Tinker-Martin6 Police Brutality, Have Times Really Changed The history of Police Brutality for minorities; especially people of color has left America wondering have times changed. Police brutality has deemed the opportunity for socioeconomic advancement or access to good and services for many Black/African Americans dating back as far as 1955. The system of Police brutality has affected many realms of society for minorities’ employment and family life. After some scholarly research, police brutality is still prevalent in the Black/African American community; moreover, it comes in many different forms and fashions. Police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. Excessive use …show more content…
Despite the important racial progresss our society has made since Emmett Till’s death, from the civil rights era, to present increase of police brutality has still left the Black/African American community in shadows of segregation. The second most recent shooting of teenager Michael Brown has left citizens in ongoing battles with law enforcement officers of Ferguson, Missouri. New Statement (2014) reports, Missouri police similarly attempted to retain control of the narrative, claiming Brown had stolen cigars, and then paying for them, and then claiming he was a bad child and attacked the officer who shot him” (New Statement, 21). Brown autopsy reveals he was gun less and shot six times. Police brutality is not solely about Ferguson, Emmett Till, or the civil rights movement, but it is simply about the history of capitalism and police brutality in America and having many forms of it.
Which leads us to the question has times really changed are is police brutality still very surreal. Granted we talked mostly about Emmet Till, Trayvon Martin Michael Brown, and the civil rights these are not the only men or eras in time where police brutality has and still to this day is taking place. A few others who have suffered and died from police brutality include: Ezzel Ford who was mentally disabled and John Crawford III who was playing with a toy gun in
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.
Some groups of people in this society are getting incredibly out of control on how they are treating people and it’s been like this for awhile.
Over the recent years, police have been one of the organizations to be associated with the largest cases of misconduct. Police brutality can be termed as the process of misuse and abuse of authority by the police. The rising cases of police brutality are causing more harm to the public, compared to the actions perpetrated by real criminals. Although police claim that it’s sometimes necessary to curb crime, the process is illegal and police officers should be charged just like any other criminal offender. It should be the responsibility of the justice system to establish effective strategies to deal with the rising illegal activities in order to restore public trust in the law
In recent years and in light of recent tragedies, police actions, specifically police brutality, has come into view of a large, public and rather critical eye. The power to take life rests in the final stage of the criminal justice system. However, the controversy lies where due process does not. While the use of deadly force is defined and limited by departmental policies, it remains an act guided chiefly by the judgment of individual officers in pressure situations. (Goldkamp 1976, 169). Many current studies have emphasized the racial disparities in minority deaths, primarily black Americans, killed by police through means of deadly force. The history of occurrences reveals the forlorn truth that police reforms only receive attention in wake of highly publicized episodes of police misconduct. The notorious 1992 Los Angeles riots brought the matter to mass public attention and prompted improved law enforcement policy. Significant local reforms resulted, for instance, ending the policy of lifetime terms for police chiefs. Additionally, on a broader platform, in 1994, Congress approved provisions to the Crime Control Act in effort to tackle police abuse in a more structured way.
What is police brutality? This is a fundamental query that we all must answer before further dissecting this issue. It is the abuse of authority or the unjustifiable infliction of excess force by the police in the performance of their official duties. (Marilynn) The use of brutal force by the police is an activity that dates back many years. However, sustained campaigns by reformists and human right groups have led to the decline of the vice over the years. It is appalling to see the police regressing back into this old practice given the hard work that went into its eradication. More especially, the allegations of racial-motivated brutality are too derogatory to the significant leaps that have been made to achieve zero discrimination and racial prejudice. The partial application of the law by the police and brutality has reopened the wounds of slavery and the struggle for equality in the country. (Merle) Their lack of humanity and use of excessive force pokes holes on their nature of training.
Despite how many police brutality cases there will be, police brutality will remain. However, before police officers resort to unreasonably violent acts, they should try to resolve the situations as peacefully as possible. In some instances, this hasn’t been the case. After learning about tragic events that fall under police brutality that was caused by the officers who are supposed to protect and serve the people, and preserve the peace within the country, it may raise questions as to what the government is doing in order to minimize these tragic events. There is no such thing as getting rid of a problem forever, but you can take the necessary steps to minimize the damage done as much as possible.
