New Girl: Police Brutality

Photo Credits: tsuni/shutterstock: The cast of “New Girl” arrives at an evening.

By Sonya Surapaneni

Eliciting  hearty laughter and tears from every viewer, “New Girl” targets people of  all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Roommates and married couples come to create a perfect group of best friends that always leave you longing for more. There are also various  social movements that are highlighted throughout the show—making it not only entertaining, but also informative. In this article, I unpack Winston, police brutality, and new levels of perspective.

Winston, the only black roommate throughout the show (and the best roommate in my opinion) becomes a cop for the LAPD task force. When dating an activist who advocates against police brutality, he refuses to admit that he’s a cop, and he simply plays it off. When later speaking about it with Nick, Winston explains the situation, Nick asks if Winston wants to hear his opinion. Winston says no, and Nick continues to ask if it’s about his skin color. 

"I love you, but you're white. I'm Black. I understand where she's coming from. When I was a kid we used to run from the police. Even if we did nothing wrong, it was just out of habit," Winston replies.

This brings a different tone to the conversation, and Nick becomes sympathetic. He becomes enlightened to the horrors that so many people have to face in the world today.

Winston soon becomes proud that he’s a cop who helps people every day, and Nick appreciates that, along with the rest of the roommates. They all reunite happily, bringing understanding and sympathy to the loft.

However, more than just the TV show, police brutality remains important to this world, and it always has been. The media has been highlighting the injustices that people continue to face in today’s world more this year, but we need to change the systems that were built on oppression around the world. Stay safe and keep yourself educated.