“She said, ‘I’ve told my kids not to talk to you because you’re the people, who kill us,’ ”.
(Wise, L., & Moeller, K. (2014, December 13). Police: 'All of a sudden we're all racist killers'? - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram. Retrieved April 01, 2016, from http://www.pressherald.com/2014/12/13/police-all-of-a-sudden-were-all-racist-killers/.) The article then explains how police in Meridian/other cities are getting an angry backlash from the public after all the police killings of unarmed African-Americans. The community thinks it’s a time for officers to do some soul-searching and revamp training, but many officers think they’re being stereotyped as racist or brutal. Officers and their families are worried that they could
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(2014, December 13). Police: 'All of a sudden we're all racist killers'? - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram. Retrieved April 01, 2016, from …show more content…
Race is not an issue. Police officers are people just like us and make mistakes. It’s up to us, together, as a human race to learn from our mistakes and fix what is wrong. That’s the main idea of their job, to problem solve. Like we discussed in class, even in today’s society, police are trying to improve by using advanced technology and straying away from a military style of teaching. Someone in class that was in the military even said, that “they are trained to kill”. That’s not the job for the police. Their job is to serve and protect us from crime, not commit it. Our citizens are not the enemy, no matter what race they are. In my first two articles, it’s based on the officer. They’re either being trained wrong or can’t control their emotions. I think for the future, as a part of their training, they should be put in a situation where the suspect just says insults. Then, have the officer find a way to ignore it and not resort to brutal force. Also, it should be included when applying for the job. At the end of my interview with officer Meehan, he asked what my major was and what did I plan to do with it. I told him I was a Criminal Justice major and that I was interested in forensics or criminal investigations. I also told him I planned to get my masters at University of Baltimore. I explained to him the program they have called cyber-forensics really interested me. That it combined two things I liked a lot which is, computers and
Police brutality and office involved shootings have sparked national debate and created a strain between police officers and citizens. Recently, there have been more home videos that display acts of aggression by police officers. These police officers often use excessive forces or a condescending tone towards people of color which is why there needs to be a better way to mend police and civilian relationship. People should be able to trust the police in their communities rather than fear them.
Prince George’s County, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C., Provides a study on if police are actually racist, the county’s experience suggest that racism is deeply structured of policing, and isn’t going to change
The violence that some officers exude to minorities should only be used in extreme, desperate situations not when a teen steals some cigars or is walking home with a hood on. Besides showing an interest in racial justice and issues of race helps to break down barriers, exposed as false perceived misunderstandings, and shed light on commonly held perceptions of a race-infused
The brutality of the police force has been a long worldwide problem, but especially between the years of 2012-2016. Black people are being unjustly beaten and shot in plain sight for doing nothing while being unarmed. Journal of African American Studies “Blacks are viewed as deserving of harsh treatment in the criminal justice system” (482). “Black males with more “Afrocentric” features may receive longer sentences than blacks with less Afrocentric features like lighter skin and straighter hair”(482). Nowadays it is important to know about the police force. It’s important to know our rights as citizens and be careful around cops. Not everybody is good, but not everybody is bad also. In The New York Amsterdam News 21 people were killed by Chicago police in 2008. Entire families were being attacked. They believe it’s because of their skin color and how they are different. The year of racism started off with the world seeing the police murder of Oscar Grant. “The media have pushed people away from hearing the issue of police brutality, and it has fallen off of the radar screen.”(2) “You can’t give in. They will try to make an example out of you, try to break your spirit!”(2) African Americans say do not trust the cops with anything. “They will ruin you.”(2)
Chapter 4 in The Color of Justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America, was about the relations between society and law enforcement officers. This has been a major topic, especially in the United States for a long time. The unfortunate statistic that minorities are more likely to encounter being killed, arrested, and victimized by excessive physical force; has been a real issue even in today’s society. However, police departments are trying to combat the way police officers interact with the community; especially those of color. Although steps have been takes there are still some instances where police aggression happens. With all of the issues that arise between certain minority populated community’s police it is evident that conflict
Our society shows how racism and police officers are a focal point within our country. In the United States, many police officers demonstrate racist qualities. Research states that many police officers are only patrolling around predominately African American neighborhoods. People agree that police officers are just sitting in areas where African Americans live instead of just sitting anywhere and waiting for any crimes. (Martin, Trayvon. Racial Profiling). Polices are just waiting for African Americans to make a mistake. Most Police Officers haven’t changed their ways on racism. “Diallo was gunned down by NYPD officers while trying to enter his apartment building. The officers had mistaken Diallo for a suspected rapist—who was also black’’ (Martin, Trayvon. Racial Profiling). NYPD killed an innocent man because he was African American and he looked like the guy they were looking for. Therefore, this just proves police officers have not changed their racist
Brent Staples’ essay, “When the Paranoids Turn Out to be Right,” acknowledges the issues of racism and racial profiling committed by police. In “Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun,” Geoffrey Canada also expresses views on this issue when he asserts that police fail to protect and serve individuals in poor neighborhoods. Staples contends, “Among the day-to-day acts of discrimination that shadow African Americans, none are more stressful or dangerous than those committed by police, some of whom treat black people as criminals until proved otherwise.” (Staples. 380) Although statistics show that the looming presence of narcotics and violence is more prevalent in urban neighborhoods, police should apply the same effort to protect individuals in these
Throughout the last one hundred and fifty years, there has been a history of tension and conflict between the police and minority communities in the United States. In principle, the police exist to enforce the law and protect all citizens regardless of race or ethnic background, yet police departments across the country have been repeatedly accused of targeting and harassing racial minorities, and of failing to root out racist attitudes and practices within their ranks. In recent years, high profile cases such as the beating of Rodney King in Los Angles and the assault on Abner Louima in New York have only served to heighten concerns over the mistreatment of minorities by the police, resulting in widespread calls for major legal and institutional reforms. The recent shootings of Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Eric Garner, and Terrance Crutcher underscore the danger Black men and boys face when they cross paths with law enforcement officers. In the absence of a coordinated national strategy, state and local police departments have largely been left to develop their own solutions to the problems of policing minority communities and improving cultural sensitivity amongst their officers. Many departments have sought to reform recruitment and selection policies in the hope of attracting greater numbers of minority applicants, while others have instituted diversity training and education programs aimed at improving police understanding of minority cultures and communities. To date, however, these efforts have yielded mixed results. Some departments have achieved notable successes, but on the whole, relations between the police and minority communities across the country remain strained. of cultural diversity and the police.
