The United States is facing a serious problem with police brutality. Police brutality is when law enforcement uses excessive or unjustifiable force to interact with the people. Recent years have seen many incidents of police cruelty, often involving the death of unarmed African Americans. Police officers are known to have hateful attitudes or behaviors towards certain races, sexes, and religions. Police brutality targets predominantly African Americans, according to evidence.

The United States has had a long history in which it has not treated African Americans fairly. Police brutality is an issue that has a significant impact on the society today because of race. According to a journalist, “The history African Americans in America is one of discrimination and segregation that continues to shape our modern society” (Chama203). Police have historically been known for their ability to protect and enforce segregation and racism in the North as well as the South. During the Civil Rights Movement, police used extreme violence against protesters, including beating them with batons and weapons, pepper spraying, and biting police dogs. Despite segregation being banned by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 African Americans were still treated badly. Brain Chama, a journalist, agrees that segregation was illegal after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, millions of African Americans are still being arrested. King was taken from his vehicle by the police and brutally beat while George Holliday, who was passing, captured all of it on videotape. All officers were indicted for assault with deadly weapon and excessive police force. However, after three months of trial, a majority white jury acquitted all the officers. This caused riots in 1992 Los Angeles. This led to more than 50 deaths, 2,000 injury, 9,500 arrests and $1 billion in property damages. King addressed the crowds to end the third day of riots. King made a famous plea: “People. I just wanna say, can’t all of us get along?” Can’t we all just get along?” Four of the officers were charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with civil fraud. Two of the officers were convicted and two others were acquitted. King received $3.8 million in civil damages for his injuries. King describes his experience saying, “It felt like being raped. I felt like a slave. It was like being in another dimension.

Police brutality stems mainly from racial profiling. Stereotypes about African Americans have a broad impact on the identity of all African Americans. Because the police hold power, they can define race boundaries. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights states that “Racial profiling has always been a part of U.S.policing since the establishments of slave patrols, the selective criminalizations and enforcements of “vagrancy” laws, and similar crime” (49). African Americans are most likely to be suspected in committing a crime. This is simply because African Americans have a stereotype of being aggressive and criminals. Discriminatory police actions are covered up by criminal laws like “stop & frisk”, which permits officers to stop any person, regardless of whether they suspect that they are about to or have already committed a crime. This is confirmed by the IACHR, which states that “in recent decades, police officers have used racial profiling to enforce law enforcement policies within the frameworks of the “War on Drugs” counter terrorism/ “homeland Security” initiatives” (49).

Eric Garner from Staten Island, an African American male, was choked and killed by a New York cop. Officer Justin Damico and Daniel Pantaleo approached Garner initially to see if he was selling “loosies”, single cigarettes sold in packs of 10 without tax stamps. Officer Justin Damico and Officer Daniel Pantaleo approached Garner to ask if he was selling “loosies”, single cigarettes from packs without tax stamps. Garner refused to do so. Garner explained to officers that he was tired with being harassed without any reason. Officer Daniel Pantaleo wrapped Garner’s neck around and applied all force, chokeing him. The entire incident was captured on video. Garner repeated his words, “I can’t breath”, and Officer Pantaleo didn’t stop. Garner was declared dead in the hospital one hour later. Even though Garner had the video of the encounter, the grand jury decided not indict the officers.

Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri shot and killed Michael Brown on August 9, 2014. Brown and his friend were walking on the sidewalk when the officer pulled up and asked them to use a sidewalk. Brown and Brown’s friend were apparently leaving a liquorstore where surveillance video shows Brown stealing cigarillos. Officer Wilson believes Brown fits the description of the suspect in the liquor store robbery. Wilson combined his S.U.V and traffic to stop Brown and Wilson. Wilson and Brown began to fight. Officer Wilson fired 12 shots, and Brown, who was not armed, received 6-gunshot wounds. Brown was then killed. A grand jury made up nine blacks and three whites from St. Louis County decided not to indict Wilson for Brown’s shooting. This decision sparked outrage within the community. Several buildings were set ablaze and businesses were taken hostage.

Mass incarceration is an affliction that goes hand-in-hand with police brutality. Studies show that African Americans are being arrested at a 10x rate than whites. According to University of Chicago Press, “Historically, police have targeted African Americans with the intent of accusing them of violating laws.” This targeted resulted in the imprisonment, imprisonment, chain-gangs, prison farms, and other correctional facilites for tens to thousands of African American men and women. (Taylor 201). Today, mass incarceration is the practice of enslaving African Americans. It reduces the opportunities for African Americans and negatively impacts their community. According to the IACHR: “Resulting in 1 in 15 African Americans being in jail, and 1 out of 13 African Americans losing their right to vote owing a conviction for a crime” (45). Individuals are often imprisoned not for their crimes but because they believe and practice racist policies. “Introduction – AfricanAmericans Police Brutality & The U.S. Criminal Justice System”, explains what incarceration means for people.

