Argumentative Essay: The Death Of Michael Brown

In the mid-1800s, America was truly divided over the crucial matter of slavery-Northerners desired the abolishment of slavery, while southerners demanded the continuation of slavery. John Brown was a Northerner who resorted to the usage of violence to fight against slavery. Some people may believe that John Brown was an extreme radical. But on the other hand, he may be seen as an American hero, fighting for the abolitionism movement.. An American hero is a person who goes out of his or her way to make progress in America, rather it be socially, economically, politically, or in a way where it makes the country a morally better or more prosperous country. And John Brown was one of the many heroes of America.

Eric Garner was a 43 year old African American man who was also fatally injured by a law enforcement officer. A police officer in Staten Island, New York claimed Garner was selling illegal cigarettes, and then the officer placed Garner in an illegal choke hold. A bystander was able to record the event on his/her smartphone. Although the officer placed Garner in an illegal chokehold, the officer was not charged with any crimes. The officer was only put on modified duty, and his supervisor was stripped of her gun because of failure to supervise.

The media understands which topics are going to cause people to stop everything and listen better than anybody else. One of those topics is racially motivated brutality by police officers. This has become a major issue in the United States lately and the media adds fuel to the fire any chance they can get for their 15 seconds of fame. A good example of how the media turns regular law enforcement incidents into a topic of race is the way they word their headlines. This is especially true of articles as they want catchy titles in hopes of catching the attention of readers. Getting an individual to actually take the time to read an article is tricky business today as reading is considered by many to be a lost art. What better way is there for the media to attract attention than by saying a certain race is under attack? For example, the title “Man Tasered for resisting arrest” probably would not garner that much attention by today's standards. However if it gets a media makeover and is now, “Black man Tasered by officer for resisting arrest”, it will likely receive more attention. This is an unfair practice that stirs up more controversy and hate for law enforcement officers from those who can’t see past the racial propaganda. Cases like these are popping up all too frequently and as the reader has probably seen they can lead to civil unrest and

Racial disparity in the sentencing process of the criminal justice system also exists because of racial jurors. To eliminate the suspensions of racial disparity of racial jurors the jury will select at least one African-American to serve for the jury. A percentage of African-Americans oppose capital punishment (Tabak, 1999, p. 6). Prosecutors commonly discriminate against African-Americans during challenges of discretions and blatantly abuse the powers of prosecutors. Juries predominantly use more Whites in every trial is inappropriate on the levels of the criminal justice system. Americans have rights to a trial by jury of peers and has the right not to exclude minorities in the selection of a jury. Excluding minorities in a jury of an individual’s peers is a violation of an objective and fair trial for a defendant.

Despite the efforts of lawyers and judges to eliminate racial discrimination in the courts, does racial bias play a part in today’s jury selection? Positive steps have been taken in past court cases to ensure fair and unbiased juries. Unfortunately, a popular strategy among lawyers is to incorporate racial bias without directing attention to their actions. They are taught to look for the unseen and to notice the unnoticed. The Supreme Court in its precedent setting decision on the case of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986), is the first step to limiting racial discrimination in the court room. The process of selecting jurors begins with prospective jurors being brought into the courtroom, then

The killings of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and Alton Sterling can undoubtedly be attributed to the systemic racism deeply embedded in police forces across the country. Around the country African American communities are oppressed by this racism every single day. Any officer who makes a racist statement should be immediately fired, yet this is not the reality; systemic racism exists in the police force and warrants and overhaul.

After reading the book I have gained a new understanding of what inmates think about in prison. Working in an institution, I have a certain cynical attitude at times with inmates and their requests.

More protest were brought to the surface of the world after the shooting of an unarmed African American boy after he robbed the local convenience store in Ferguson Missouri, shot by a White police officer Darren Wilson, while confronting the African American boy Michael Brown Jr (Clarke, 2014). The response to the shooting went directly towards an automatic prejudice response of the police officer being racist towards Michael giving him no chance to surrender without need of weapon discharge. After the death and protest people created shirts stating “Racism is not over, but I’m over racism”, this shirt was created as a memorial shirt for the death of Michael Brown. This form of memorial seems more of a form of attention and a way to bring money into those people's pockets to which created the shirt. The pre judgement of the shooting being

Excessive force and police brutality have become common terms for anyone keeping up with today’s current events. In 2014, the media covered numerous cases of excessive force that resulted in the deaths of several people of color (Nelson & Staff, 2014). The most widely covered cases by the media in 2014 were of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black male shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri; and Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black male in Staten Island, New York who was put into a choke by police officer Daniel Pantaleo until he lost consciousness and stopped breathing (Nelson & Staff, 2014). These cases brought attention to the seriousness of police brutality and the curiosity of how often it occurs (Brown, 2015).

