The Importance Of Watching Police Shooting Videos

As federal officials investigate two separate police-involved shootings in Louisiana and in Minnesota this week, videos of the shootings are circulating on TV stations, news websites and social media.

These videos are graphic and shocking. The hope is that they can provide clarity about what happened — and for many, they bring attention to a widespread problem of police brutality.

They are difficult to watch, and many argue about whether they should be shown so widely on the news, or watched at all by the larger public.

Renee Graham, contributor to The Boston Globe and WBUR's Cognoscenti and the ARTery. She tweets @reneeygraham.

Michael Curry, president of the Boston branch of the NAACP, which tweets @BostonNAACP1911.