Police Shooting Research Paper

In order to stop the fight we have to speak up, gather together, and protest peacefully without any need for harm to come our way, or the police way.

Police brutality has been a major issue since slavery. In slavery people, mainly whites, were able to do anything to black people without having to deal without dealing with the consequences. Families were destroyed, people died, babies were killed, and many unknown factors still to this day that will never be known. When slavery was abolished, it did not end right away. It took several years and still is not abolished if you look at in a political way. People of power, mainly white, were not happy that a black person could be seen as equals. This is the main reason why they feel it is okay to lash out at black people. There are several major issues that are causing and epidemic in The United States. However, the main issue that seems to be the most discussed is about police brutality in the black community. “Police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. “Excessive use of force” means a force well beyond what would be necessary in order to handle a situation. Police brutality can be present in a number of ways. The most obvious form of police brutality is a physical form. Police officers can use nerve gas, batons, pepper spray, and guns in order to physically intimidate or even intentionally hurt civilians. Police brutality can also take the form of false arrests, verbal abuse, psychological intimidation, sexual abuse, police corruption, racial profiling, political repression and the improper use of Tasers”

Over the last two years in the United States the African-American people have been fighting a war within our own backyards. The Washington Post reports that since January 2015, the police have shot and killed over 175 young black men ranging from ages 18-29; 24 of them were unarmed. On the flip side 172 young white men were killed, only 18 being unarmed. With these statistics there are similarities in the numbers but, blacks were killed at rates disproportional to their percentage of U.S population (1.Washington Post). Of all unarmed people shot and killed by police in 2015. With 40% being black men make up just 6% of the nation’s populations. In the wake of the killings of Mike Brown, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, and many more the world has been made more publicly aware of injustices black people have to handle when dealing with law enforcement. Crime in the black community is nothing new in the black community or should I say black on black crime. There is a bad stereotype that has been put on black people since slavery times that I believe has help fueled the violence between the police and my people.

Police brutality is becoming a trend in America. Tensions among the public and especially the African American community are rising due to the latest cases of police brutality. Many people believe that we have come far in this society but to be honest Racism is still a factor. The use of brutal and lethal force by some police officers leading to unnecessary deaths have African American parents on edge to send their children outside for anything. Law enforcement and people whom we trust with our lives are the very same to take it. Some people may want to argue that these cases such as the shooting of Michael brown and choking of Eric Garner are isolated incidents. Others would argue that the work of a police officer is too difficult and that sometimes an officer needs to use such force in order to enforce the law and protect him/herself while on duty. Law enforcement proclaims to feel threatened however what about the civilians who feel threatened of becoming the next target or victim of prey. The society is well aware that not all police commit these crimes and that we do still have law abiding officers. However, with the effort from everyone we can eradicate the bad apples and create a safer road for the officers and civilians.

Racial discrimination and police brutality are very big issues, especially in the US. Racial discrimination is an issue because abusive behavior towards another race is disrespectful and unconstitutional. This issue wasn't talked about or confronted until the start of Kaepernick's protest. The Constitution says all men are equal, no matter their race, ethnicity, or where they came from. Racial discrimination also plays a big part in police brutality. Police brutality is when a person of the law (mainly police) uses excessive force when dealing with civilians. Many of the situations that have to do with police brutality relate to the civilian being black and the police using excessive force because of the civilian's race. This relates to basic traffic stops for driving violations to just interacting in general. For example, not too long ago a black male teenager in Ferguson was shot multiple times and killed by a police officer. The black teenager stole and ran from the cop, but does that give the officer a right to shoot multiple times and kill him even though he surrendered? No, it does not give him the right because all men are equal and deserve the right to a jury and that's wrong and an example of excessive force being used. Nothing came from this murder as the news died down. This seems to

