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Racial Disparities In To Kill A Mockingbird

Decent Essays

To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, tells the story of a little girl named Scout. Set in Alabama in the 1930s, Maycomb county, Scout’s home, is a sleepy place, that hides a dark streak of racism. Maycomb gets pulled into a whirlwind court case of sexual assault consisting of an African American man getting accused of beating and raping a white girl. Scout, whose father defended the African American, learns of the deep problems in society. Still in the mindset of constant racism, the jury ruled against the black man, even though the evidence clearly proved that the girl’s father beat her. Unfortunately, this racism survives today, and one only has to take a peek at the news, or a glance outside to notice it. Racism still exists today, as seen through brutality against …show more content…

However, some academics disagree and say that violence against African Americans has decreased in the number of cases. The National Review, a conservative newspaper company, explains that, “Racial disparities in the use of force are largely explained by racial disparities in criminality. Different American demographics commit crimes at different rates, so it stands to reason that those who commit more crimes will confront the police more often” (French). This quote explains how different demographics have different crime rates, and the percentages of those prosecuted accordingly. But still, that does not mean that a police officer has the right to beat an African American because their crime rates vary from the white americans. Law enforcement should think through their course of action first instead of jumping to conclusions. One example of how racism prevails is revealed through the Rodney King Beating from 1991. Rodney King, a young black man living in Los Angeles, California, drove on the Foothill Freeway one fateful night. While driving on the Foothill Freeway, the LAPD attempted to pull him over. After a high speed pursuit, he finally pulled over and

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