In recent years’ police departments have been brought into the public eye based on the public belief that police brutality has become a norm within the police system in recent years. Yet this has occurred for decades in police departments, not only that but there are multiple forms of brutality to take account of in the criminal justice system specifically towards African-Americans. The criminal justice system has become accustomed to creating a system of racial control after the ending of the Jim Crow Era. Causing every level of the system to work in a way that limits the freedom of African-Americans the most common being that of police misusing
b) Their silence and ignorance set a bad example to the communities they are meant to protect.
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)
the principles of democracy, the respect of the equality of all people is one of its pillars. But there is an issue here, the definition of equality is not met in America. Anyone who watches the news must know by now, what is this “talk” African-American parents have with their kids. Police brutality has prompted African-American parents to take action and warn their children at a young age of the hardships they may experience as they grow up. Police brutality, towards black people mostly, is an example of the lack of equality that all people by law should receive. According to statistics, provided by The U.S. Census Bureau, of the more than
Not only has Police Brutality exposed hidden racism, but it has begun to cause separation in our nation. All of these Police Brutality cases such as Alton Sterling, Mike Brown, and Trayvon Martin just to name a few, all have happened within the last 3 years, and they were all documented on camera, exposing the reality to millions around the world. The conflict didn’t stop at the shootings though, many big-name Athletes stood up for the altercations and asked for attention. I am going to go over each individual shooting, the athletes that stood up for them, and political leaders that spoke on it.
Those of the minority community have been subjected, for many decades, to violence by those in law enforcement in the United States. This type of violence is a direct depiction of police brutality, which often leads to death. Police brutality has been an issue for many years, and it remains a major concern for those of the minority community. 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.This demonstrates the government’s role in initiating and prolonging racial suppression and provides the explanation for police brutality to become a federal crime. In history, racist
A young man’s brutal death at the hands of the police is found justified in a court of law due to his “suspicious” appearance: a black hoodie and his hands in his pocket. An elderly woman is fatally shot in her home for her relation to a suspected criminal. A married man with two toddlers is choked to death after a minor traffic stop by an officer who later claimed that his unarmed victim was wielding a gun. These people all have a few commonalities: the color of their skin, their presumed guilt at first sight, and their ultimate unjustified death administered by the law force. These are not uncommon occurrences. Due to the staggeringly disproportionate rate of African-Americans killed by the police, and the underlying rampant racial profiling, police brutality towards blacks in America must be called to light.
Police brutality is one of the several forms of police misconduct with involves undue violence by police members. Police brutality is not only a past issue, but a recent and ongoing issue which affects the lives of minority's and people all over the county today. Not only should minorities be aware of this violence, but other races should be alert. Familiar cases such as the Michael Brown and the Plessy vs. Ferguson is an example of police violence. The tragedies that occurred throughout the years has been very important to many people today. Many people feel threating and sometimes afraid of police officers. With an issue like this we should be very aware. J. Cole song “Neighbors” uses many examples of police violence against minorities. The overall song is racial issues towards minorities. The police violated J. Cole and his friends just because they were black living in a white wealthy neighborhood. African Americans has been targeting on multiples occasions by the police enforcement based on the color of their skin. Violent actions made by police against innocent and/or defenseless Africans Americans has led to horrific life altering injuries and even death. Creating harsher punishments towards the officers who’ve committed these crimes should be enforced to give justice to the families of their victims.
Police brutality is not a new subject. It has been around for numerous years, and like most issues, has resurfaced to the public’s eyes. The recent events brought up the question: Does there need to be a reform in the system in the police system? In this year alone, there have been countless cases of individuals being harmed or even killed by police officers for reasons that continuously are not explained. What has people more attentive to this injustice are statistics showing that most victims in these police attacks happen to be African Americans and other minorities.