Since the death of Trayvon Martin who was shot by in 2012 by George Zimmerman a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida. There have been numerous of killings of African Americans. Most of these killings were posted on social media. Michael Brown 18 was unarmed went he was killed by Ferguson police officers August of 2014. Prior to Brown’s death, Eric Garner was killed after being placed in a chokehold by a New York City police officer. Mr. Garner was killed for selling loose cigarettes. The officers who put Garner in the chokehold was never charged. August 2014 Ezell Ford 25 years old mentally ill man was shot and killed in Florence California he was

Secondly, those who believe the shooting of Michael Brown was racially motivated only have witness testimony to support their claim. Witness

Details: The Supreme Court has repeatedly asserted that a defendant is not entitled to a jury composed in whole or in part of persons of his own race. Although these rulings establish that states are not obligated to use racially mixed juries, they do not prohibit states from doing so. In fact, a number of policymakers and legal scholars have proposed reforms that use racial criteria to promote racial diversity on American jury. Some have suggested that the names of majority race jurors be removed from the jury list (thus ensuring a larger proportion of racial minorities); others have suggested that a

The media has changed the mindset of many individuals in society. If a peaceful protest is happening, then the citizens are portrayed to be angry and rioters in the media. In today’s society, people gain their knowledge from either reading off social media networking sites and newspaper outlets online. The miscommunication and biased perspectives are formed because of sources that may have an enticing headline such as saying, “Black Lives Matter is the newest hate group.” For someone who might not understand this organization would believe the negative stigma behind it. This organization stands against violence and systemic racism toward African-Americans involving the issues of police brutality, profiling, and injustices. Black Lives Matter holds peaceful protests and meetings to find solutions to help end racial inequality for African-Americans. The headline should state that “Black Lives Matter stands up for unity,” which is respectable toward the organization. However, the media tries not to promote positivity because they want to appeal more individuals with newsworthy articles. The Nationalist Association of Black Journalists Award Winning Artist, Akiba Solomon is a freelance writer who focuses on writing about race and gender. One of her most indulgence writings is titled Thugs. Students. Rioters. Fans: Media’s Subtle Racism in Unrest Coverage. Solomon is a lecturer that instructs and teaches about women and social justice issues. She discusses the intolerant

Black Lives Matter began as a social media hashtag that later transformed into a social movement after George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year old black boy. The social media hashtag did not pick up until November 25, 2014 (Demby); the day police officer Darren Wilson was not indicted after shooting and killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year old black boy. Quickly after the decision was heard, “#blacklivesmatter” came to life via thousands of protestors. Unfortunately, this was not the last injustice to cause a Black Lives Matter protest. Shortly after, about a week and a half later, another grand jury decides to not indict another officer for the murder of Eric Garner. Eric Garner was put in a chokehold that eventually led to his death in NYC, even though the NYPD prohibits use of chokeholds. When the decision was made to not indict the officer, thousands of protestors took to the streets of NYC, Dallas, and several other major cities. The murders of Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and several others sparked similar, if not larger, protest across the country.

In the courtroom, these stressors come out in full force. Although the Courts have “concluded that statistics alone do not prove that race enter[s] into any capital sentencing decision in any one particular case…” it is obvious that ethnicity becomes a factor (Ross 153). Countering the court’s argument, statistics have shown that in America, “blacks who killed whites were five and six times… more likely to be sentenced to death than whites who killed whites” (151). The reason for this is mainly due to jurors unintentionally letting race influence their decision making process. The in-group bias and ethnic boundaries described above cloud the jury’s judgment, seeking a stronger penalty for minority groups. Also, if the victim who was killed was someone with good