Many of the problems and conflicts between the community and the police are based on situations involving police misconduct and race. Other issues occur because of an experience one has had with the police because he or she is minority. Early resentments from White officers cause a different outcome when handling a police situation that involves a different race as oppose to his or her own. This begins to shape the perception of the residents that witness these actions. It has been shown that an officer’s attitude and behaviors when dealing with a minority is harsher and unfair. Several situations like the Rodney King story and police brutality where a minority was the victim is viewed by the public and discriminatory behavior solely caused by a person’s race or ethnicity. This creates distrusts and suspicion with regard to the way a police department handles these issues. The public is disappointed and reluctant to construct a relationship with his or her fellow officer.
While in dangerous tactical situations, officers are now taking into consideration, the race of the offender, and what might be implied or taken out of context, if the offender is African American. “Most of the people who now live in terror because local police are too intimidated to do their jobs are black” (Martin, Jonathan). Furthermore, it also causes a danger to society by slowing officer’s reaction time. It puts law enforcement officers in a very tough spot, if they act to quickly they could be labeled a racist and face lawsuits, or even loss of job. However, if they don’t act, they could be harmed or even civilians around them.
"Relations between the police and minority groups are a continuing problem in many multiracial societies. Surveys consistently document racial differences in perceptions of the police, with minorities more likely than whites to harbor negative views." (Weitzer and Tuch, Race and Perceptions of Police Misconduct, 2004)
During 2013 the police force attempted to fight through the hatred of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ group. While not every person in this movement hated police and the ‘oppressive white man’, just as not all whites hated blacks during Reconstruction, many of them sought after their right to ‘peacefully’ protest against police forces around the US by physically assaulting police of all colors and acting out against the safety laws, put in place for everyone’s protection, by walking around with solid black BB guns and pointing them at the men and women who are trying to uphold the law and safety of all citizens. This event lead to many deaths on both the polices and black persons’ sides and an uproar of fights within families and friendships over ‘who’s side is right.’ In the end, this movement fell to the back burner of national news as the talk of president Trump’s immigration policies and ‘wall’ came to focus and has been the ‘race talk’ to recent days.
Many people in the minority community believe that white police officers are far more responsible for abusive conduct toward minorities than any other group(2). The authors of Beyond the Rodney King Story conclude that “ Police abuse in America largely consists of white officers abusing minority citizens. Rickie Clark of the National
Racism in public space influences police perceptions of African Americans through community emotions. There were various opinions in Sanford natives after Martin’s death about the racism of police and the overall community. The black natives there felt that police “only get but one side,” (Onwuachi-Willig 1166). The racial minority felt total abandonment from the police in important times of stress and grief. In expression of how the other side of the community felt, a white neighbor of Zimmerman said of the unity of Caucasians and of African Americans in Sandford that “they don’t want to be with us and we don’t want to be with them,” (Onwuachi-Willig 1177). It is not a surprise that community emotions were filled with anger in both blacks and whites and the police proved themselves unable to provide help. Emotions cannot just influence one’s opinions of the community, but one’s opinions of their job. The racial community divide shown within these quotes extends far beyond Sanford county and the state of Florida. It is paramount across many American communities and cites. Whites fear those of black color and implicit fear is common within this majority. In a recent NYC study, whites showed to feel the most comfortable with the police and least likely to view police brutality as a problem compared to minorities (Fine, et al. 149). While many blacks
These days, police are often stereotyped as aggressive, corrupt beings. The growing hatred for police officers widens the divide between citizens and law enforcement, causing tension and intensely aggressive feelings on both ends. The recent shootings of young African-American men have also added to the societal hatred of law enforcement. Through media exposure, these shootings have been portrayed as cruel, often times revealing the victim to be an unarmed man.