Chicago Police Brutality

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.

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)

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 governmentТs role in initiating and prolonging racial suppression and provides the explanation for police brutality to become a federal crime(Black Radical Congress, 3). In history, racist violence, police brutality, has been used to suppress the racial blacks and to preserve power and privileges for the white race. This was done for five primary purposes. First, it has forced black people into slavery or low wage situations. Secondly, to steal land and other resources. A 3-rd was to maintain social control. A fourth

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

b) Their silence and ignorance set a bad example to the communities they are meant to protect.

In the article, “St. Louis police chief defends fatal shooting by officers”, Jim Suhr and Jim Salter argue that although police brutality has been a common theme since Michael Brown’s death, the police must be given the opportunity to do their jobs without the constant accusations and racist conclusions. Police officers have been under rapid fire and can no longer make a move without the harsh criticism of citizens nationwide. Salter and Suhr use a quote from the St. Louis Police Chief, Sam Dotson, to explain that people need to let the facts speak for themselves rather than filling up with biased opinions through social media. The fact is that the towns that refuse the help of police, are conventionally the ones that need them the most.

One of the most polarizing policy issues in the United States is the process of using race, ethnicity, and/or national origin by law enforcement as a chief predictor of criminal behavior. In the presence of social media and modern technological innovation, there has been increased documentation on the very problematic ways in which police officers use their position of authority against minorities. The countless cases of murder and police brutality have prompted national dialogue regarding to what extent race should be used in methods of policing. Against a troubled backdrop of incessant clashes with minorities and law enforcement, navigating the situation requires a degree of care that does not diminish the

relationship with police. The officers involved have been placed on desk duty and their guns

When certain states in America reach a stage in which someone, typically a minority, has to fear the possibility that they might not leave with their life whenever they are pulled over or interrogated by a police officer, an issue with our police system is clear. When an officer in America charged with a crime of assault or murder has a miniscule chance of those charges being pressed, the problem is even clearer. This issue is significant police misconduct, especially in states such as Chicago, that calls for a reform in the police department’s code, recruiting, training, and procedure. The alarming amount of unchecked police transgressions has evidenced a primitive lack of value for human life in the U.S. that in some states, make simply

The scientific methods of research has five different steps, which are: Objectives, Hypotheses, Methods, Conduct, Synthesize.

People from the Mass Action Against Police Brutality (MAAPB) got together at the Boston Police Headquarters in Roxbury on April 4, 2018 to demand justice for several victims killed by police officers. Demonstrators here also argue whether or not we have rights given how vastly overlooked and ignored police brutality is by the government. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 said the U.S. Congress mandated that the attorney general collect data on police officers use of excessive force and publish an annual report of it. However, the Bureau of Justice Statistics stopped keeping count of this in March 2014 due to lack of participation from state and local agencies. Crowd-sourced funding projects have had to take these data

Although it may not seem to have a lot of crimes in the public eye, the city of Saint Paul has suffered many cases of black on black violence as well as police brutality. Growing up, as a younger child, I have witnessed my own brothers an older cousins become dependent on the streets. I grew up learning my basic skill as well as learning to never answer the policeman if he asks me if my brothers are in my home. Growing up, reaching the 7th grade I saw the same young boys whom I had 5th grade classes with become dependent on the same streets my brother and cousins were now too far deep into. By the time I graduated high school the same male friends that I had since elementary were either labeled an associate/member of a local gang, in jail,

Considering the efforts of the officers, some high rank Chicago officers criticize the “level of disrespect” from the citizens that officers are facing is remarkable. It is evident that the Chicago police officers are not receiving much respect from the people they are serving and they do not get enough support from the city. Moreover, it is true that most Chicagoans look at and criticize all the incidents where police officers show bad performance while on duty, but the people usually do not recognize their efforts on reducing crimes and protecting the citizens, and also what they have accomplished for years.

In Chicago, there is also a general lack of trust for the police caused by a history of police brutality towards citizens, especially towards African American community members. From 2010 till 2015, approximately four out of five people shot by Chicago police were African American males (Richards). One profound example of police targeting and abusing African Americans is the case of Jon Burge. Officer Burge and his slew of underlings tortured over 100 African American men from 1972 till 1991 using tactics such as ‘electric shock, mock executions, and brutal attacks on the genitals’ (Cox). “He [Burge] was sentenced to the maximum of four and a half years […] a stark contrast to his victims, many of whom received death sentences or life in prison on the basis of confessions that were tortured from them” (Taylor, 3). Burge serves as a blatant, bigoted example of why minorities feel targeted and abused by predominantly white officers and contributes to the floundering relationship between the Chicago Police and the people they ‘protect’. With such a historically negative relationship, it comes as no surprise

The Chicago Police Department has gained national recognition since the release of the video footage that revealed the brutal shooting of 17-year old Laquan McDonald. Since the release of the footage, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has faced major backlash caused by his halfhearted attempt to seek justice for McDonald. Recently, Emanuel chose Eddie Johnson to serve as the interim police superintendent. In 2016, Chicago has seen its third highest level of violence since 2004. In the first four months of 2016, the number of shooting increased to 677 from 359 shootings reported only one year earlier. By the end of 2016, Chicago is estimated to have more than 500 killings in the year (Berman).