maxim, according to Ballinger, it is difficult to achieve true equality in society. Ballinger discusses his perspective as a white male protestor, in that he did not want to draw attention to himself since he does not identify with any of the marginalized populations that are disproportionately affected by police brutality. Ballinger acknowledges that there are marginalized populations of Americans who live in a constant state of fear of the police, an institution that is sworn to protect its citizenry.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Inequality; Signs

Subjects: Bible; Black lives matter movement; Death; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Police; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Race; Richmond (Ky.); Violence

Partial Transcript: What was it like during the protest within the crowd and what do you think stuck out the most to you about participating in that crowd that day.

Segment Synopsis: At the Richmond protest, Ballinger recalls that there were hundreds of people there from diverse backgrounds and varying age ranges. Ballinger found it encouraging that so many people were willing to show up and take a stand against police brutality. Ballinger remembers that people were chanting "No justice, no peace," a phrase connected to the killing of Breonna Taylor. Ballinger felt the palpable collective anger of the crowd in that the unjust killings of marginalized populations at the hands of police were continuing to occur. Ballinger also felt a strong sense of solidarity and viewed the protest as a good way to express his anger with the system of policing in this country.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Breonna Taylor; Discontent; George Floyd

Subjects: African Americans; Anger; Black lives matter movement; Blacks; Chants; Crowds; Diversity; Frustration; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Marching; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Richmond (Ky.); Solidarity

Partial Transcript: . . . There was an incident that happened a couple of years ago in Richmond in which a police officer was shot in the face on his entry into a home . . . do you feel like that had any effect on people coming out to protest . . .

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger considers the impact of the death of Richmond Police Officer Daniel Ellis (who was killed while attempting to make an arrest in 2015) on the summer of 2020 protests. Ballinger believes that the difference between the killings of marginalized populations at the hands of police and the death of Officer Ellis is that police brutality is a senseless violent act, stemming from systemic racism and oppression against marginalized groups in the U.S. over hundreds of years. Ballinger adds that some deaths of civilians from police brutality were allegedly attempted to be covered up by the police, with the killing of George Floyd being an example. According to Ballinger, the Minneapolis Police Department tried to blame Floyd's death on underlying health conditions rather than by asphyxiation from Officer Derek Chauvin placing his knee on Floyd's neck for almost ten minutes. Ballinger says that the video evidence of the police brutality committed against George Floyd served as a counter to the Minneapolis Police Department's efforts to protect one of their own.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Daniel Ellis; Derek Chauvin; Evidence; George Floyd; Injustice; Minneapolis Police Department; Richmond Police Department; Systemic racism

Subjects: African Americans; Black lives matter movement; Blacks; Corruption; Death; Discrimination; High school; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Minneapolis (Minn.); Police; Police brutality; Prejudice; Protection; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Racism; Richmond (Ky.); Violence

Partial Transcript: So--um--as in preparation for the protest, did you receive any kind of training on how to protest safely or non-violently?

Segment Synopsis: Prior to attending the protest in Richmond, Ballinger saw some violence associated with protests in larger cities on social media. Ballinger also recalls seeing videos providing tips about how to navigate the criminal justice system if arrested by police while protesting. Preventative tips to keep from contracting COVID-19 while protesting were also offered in some videos. At the Richmond protest, Ballinger observed that most protestors were wearing a mask, since a pervasive fear of contracting COVID-19 was still at the forefront of public consciousness at the time. Ballinger did not see any counter protestors in Richmond, but did see a photo of a man with an anti-BLM sign afterwards.

Keywords: Antagonism; Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Counter protestors; Signs

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Civil rights; COVID-19 (Disease); COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-; Criminal justice; Fear; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Masks; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Public health; Racial justice; Richmond (Ky.); Safety; Social distancing (Public health); Social media; Violence

Partial Transcript: How do you understand and value Breonna Taylor's life as well as her death?

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger says that Breonna Taylor was a good person in her community who was killed by incompetent police. In Ballinger's view, many police officers are not trained properly and often carry out a form of vigilante justice in which people are subjected to senseless violence to the point that they are killed and therefore denied their right to be tried in the criminal justice system. Ballinger is unsure of the specific circumstances that led to the killing of Breonna Taylor, but is certain that she was laying in her bed when police shot multiple rounds of gunfire into her apartment. Ballinger believes that the police had a warrant out for Taylor's boyfriend and that police carried out a no-knock warrant after he began firing on the police. Ballinger says that the killing of Breonna Taylor was a motivation for him to protest, especially since it brought the issue of police brutality into the public consciousness in such an unprecedented way. Ballinger adds that the killing of Breonna Taylor also brought Gen Z into the realm of activism and racial justice for the first time. Ballinger believes that most whites were unware of the police brutality committed against Blacks in the U.S. prior to the high profile killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd (partially due to police attempting to cover up deaths at the hands of police.)

