Police Brutality In The Reconstruction Era

1. Jim Crow was a set of laws enforcing racial segregation in the southern United States from 1877 to the 1960’s. These barbaric and corrupt laws were set mainly against African Americans, limiting their human rights such as voting. The Whites firmly believed they were the superior race over African Americans because they labeled themselves as being more intelligent and civilized.

Excessive force being used by officers has been an ongoing issue since law enforcement was created. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, it has been made aware that minorities were a target for the law enforcement of that time. The 1967 murder cases of “Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner against the sheriffs of Neshoba and Lauderdale County” at that time was huge seeing as everyone involved in the case got off without any charges (Wynter). After years have gone by and the 41st anniversary of their deaths has happened, someone was convicted. All this time, no one would speak up against the police of these counties in fear of being brutally murdered just like the three men that was in their care. The injustice of it did not make sense

Police brutality has been a growing issue in the United States of the past century. The unique thing about police brutality is it does not discriminate. With that said some races have it worse than others. Such as the African American race they are continently in the news for African Americans being shot and killed by the police. Many look at police brutality as a physical abuse, but it is much more than that. Some people have suffered from mental issues to, such as thinking back to a incident with the police or having anxiety everytime they see a police officer. With that in mind if the police are viewed as a threat in the eyes of some of the public it can only get worse.

Although I should know by now, I cannot help but think that there has been an overwhelming amount of police brutality in recent years. Police brutality can be defined as, when a police officer uses more force than necessary. This issue has spread throughout the United States of America, and is putting the lives of our citizens in great danger. Police brutality is not only physical, but it can also be verbal attacks; and, in most cases, it is caused by false arrest and racial profiling due to police corruption. Police brutality has been and continues to be a major concern in society and it is used very loosely to any and all forms of police misconduct. Whereas, in reality, excessive force of police misconduct is what defines police brutality. The jobs of a police officer are too calmly resolve public disturbance and disputes. Police officers are supposed to protect citizens; instead they are hurting and using excessive force. It is not right and it is unjust for a police officer to hurt a citizen due to an assumption without any actual proof of criminal activity.

Police brutality isn’t something new in the United States. It’s just been something that has been covered, payed off and forgotten about for years, until the next event occurs. Police brutality is when the officers who are supposed to be protecting us from danger and harm are the ones causing it in our communities today. Every other day you hear on the news about another ‘black’ man has been killed by police because he was ‘resisting arrest.’ Eric Garner, was killed in Staten Island on July 17, 2014 by police because they suspected that Erica was selling cigarettes. Eric was put into a chokehold for half a second because he was supposedly resisting arrest and was then thrown to the ground and stomped in the face while being handcuffed while continuously saying “I can’t breathe.” There were plenty of videos floating around the internet from people who recorded the arrest. Everything was caught on camera, yet, the arresting officers weren’t charged or put in jail or even lost their jobs. No, they

Jim Crow Laws was caused due to many unhappy white southerners who weren’t happy about the ending of slavery. In addition, many white people also didn’t agree/like the fact that they would have to work with African Americans. Later on, there were “Black Codes,” which was a law in the southern states declaring that many African Americans wouldn’t have as much freedom. Also, “black codes” would make them not get paid the same amount as white southerners, and they would get paid lower wages and debts as well. For instance, the black codes also restricted civil and political rights for African Americans: a limit of freedom of employment, freedom of movement, the right to own land, and their freedom to testify in court.

Police brutality escalated back in 1877 against labor workers, strikes such as the Railroad Strike, Pullman Strike, Lawrence Strike all the way to the Steel Strike in 1919 created massive deaths by police.

After the Civil War, most Southern and Border States deprived the basic rights of African Americans. Jim Crow was a fictitious character created by a white entertainer to ridicule African Americans. The laws were made in an attempt to keep African Americans away from whites after slavery ended (“Examples of Jim Crow”). The Jim Crow laws affected education, health care, and social events. “From Delaware to California, and from North Dakota to Texas, many states (and cities, too) could impose legal punishments on people for consorting with members of another race” (“Jim Crow Laws”). These punishments could be brutal or sometimes fatal.

“Jim Crow Laws were statutes and ordinances established between 1874 and 1975 to separate the white and black races in the American South. In theory, it was to create "separate but equal" treatment, but in practice Jim Crow Laws condemned black citizens to inferior treatment and facilities.” The Jim Crows Laws created tensions and disrespect towards blacks from whites. These laws separated blacks and whites from each other and shows how race determines how an individual is treated. The Jim Crow laws are laws that are targeted towards black people. These laws determine how an individual is treated by limiting their education, having specific places where blacks and whites could or could not go, and the punishments for the “crime”

Jim Crow was the name of the racial caste system which operated primarily, but not exclusively in southern and border states, between 1877 and the mid-1960s. Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-black laws, it was a way of life. Under Jim Crow, African Americans were relegated to the status of second-class citizens. Some of the laws excluded blacks from public transport and facilities, juries, jobs, and neighborhoods, voting, holding public office, and school. Although the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution had granted blacks the same legal protections as whites. After 1877, and the election of Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, southern and border states began restricting the liberties of blacks.

The era of Jim Crow began after the end of Reconstruction in 1877, in which through the rebuilding of the South, whites established laws and customs that forced freed slaves to stay marginalized and targeted by Southern whites. The purpose of these Jim Crow ideas was to keep blacks and white separated, and to also keep blacks from progressing in society. For instance, Southern whites forced blacks to take literacy tests before they could be considered able to vote. From the start of this Jim Crow era, racial compromise was already occurring. One of the most obvious examples of this compromise comes from the real name of the era. “Jim Crow” was a name used in a

The Jim Crow laws perpetuated segregation. This set of rules to show the dominance of the white race were absolutely appalling. They were mainly operated in the southern portion of the United States, but not exclusively. The Jim Crow laws “were in place from the late 1870’s until the civil rights movement began in the 1950’s” (“Jim Crow Laws”). Blacks and whites could not use the same drinking fountains, restrooms, or attend the same restaurants, churches, and schools. It was considered rape or an unwanted advance for a black man to offer his hand to a white woman. Another law was that african-american couples could not show affection towards each other in a public area because it “offended whites” (Pilgrim) along with countless more. There

From each case of these shootings and usage of excessive force have sparked up riots, that fueled up the flames on the issue even more. Every incident that happens between a civilian and a police officer draws attention from the media and public eye, and every case changes everyone's perspective towards police officers and police brutality. The police brutality, the riots that form after every altercation, and the public's view are the current events we see and hear about everyday. Police officers have a dangerous job and never know what they are going to face when they go out for a call. They are trained on how to handle each altercation, but it seems like sometimes they forget their training in heated situations.

Police brutality is an ongoing problem in the United States. Law enforcement agents are there to protect the public for they have the legal right to use physical, and even deadly, force. However, many of these officers abuse of that power. In the past year, there have been more than 900 cases of police abuse. Most of the victims have been innocent, unarmed, and/or of color. Police brutality is becoming more and more of an issue as society keeps growing. This nationwide problem could be solved in many ways, but having peaceful protests and by educating our police officers about racial differences are two good possible solutions.

In the 1900s, the civil rights movement was in full swing, and police brutality and riots were common occurrences. By going back in time, one can see the comparisons between racial tensions then and now to see that America is repeating history. There is a continuous cycle of police brutality, african americans protesting and rioting, which then leads to more police brutality. The Detroit Race Riot of 1967 is an excellent example of this. This riot was “an immediate response to police brutality” (Wang 1). A curfew was placed on Detroit after ongoing violence that day, and “seven minutes into the curfew a 16-year-old African American