Black Equality Movement And Law Enforcement

The civil rights movement of the sixties is one of the most controversial times of the last century. Many, if not all, who lived through that time, and the generations following were enormously impacted. At the time passions ran so high that violence at peaceful

MOVE was and is a Philadelphia based group founded by John Africa (Vincent Leaphart) in 1972. This group was a self-proclaimed black liberation group. MOVE lives communally and are often engage in demonstrations against police brutality, racism, animal rights and other issues. This group has had two major conflicts involving the Philadelphia Police. This first in 1978, which was a police standoff that resulted in the death of a police officer, possibly by friendly fire, injuries to several other individuals, and the life sentence of 9 MOVE members. In 1985 there was another standoff between MOVE and the Philadelphia Police Department. This standoff ended with the death of 11 MOVE members, to include John Africa and 5 children, and the

On the 15th and 16th of september the people of St. Louis and members of BLM “Black Lives Matter” protested against a court decision that stated that the former cop Jason Stockley was innocent. At the end of the night on the 15th of september some protesters decided that they would assault the cops by throwing brick and water bottles full of paint thinner and gasoline. Other groups of protesters decided to march to

Over the past decade, police brutality has covered major headlines because officers have acted out in ways that have made citizens question their motives. Things such as unjustified shootings, deadly chokings, and rough treatment have all added to the constant problem of police brutality in the black community. Annoyingly, the police officers responsible for the killings and abuse are not held for long before they are discharged to their normal routines. Since many people believe that the issues of police brutality is based on race, officers should be held accountable for their misconduct. Accountability will permit officers to treat all with equality; therefore using the appropriate amount of force on everyone. Often cops are indicted in less than 1% of killings, but the indictment rate for citizens is 90% which is a major problem. If someone does wrong they should suffer the consequence no matter who they are. As a result of misconduct officers tend be mistrusted by their communities. Deaths in the black community often stems from police officers using excessive force such as assaults, beating and shootings.

Civil rights groups are not a new thing in the United States, but after the disputed case of Trayvon Martin who was killed by George Zimmerman, the movement has been growing tumultuously. After Martin’s death, hundreds of high school teens began protesting, demanding both Zimmerman and chief police be fired. With the help of social media, Umi Selah and other activists were able to organize a forty-mile march from Daytona Beach to the headquarters of Sanford Police Department (the department that dealt with Martin and Zimmerman’s case.) The march lasted four days and ended in a five-hour blockade of the Sanford Police Department’s door. This organized protest was just the beginning of what quickly became the Black Lives Matter movement (McClain 2016).

The biased American Criminal Justice System targets African Americans through government legislation such as President Nixon’s War on Drugs and President Clinton’s Crime Bill, in addition to corrupt police departments that intentionally vilify, and a biased court system that is more likely to convict them than their white counterparts. The United States of America intentionally criminalized African Americans in efforts to compensate for the free labor lost after the passing of the 13th amendment, in order to boost the ruined economy that plagued America after the Civil War. On December 6, 1865, after 250 years of slavery, the United States Congress passed the thirteenth amendment which formally abolished slavery. The Civil War, which ended

Having a fear of the unknown is a primitive instinct. People are taught at a young age to have a sense of “stranger danger”, to be careful when going somewhere unfamiliar, but have you thought of how that applies to how we treat other people? Minorities’ human rights have been inadequately represented by the United States’ government through bullying and discrimination across the country.

Why do Black and Minority Ethnic young people experience differential treatment in the Youth Justice System?

African Americans in modern America have bound together in unity against inequality to help end the unnecessary murders and unjust police beatings. However, where did these tensions between police and African Americans begin? This question can be answered by looking at the history of police in America and why they were originally established. Police first came on to the scene in 1704 when Carolina established the nation’s first slave patrol that would turn into what we know today as the modern police. The slave patrol had the duty of searching for runaway slaves and returning them to their masters. Therefore, the original reason the police force was established was to deal with black slaves and it seems as if some officers today still hold that as their job title. However, this was just the beginning to the negative police encounters that many African Americans would have to endure. With the ratification of the 13th amendment and the freeing of the slaves the slave patrol became what is known as modern day police. During reconstruction the police began a war to create a new form of slavery, this form of slavery was known as convict leasing. Although, the 13th amendment legalized the enslavement of anyone convicted of a crime it seemed as if it was only used against African Americans. This new method of enslavement sky rocketed the rate of African American arrests and created new laws in the south such as the pig laws which sentenced anyone who stole a pig to 5 years in

The 1960s was a time for change. It promoted on going expectations of equality for all races. This proved to be difficult for minorities. In August of 1965, civil unrest broke out, which lead to six-day revolt called the Watts Riot. Nearly thirty years later another riot broke out which caused even greater damage and left an even greater impact in our history, the Rodney King Riots. Both of these events share similar qualities and devastating damages, however, their meanings are much harder to decipher from one another. These impactful events in our society demonstrate how much there needs to change in our society, especially when dealing with minorities.

There are many ways the criminal justice system plays a huge role in the discrimination against all people of color. Mostly, there are a wide range of studies within the African American communities that expresses concern, prejudice, and even racial profiling in the criminal justice system pertaining to blacks. Judges, jurors, police officers, and even marriages are key roles of the societal disadvantages African Americans have. African Americans are even being arrested more than any other race in America. With societal disadvantages, how can African Americans be striving citizens in America?

During the 1960’s of American history violent acts were aimed at African Americans in the name of racism and segregation. In a case such as this one, many would seek refuge from the government, but to little surprise, cries for refuge went unanswered. Making matters worse was the fact that the Government allowed segregation to continue due to legal documents in many southern states. Acceptable forms of oppression were separated into four categories: racial segregation; voter suppression, in southern states; denial of economic opportunity; private acts of violence aimed at African Americans. At this time, many civil rights laws were

Throughout the 1960’s, the widespread movement for African American civil rights had transformed in terms of its goals and strategies. The campaign had intensified in this decade, characterized by greater demands and more aggressive efforts. Although the support of the Civil Rights movement was relatively constant, the goals of the movement became more high-reaching and specific, and its strategies became less compromising. African Americans’ struggle for equality during the 1960’s was a relentless movement that used change for progress. In essence, the transformation of the Civil Rights Movement throughout the 1960’s forwarded the evolution of America into a nation of civil equality and freedom.

By the mid-to-late 1960s, many blacks nationwide grew disillusioned with the slow pace of change in race relations and polices as opposed to the meteoric promises by Civil Rights leaders. Activists grew jaded after viewing and experiencing the full brunt of white resistance to the movement. The predominance of nonviolent integration began to wane by the mid-60s, as groups and organizations began to splinter and radicalize. Much of the anger and frustration of urban blacks erupted into violent confrontations. These race riots would leave behind a negative social and economic legacy, which would cast a decades-long shadow in urban poor communities. Between 1964 and 1971,

Racism was a larger issue back in the 1930’s than it is today. During the 1930’s many Black Americans were unable to find jobs. With the Great Depression came the “last hired first fired” mindset. Many African Americans felt that this was targeted towards them (Racial 5). This along with Jim Crow laws kept most blacks in a level of poverty, which added to the discrimination (Racial 7). Throughout this time, all the way up into the 1960’s and 1970’s African Americans were under great segregation. During this thirty years, great strides toward social equality were made, but at the cost of numerous racial driven incidents. Many great African American icons were assassinated during this time. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 because he stood up against racial oppression as well as Martin Luther King Jr. who was assassinated in 1968. Both of these two men were part of the leading force in the desegregation of America (Rosenberg 1). This movement led to great tension between the African American culture and white culture, which led to many very violent cases between the races. A great