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Incompetence; No-knock warrants; Vigilante justice

Subjects: African Americans; Black lives matter movement; Blacks; Bullets; Corruption; Criminal justice; Firearms; Generation Z; Jefferson County (Ky.); Kentuckians; Kentucky; Louisville (Ky.); Motivation; Police; Police brutality; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Racial justice; Richmond (Ky.); Violence; Visibility

Partial Transcript: So, how would you--how do you personally define or perceive the goals of BLM?

Segment Synopsis: In Ballinger's view, the goal of the Black Lives Matter organization is to create a sense of accountability for police departments. Ballinger's family opposed his involvement with Black Lives Matter, since conservative news media sources such as Fox News portrayed that the primary goal of the organization was to abolish the police. In Ballinger's experience, the vast majority of people associated with the Black Lives Matter organization were not in favor of abolishing the police. Ballinger explains that conservatives wanted to dismiss and dehumanize the Black Lives Matter Movement, masking their racism and preventing marginalized populations from achieving equality with whites.

Keywords: Abolish police; Accountability; Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Family; Police departments; Principles

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Conservative; Discrimination; Disinformation; Fox News; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Opposition; Police; Police brutality; Prejudice; Racism; Rockcastle County (Ky.); Transparency; Violence

Partial Transcript: So, what does defunding the police mean to you specifically?

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger supports police having to prioritize their funds rather than spending money on military-style cars and weapons. Ballinger thinks that police departments should allocate more funds towards helping their communities and serving the public, which is their mission. Additionally, Ballinger believes that American police departments should increase the amount of training and alter the educational requirements for police academy students. Ballinger explains that police forces in other countries undergo more stringent training and are required to have higher levels of education than secondary school, like in the U.S. In Balligner's opinion, most instances of police brutality are the result of poorly trained and inexperienced police officers carrying out individual acts of malice.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Defund the Police Movement; Funding

Subjects: Black lives matter movement; Education; Equipment; High school; Militarization; Police; Police brutality; Training; Violence; Weapons

Partial Transcript: With you participating in these--in these--in this protest specifically, did this impact any of the relationships that you had with your family, your community or your friends? Like did you face any backlash for participating?

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger shares that he faced significant backlash from his family for attending a Black Lives Matter Movement protest. Some of Ballinger's relatives believed that BLM was calling for anarchy and wanted to abolish the police. Ballinger says that he was ridiculed by some family members for attending the protest. Ballinger compares his experience of protesting in Richmond to that of the media coverage of protests nationally. On national TV, Ballinger explains that the media focused on the looting and violence associated with the protests, but Ballinger observed that oftentimes police were committing acts of violence against protestors. Ballinger's own experience with the Richmond Police Department was very positive. Ballinger recalls that all police officers in the Richmond Police Department attended the protest and were supportive of the protestors as well as open to change.

Keywords: Antifa (United States); Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Family; Looting; Media; Police officers; Richmond Police Department

Subjects: Anarchy; Black lives matter movement; Conservative; Criticism; Death; Fear; Interpersonal relations; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Police; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Racial justice; Respect; Richmond (Ky.); Rockcastle County (Ky.); Solidarity; Violence

Partial Transcript: When all this protesting was happening, what do you think that the outcome was going to be or did you have an expected outcome?

Segment Synopsis: Initially, Ballinger was surprised at how well the protests went, but acknowledges that police brutality is still a major issue in the U.S. Ballinger believes that the Black Lives Matter Movement brought the issue of police brutality into the American public's consciousness. Ballinger has also observed that many people differ on how to fix the institutional racism embedded into the American criminal justice system and police forces. Ballinger adds that many police officers got away with killing civilians prior to the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and that these tragedies improved accountability and awareness of police brutality. Additionally, Ballinger thinks that people are more aware of racism as a current societal issue because of BLM, rather than something of the past that disappeared with the Civil Rights Movement.

Keywords: Acceptance; Black Lives Matter (Organization); BLM; Breonna Taylor; George Floyd; Inequality; Institutional racism

Subjects: Awareness; Black lives matter movement; Change; Civil rights; Consciousness; Corruption; Criminal justice; Death; Justice; Police; Police brutality; Progress; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Racism; Society; Violence

Partial Transcript: I'd like to talk about--um--the possible restructuring of the law enforcement system in this country, crisis devolution . . .

Segment Synopsis: Ballinger explains the concept of crisis devolution, in which police officers are trained to de-escalate the situation when dealing with crisis interventions. Ballinger explains that police officers are typically trained to apply brute force with no hesitation. With crisis devolution, police are trained to only resort to brute force when the lives of bystanders are directly in danger. Ballinger would like to require that police departments have trained mental health professionals such as social workers permanently on staff. Ballinger also is in favor of training police academy recruits in psychology. Ballinger believes that the summer of 2020 protests have helped in bringing the concept of crisis devolution into the mainstream. Ballinger says that he is proud of the role he played in helping to bring awareness to the issue of police brutality and hopes that he made a difference and prevented future deaths of civilians at the hands of police.

Keywords: Crisis devolution; Law enforcement; Prevention

Subjects: Accountability; Change; Criminal justice; Crisis intervention (Mental health services); Danger; Mental health; Police; Police brutality; Progress; Protests (Negotiable instruments); Psychology; Social workers; Training; Violence