Police Violence Summary

Police brutality is filled with intense violence that threatens the lives of many minorities. Statistics from an article called “The Long, Painful History of Police Brutality in the U.S” shows that African-Americans make up 13 percent of

Police brutality, or the general brutality towards black people, is not a new issue in America. Over 700 unarmed African-Americans were murdered in 2015 alone. Michelle Alexander argues in “The New Jim Crow” that the criminal-justice system in America has purposely been used as a means for oppressing black people after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. In 1903, Hon. Frank Moss, a former police commissioner of New York City, published this paragraph:

The police are pronouncing a campaign of domination and restraint of populations and that movement has the understood endorsement of every citizen within their precincts. This is not a reprobate officer difficulty; this is a cad society crisis (Russell, 2000). Police brutality is the manifestation of a race issue that has been growing over an extensive period of time. Police brutality cannot be fought without addressing the core issue of racism and proper measures of reform through the auspices of the law. It is important that we as a nation set aside time to really discuss the issues that surround institutional racism and institutional bias that creates the stigma that surrounds the African-American population. The police are simply mediums

Granderson writes in several story highlights he's been repeatedly stopped, and hassled by police for no good reason, as a result, he reports -Trayvon Martin's shooting shows similar injustice, which is, he says,- it has echoes of how police handled Amadou Diallo case, Rodney King, Sean Bell. Lastly, he reports by far the predominant reason, LZ says, Cover ups, lax investigations show black people why they can't trust police (Granderson, 2012). McKay, (2015), shows an appalling video exposing how the police really treat black teens in America. The video uncovers why black Americans are more likely to be restrained with a lethal weapon as opposed to a non-lethal weapon. The results of McKay research also show how American activists have decided to challenge Congress to administratively address the deprivation of Rights under the color of Law Statute (McKay,

On March 2, 1991, a brutal beating of a 26 year old man by the Los Angeles Police department, set tensions high between the black community and the police department, not only in Los Angeles but all across the country. This is not only considered an extremely controversial incident, but also a contradicting case. Is it a coincidence, or has the justice system failed to charge and imprison police officers who use excessive force on black members of society? By analyzing the incidents leading up to this event, the actual evidence presented in the trial, and the police reports and conversations post beating of Rodney King, it will be clear whether or not justice was served and how the results of this trial affected the Los Angeles community, and policing in the U.S for years to come.

Police brutality has become a frequent and sensitive debate for some time now. The encounters between the police and men of color have brought to light an underlying thought in the minds of many. Has racism been resolved or has it manifested itself in modern times? Hinton highlights the unfortunately clear divide in the way that people are policed. Personally, I believe racism cannot and will not disappear in the hearts of people, however, the system, especially the criminal justice and law enforcement systems, with which we all live under should not put African Americans in a state of internal nervousness out of not being sure if the color of their

In the twenty-first century, it seems that the media produces many stories on police brutality, the majority of which surround African-Americans. This is not just coincidence as the majority of citizens in the United States of America that are faced with police brutality are African-American. Prejudice in the force has been an issue for hundreds of years, but just now, with the advancement of technology, has the issue reached citizens across the country in heaping amounts. Whether through unconscious bias or open racism, the violence shown to black citizens across America by precincts and the justice system in general is a widespread issue that needs to be

“What are you following me for?” “You shot me. You shot me!” “Please don’t let me die” “Officer, why do you have your guns out?” “I can’t breathe.” “I don’t have a gun. Stop Shooting.”(The Last Words). These were some of the last words from victims of police brutality against African Americans. Police brutality has been occurring ever since the police force began, but recently, the police have been targeting African Americans. In 2016, more than 250 African Americans were killed by the police. Most of the victims were unarmed and have not committed a serious offense. These frightening statistics do not have to continue. If the average American recognized the severity of the issue and raised their voice, this inequity

Police brutality against black men in America is thought to be something that does not exist anymore due to the civil rights movement in 1955-1968. Unfortunately, a statistic shows a black suspect is killed by a white police officer twice a week. (McKay) “While African-Americans constitute 13.1% of the nation’s population, they make up nearly 40% of the prison’s population. Even though African-Americans use or sell drugs about the same rate as whites, they are 2.8 to 5.5 times more likely to be arrested for drugs than whites.” (Hudson) These statistics confirm that not only are black people more like to be victims of fatal police brutality, they are also more likely to be convicted for a crime as well.

Most of the police brutality cannot be attributed to any significant proof but is only based on racial profiling. As such, the police attempted to detain suspects who they assumed to be behaving in a suspicious manner, any form of resistance resulted in fatal shooting. Furthermore, in most cases, blacks who were shot were not armed even though police tried to prove that they had within their reach dangerous items like knives (Russell-Brown, 2004). While carrying out their duties, police officers justify their actions against black people by arguing that they felt threatened or were in a position that forced them to shoot. It shows that speculation and a negative attitude against black people were the main reasoning behind the brutal treatment

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.

“Most officers involved in these killings are hardly indicted, much less convicted, for excessive use of force. The criminal justice system’s high volume of contact with people of colour”. (Burton, 2015). This is a major cause of African-Americans’ unequal proportion of deadly police encounters, as well as of larger perceptions of prejudice in the black communities. “Black lives matter” has become the accumulating social movement to bring light to the inequality and unjustifiable act and the legal system is failing to up hold the citizens right and the basic

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)

In the past several years there has been a negative outlook on how the police force are completing the tasks they are given. In some cases police are using excessive brute force to subdue their “perpetrator.” Glover stated “The targeting of people of color by law and law enforcement is an American tradition.” (P.11). With everything going around today with police officers and how they treat the people of color in our society I can see how that can be said. That statement can be applied to cases such as like the one with Eric Garner, an African American male, who was put in a chokehold to be subdued but ultimately ended with his untimely death all “on the suspicion of selling a loose cigarette”(Thompson,2015). Another case where this can

Conflict between African Americans and police has been a continuous issue that has been afflicting American society ever since The Civil Rights movement. The confrontation between these two groups is one of the most serious issues in America. From the Civil Rights era to the present, tension has and still is exhibited through media insinuation, intrinsic human nature, lack of awareness, institutional racism and violence, which divides the two groups. Today in society problems mainly emerge between the two groups due to lack of awareness and different forms of discrimination and prejudice. The commonality of police brutality has become a norm in American society so much so that police officers get away with crimes and injustice everyday.