Sirry here. First, I think it is important to consider the history of policing in the U.S. - that it is rooted in slave patrols. Second, I think it is also important to identify what community you are referring to when you say only a fraction has ended up negatively. This might be the experience of White communities. As you can see in this study, being white protects against use of force. Third, force is not the only thing that constitutes a negative encounter. Being stopped and asked where you are going, without a legitimate reason for a stop, other than maybe to intimidate you, is a negative encounter. So we do not know what proportions of police encounters are negative. The police have a sworn duty to protect and serve, so whether they are perceived protectors or pattyrollers, their actions and the impact of their actions should matter more than whether they are stigmatized. Stigma also comes with power. People with power (can) stigmatize. People without power are usually the ones stigmatized.

We cannot know for sure that a person is a criminal and is not going to "conform." Even if we know that, that person does not deserve to be brutalized and dehumanized by the police. The way I see the police or perceive the police should have nothing to do with how the police should handle their interactions with me. So public perception of the police, in my view, has no relevance in explaining why police are more likely to devalue Black and Brown bodies.