Let it Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992 The documentary “Let it Fall” produced by John Ridley describes the riots that took place at Los Angeles. Almost twenty-five years ago riots broke out in Los Angeles due to racial tensions between people of color and whites. Through the documentary “Let it Fall” it is seen how police officials would handle riots with brutal tactics. In my opinion I believe that LAPD conducted these brutal tactics against people of color because they did not have a concrete plan to deal with the unrest riots. It is seen on this documentary how people of color were giving brutal beatings with batons, how police officers would issue a warrant to search someone’s house and they would destroy their home, how police officers would
As I have read the two articles of Chaney and Robertson, and Yancy and Butler, it demonstrates that mostly black men and women particularly Africans are the most victim of the brutality by the police in America. The reasons behind this situation is all about race. The results are the racism and discrimination against blacks. There are a lot of instances that unarmed black men and women see as a threat by the police. In other words, it shows that blacks are dangerous and threats. However, having white skin did not see as a threat even if they did something suspicious. Chaney and Robertson states an example of an incident of Rodney King who was beaten by members of LAPD or Los Angeles Police Department. Then, because of this incident, many people
For most of history African-Americans have been physically and mentally abused by others, but in the past decade people enforcing the law have left us speechless. Some police officers use their positions and privileges to treat black people unfairly. We have seen hundreds of cases of African-Americans getting arrested, shot, tortured, and killed for no valid reason.
The video speaks of the reputation given to the African Americans and how local police officers view them. The two men state that black people are categorized based on the actions of others. One of the men proceeded to say that all blacks are connected as a minority and are labeled based upon the culture. He neglected to say that all races are labeled based on surrounding cultures, even though he categorized white people as rich white folk. They spoke about their experiences with police officers and how they are more likely to be pulled over then a group of white people.
Furthermore while watching this video, I was really shocked to see how the police force was mostly non-whites because I think when people think of an officer violating someone’s rights they mostly think of a white officer. In this case it is Latino officers who are from Newark. In the video you see them mostly stopping and frisking black people.You would think that growing up in Newark and knowing what or economy was like and how non-whites are always targeted, you would think the Latinos would have a little more respect towards people of color. But, that is not the case in this documentary and that just goes to prove former attorney, Song Richardson, right when she spoke in my Criminology class about stereotype
Many police brutality instances occur through traffic stops. There are many stories that have surfaced over the past few years where black people have been pulled over for something as simple as driving slightly over the speed limit. Shortly after, the police officer uses excessive and brutal force which later we're able to witness through dash cam footage on the police car. Police officers often claim this was self-defense, and they aren't punished for it. This allows for police to believe they are above the law, and they can treat people of color with such disrespect when they are undeserving of
This particular incident caused very intense riots against the police all over the city of Ferguson. There were shootings, vandalism, and massive destruction. The event happened in Ferguson, Missouri back in August 2014. Publisher Brent Wilkes says, “minority communities were left wondering how to work with a criminal justice system that continues to protect its officers over the welfare of citizens.” (1) Since the death of Micheal Brown, a large amount of people, nationwide, began to ask who they could trust. Police are supposed to be there to help you and protect you when needed, but the fact that they were killing innocent people was very
The film starts out when the writer and reporter Jelani Cobb starts his report on the Newark Police Department. He goes on several ride alongs with their gang unit to see the interactions with the people on the street and the police. In the intro he discussed the “rampant misconduct against the black community” so he was hoping to find reasons on why it was happening and how it can be reformed. In the gang unit he described the officers as predominantly black and latino just like the perpetrators which could lead someone to believe that if they are the same race as the people they are patrolling then there would be less racial discrimination. Later on in the documentary he talks with the mayor and when posited the question about policing those of your same race, the mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka stated that it’s “not who did it that makes it racism… the fact that overwhelmingly it happens to (a) specific group of people” is what the problem is.
The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 caused an uproar in the United States due to all the violence, and “cost the state of California over a billion dollars in damage” (history.com). The Riots were caused by a video that was leaked to the public of a black man that was assaulted by LAPD officers. Chaos raged on the streets of Los Angeles for a total of three days until the President of the United States stepped in to bring some order back to the city.
Recent Surveys have shown that police brutality typically occurs in areas that are predominately African American and that have police departments that are composed of non-minority Officer. For Example in Ferguson Missouri there is a population of approximately blank. Minorities account for only about 5.6% of the population. White American citizens only made up blank percent. The demographics of Ferguson’s Police Department show that white Officer outnumbered African American officers 51 to 3.
We have seen it in movies, videos, and even real life. The worst part about it is that it has only been placed on a certain group of people minorities; nobody else has to be scared for their life as much an African American male in this country. Police brutality is a crime yet, nobody not even our own government is trying to rebuild our society nor take the proper precautions to solve the problem. Police officers murder, beat, and take advantage of this criminal justice system and everyone who has been put in it or look like they should be put in it. Every piece of information in this paper is honest and anybody who reads this paper can visualize the oppression being put on minorities by the people who oathed to serve and protect
In our past white Americans use black African Americans as slave labor, now we see many white citizens still hurting and disrespecting them. A major example is police brutality. Police brutality is the act of police using force to deal with suspects that are beyond what is necessary. Police brutality has led America to a bad reputation with cops that go by the term, “to serve and protect.” Not only that, but it has contributed to racism in the country; many white police officers have been responsible for ending many innocent black lives. To the reader, for whoever you are, let this article inform you the many ways police brutality can be confirmed by story examples, racism, and reminding us why we came to our country. Maybe you haven’t seen it yet, but now you will know. Take note of what you have learned from the past about these events and similar events if you have learned about them. Step in someone else's shoes and see what they are seeing.
My friend did not expect the police to handcuff him outside of his house in front of his neighbors. He did nothing wrong--an hour earlier he had called 911 to report that someone had broken into his shed and stolen a lawn mower. Yet when the police finally showed up to investigate, they immediately suspected the perpetrator was him. This grievous act was made very obviously due to the fact that my friend is an African American male. The scene of people of color being subjected to bias from law enforcement is unfortunately very common. There are many books and movies that expose this prejudice, including the book Just Mercy. Brian Stevenson, the author, asserts in his book Just Mercy that the race of an individual has the most impact on how he/she is treated within the criminal justice system.
First, it is crucial to note that police brutality is not synonymous to racism against a particular group. However, there is a stigma that police often racially profile a specific African Americans. In February 2015, two cases of police brutality did not involve African Americans; instead the two victims were a Hispanic shot and killed in Washington State and an Indian-American severely paralyzed in Alabama. Even with this considered, of late, a majority of police brutality cases have involved minorities and specifically African American males. Cases such as Michael Brown and Freddie Gray have sparked a cultural uprising. These trigger event inspired the protests and riots against police brutality demonstrating collective action and physical violence, but the idea of police brutality is much larger than these individual cases, since it is a reoccurring cycle.
Being a minority in the United States has never been easy and does not seem to be getting any better. Minorities have been exposed to violence by law enforcement for many decades. Law enforcement 's are tasked with protecting and serving its citizens, not to harass and assault them. Police brutality is a continuous problem in the United States and officers need to be accountable for their actions. This research project will examine how police brutality often leads to death because of some officers ' unnecessary physical aggression and poor judgment, some incidents leads to unjust shootings, and finally, the misconduct of police officers. By understanding how police brutality is increasing and the violence that comes with it, police officers can then receive better training and learn how to gauge certain situations to avoid use of violence and abuse their power.
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)