Many young black women and men become involved in the illegal drug trade. They are categorized as felons after being released and given second-class citizenship. In this category, they are denied the basic citizenship rights of voting and serving on juries. (Taylor 200)

Sandra Bland (a young activist of black skin color) was hanged in Texas on July 13, 2015. She was stopped for speeding and was taken into custody. She was stopped by a state trooper on July 10 for not signaling a lane-change. Bland took a video of the encounter and recorded it on her phone. Encinia approached Bland, took her details, and returned to her vehicle in order to write a summons. Encinia asked Bland about her health and said that she was fine. Bland explained that she was angry because she was receiving a ticket for getting out of the way of the trooper. Encinia requested Bland to stop smoking, and the situation quickly escalated. Bland refused to comply with the order of the trooper and was forced from her car. Encinia called for Bland to be yanked out of her car. Bland was resistant. Bland reached for a stungun and yelled “I’ll light you up!” The video ends. Bland was arrested, and he was placed in a housing unit for Waller County Jail women. Bland was found dead in her cell three days later. Her death was ruled suicide by the authorities. Encinia was charged with perjury as the only criminal charge in the case. Encinia, who claimed Bland was there to conduct a safety traffic investigation, was accused by jurors of making false statements. The prosecution requested that Encinia be dismissed from the case in return for Encinia promising to never work again in law enforcement.

Police brutality often goes unpunished, which is one of the biggest problems. Sometimes, the police officer’s words are more important than the victim’s. According to a study, “The New York Civil Liberties Union,” which wrote the report, only 24% of 1,543 cases of misconduct and brutality substantiated in civil complaint review board” (NY) 6 had seen police officers disciplined since 1996. One can easily imagine how a judge/jury might bias to believe a police officer’s self-defense claim in a questionable killing scenario, especially when there is no evidence other than statements. “NY 6 states that the NY department has either not found the officer guilty, not punished the officer, or not taken any action on the complaint in other cases. When you consider racial bias, it is possible that many African Americans will face wrongful convictions.

Alton Sterling was a 37-year old African American man who was killed when two white officers tied him to the ground outside a Baton Rouge convenience store. Officer Blane Salamoni, Howie lake II were the officers. Officer Salamoni and Lake responded to a report about a man carrying a gun. Sterling was killed and wounded by Officer Salamoni in the melee. Officer Lake assisted Sterling in his fall, but he did not fire his gun. The entire incident was recorded on a cellphone, sparking protests across Baton Rouge. The officers’ bodies cameras as well as the store surveillance camera recorded the encounter. After an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting, it was decided that no charges would be brought against the officers.

Botham Jean was a musician and accountant from a local church. Amber Guyger shot him in the head and killed him in his apartment. Officer Guyger believed the apartment was hers and assumed Jean was a burglar, even though he wasn’t armed. It was evident that it wasn’t her home, because it was on the wrong level. Guyger was sentenced in October 2019 to 10 year imprisonment. Jean family supporters saw the sentence as “a slap on the face”. Prosecutors requested that Guyger be sentenced to 10 year imprisonment.

Some are against the notion of police brutality targeting African Americans. The killing of African American suspects in police shootings isn’t a matter of race, but rather a police issue. Rutgers University has concluded that police officers are less likely to kill black suspects than officers of other races (Jacobs). It is clear that police departments are dominated by white officers when compared to other officers. According to the researchers, nonwhite officers have significantly higher murder rates than white officers when they are dealing with Latino and black suspects. This may be because minority police officers are more likely to be assigned in minority areas and thus have more contact to minorities than white officers” (Jacobs). Although this is true, it does explain why contact between white officers and African Americans often ends in tragedy. The encounter is likely to be racialized because the officer hasn’t dealt with minorities suspects very often. According to studies, “We believe the disproportionate killings of black suspects are a downstream effect on institutionalized racism in many police departments.” (Jacobs). Police encounters with the public show that African Americans are at greater risk of being shot by police.

It is well-known that the majority of police brutality against African Americans in America is directed at African Americans. Millions of African Americans have been subject to police brutality, which has led to illegal and imprudent discrimination, harassment, mistreatment, and even death. Many unarmed African Americans have been killed by police officers in white America. This leaves others fearful of the police department’s prejudice. America’s history with racial injustice is why police officers see African Americans as more dangerous than other races. This is an indication that racism continues to exist in America.

Works citées

Chama, Brian. “The Black Lives Matter Movement and Crime and Police Brutality – Comparative Studies of New York Post and New York Daily News.” European Journal of American Culture. Vol.38, no.3, September 2019, pp. 201-216.EBSCOhost, doi:10.1386/ejac_00002_1.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an organization that works to protect and promote human rights in the Americas. “African Americans and Police Use of Force in the United States.” Organization of American States. 26 November 2018. pp. 1-166,http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/PoliceUseOfForceAfrosUSA.pdf

Jacobs, Tom. “Black Cops Are Just as Likely as White Cops to Kill Black Suspects.” Pacific Standard, 9 Aug. 2018, psmag.com/social-justice/black-cops-are-just-as-likely-as-whites- to-kill-black-suspects

“NY Civil Liberties Report reveals Police brutality goes unpunished.”Jet. 97, no. 6, January 17, 2000, pp. 6. ProQuest,http://ezproxy.selu.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/199991338?accountid=13772.

Taylor Clarence. “INTRODUCTION AFRICAN AMERICANS. POLICY BRUTALITY AND U.S. CRIMINAL JAUSTICE SYSTEM.” The Journal of African American History. Vol. 98, no. 2, 2013, pp. 200-204. JSTORwww.jstor.org/stable/10.5323/jafriamerhist.98.2.0200.

Author

  • rhysgraham

    Rhys Graham is an educational blogger and professor who writes about topics such as literacy, mathematics, and science. He has written several books, including one on the history of science. He is also the co-founder of the website Learn Out Loud, which helps educators create and share classroom activities.