Police shootings are unfortunate events but whenever there is a shooting, the topic of race emerges. Police shootings have always been the highlights on news channels and there is always the racially biased narrative that keeps repeating itself yet no one seems to dispute this narrative. However, did you know that studies show a police officer is eighteen and a half times more likely to be killed by a African American male than an unarmed African American male is to be killed by a police officer? In fact, a recent “deadly force” study by Washington State University researcher Lois James found that police officers were actually less likely to shoot an unarmed black suspect than unarmed Caucasian or Hispanic suspect in simulated threat scenarios. Some would argue that there are still police shootings all over America and they occur when police officers

90 percent of the homicides are not occurring due to police officers. 90 percent are occurring due to other African Americans. Police officers do not even take up 5% of the chart. That is excluding the cases where they did so to protect those around them and themselves. Most of the cases of African Americans being killed by the police were justified and were not their fault. Media outlets have wrongfully manipulated facts in order to please communities to show their cause is right when in fact it is wrong. Police on black shootings are not an issue that should be focused on in such a severe case, black on black crime should be. Especially when most homicides committed towards African Americans are done by other African

Police use of deadly force in America has become a largely talked about issue and seen more and more every day. In 2012, 602 people were killing by police, 326 of the ones killed were white Caucasians, and 123 were black. The reason I point this out is because a lot of people try to make it a race issue. Which in some cases may be true, but believe that it is more than just race it’s about the police being corrupt all round. The police officers power needs to be limited and these killings need to be stopped.

On July 6th, a Minnesota police officer pulled Philando Castile, a 32 year old black male, for a broken tail light. The officer asked the man to get out his license and as he reached for them, the officer then pulled a gun and shot Castile. As Castile lay with his head back bleeding out, his fiance, Diamond Reynolds filmed a video explaining he had shot Castile four times. Reynolds’s four year old daughter had been sitting in the back seat to witness the entire thing. Of the 708 police shootings to occur before September this year, ¼ of those deaths, 173 black individuals have been shot dead. Between 2008 and 2012, 12,765 people had been victims of police shootings and 51.1% were African American. Just to put things in perspective for you.

Last year, blacks were killed very often and in bad demeanors by cops. Alton Sterling was pinned to the ground, hands up unarmed, was shot twice in the chest and died. Nothing happened to those cops because they say it was self-defense. Another incident where a black male was pulled over his hands clearly shown on his steering wheel, was shot dead with his wife and son in the car. Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in his own neighborhood just because of his appearance, the man was set

According to a Washington Post database of lethal police shootings 24 unarmed black men have been shot and killed by police so far this year. This means one a black man dies every nine days. Three unarmed black men were shot and killed in the month of April alone. All three shootings were either caught on tape or reported on local TV. The 24 unarmed black men that were killed compose a startling small amount of the 585 people shot and killed by police. According to The Post database. Most of those killed were white or Hispanic, and a good number of all races were armed. However, according to Wesley, black men accounted for 40 percent of the 60 unarmed deaths, even though they make up just 6 percent of the U.S. population.

Police shootings of young Black males that ultimately result in their death have become an all-too-common occurrence in this country. The deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Gardner have highlighted police relations with this population. Before viable solutions can be established, a number of areas need to be addressed that relate to the historical context in which police relations with this group exist that impact current relations between the police and young Black males, why their lives are seemingly given less value by society than those of their White counterparts, the role that spirituality and religiosity play that may help to make connections between them and the police, and the benefit of the Black church in fostering amicable police relations with young Black males.

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.

Police shootings of young black males that ultimately result in their death have become an all-too-common occurrence in this country. The deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Gardner have highlighted police relations with this population. Before viable solutions can be established, a number of areas need to be addressed that relate to the historical context in which police relations with this group exist that impact current relations between the police and young black males. Why their lives are seemingly given less value by society than those of their white counterparts. The role that spirituality and religiosity play that may help to make connections between them and the police, and the benefit of the black church in fostering amicable police relations with young black males.

Over the past five centuries, black people have endured violence in many different ways. Today, police officers use deadly, excessive force that leads to inexcusable assaults, beatings and shootings.