The USA-based Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests which gained new momentum this spring and summer have sparked fervent discussions and mass demonstrations around the world. In this episode, researchers Christian Davenport (PRIO, University of Michigan) and Scott Gates (PRIO, University of Oslo) talk about their perspectives on state violence related to BLM, personal experiences as Americans, and the research that can shed some light on what is happening. Christian's book talked about in the beginning of this episode is "Media Bias, Perspective, and State Repression: The Black Panther Party". He will release a new book on state repression this fall. This episode was also informed by the Washington Post article "It’s hard to hear ‘Minnesota Nice’ without undertones of irony and despair" by Michele L. Norris. Visit prio.org to find more related research.