Danziger Bridge Human Rights Case

This case is one that changed the way the United States Police forces will work forever. Every human in the world has natural born rights. Even people who have been arrested have rights, ‘The rights of the accused’. These rights are the main point of this court case.

On the night of October 3rd, 1974 at approximately 10:45 p.m. Edward Garner was shot by Officer Hymon in an attempt to stop him from escaping a crime scene. Garner died on the operating table due to the gunshot wound on the back of his head. His crime was burglary and he was found with a mere ten dollars and a purse. The case was argued on October 30th, 1984 and a decision was made on March 27th, 1985. The father of Edward Garner believed his son’s constitutional rights were violated by the defendants Officer Hymon, the Police Department, and the Mayor of the city of Memphis. With a 6-3 decision, the Justices’ decided that Officer Hymon was acting justly under the fourth amendment that states that deadly force is constitutional as long as it is “reasonable”. I believe Officer Hymon was acting in good faith and simply fulfilling his duty to protect the public and stop criminals from escaping punishment.

This case provides the story of the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald (17 years) in Chicago by Police Officer Jason Van Dyke on or about October 21, 2014. McDonald died after having been shot 16 times late on that evening by Van Dyke as he and others responded to a report of a man armed with a knife breaking into vehicles in a truck yard (CQ Research, 2016). McDonald, who had a record of juvenile arrests, allegedly refused the officers’ demands to drop his knife (CQ Research, 2016). After 400 days of the incident, the video from a police vehicle showed that McDonald, who was holding a knife was walking parallel, but away from the officers when he was shot 16 times by Van Dyke (Police Charges, 2015). The public has a right to know as much as possible about the rules governing the police and about investigations into allegations of police misconduct. Transparency holds police accountable and accountability builds trust in Police Department.

There were boycotts of the malls in Baton Rouge, people were marching even holding up traffic. This didn’t only occur in Baton Rouge, but across the U.S. people were standing up for this injustice. Alton Sterling was selling cd in front of a convenience store when two officers approached him, the situation escalated Mr. Sterling was shot several times resulting in his death. Baton Rouge police did not provide much information about what escalated the incident between the officers and Sterling or what prompted an officer to fire his weapon. A witness, however, described police as “aggressive” and said Sterling was armed but was not holding his gun or touching his pockets during the incident. The level of force an officer uses varies based on the situation. Because of this variation, guidelines for the use of force are based on many factors, including the officer’s level of training or experience.

The heated issue of police brutality and police officers violating civil rights has extensively covered media headlines for several years. Hundreds of people are killed every year by police officers, and many of these cases bring up issues of police brutality. More often than not, it is usually a white police officer and an african american offender encounter that sparks media attention. The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri is just one of these cases that has caused a major divide in the United States. Michael Brown was fatally shot by Officer Wilson after an unfriendly encounter in the streets. Those who believe that Officer Wilson made the right decision in shooting Michael Brown, point to the fact that the grand jury chose not to indict him. Although Darren WIlson was not charged after the shooting of unarmed Michael Brown, some people believe that his actions were unlawful and he should have received some sort of punishment for his wrongdoing. Acknowledging all of the facts of the investigation, Officer Wilson did not act properly in the circumstances of the time.

A police officer’s responsibility is to ensure the safety of the citizens in whichever state or country they are in by patrolling around areas and arresting individuals who are a danger to society. While there are many police officers that lead by example in complying with their duties, there are also many police officers that don’t and fall out of line with the law. When a police officer falls out of line with the law, it could be for many reasons such as robbery, murder, etc. Resulting from a lack of training, incompetence, poor decision making, racism, and greed. In the case of Sergeant Hugh Barry, who pertained to the police force for eight years, was charged on May 31st, 2017, with the murder of a woman who is said to have had a mental illness. Sergeant Barry and other officers had responded to a 911 call of a woman whose name is Deborah Danner. According to Al Baker, “Four officers and two paramedics arrived around 6 p.m. and Sergeant Barry arrived minutes later. The encounter ended with Sergeant Barry firing twice, fatally wounding Ms. Danner, who was in her bedroom” (Baker 1). A woman who was said to be displaying erratic behavior in a hallway of the building she resided in and it wasn’t the first time the police have been called as a complaint towards her. Rather than follow police protocol and wait for an emergency service unit, Baker states that he had not, “Mayor Bill de Blasio and the police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, said Sergeant Barry had not followed police protocol for dealing with people with mental illness. Specifically, he did not use his stun gun to try to subdue Ms. Danner, and he did not wait for a specialized Emergency Service Unit to arrive. (Baker 1). As a result of this, Barry was charged with “second-degree murder, first- and second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide and was suspended without pay” (Baker 1). Had Sergeant Barry followed the protocol that he was taught upon joining the police force, the woman who he murdered might still be alive. That is why this case is important in highlighting one of many reasons police officers could fall out of line with the law, especially in this event that led to murder because of reasons such as poor decision making

After Michael Brown was killed by Darren Wilson the tension blew up into a riot. The events received considerable attention in the U.S. and elsewhere, attracted protesters from outside the region, and generated a vigorous debate about the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans as well as created a national dialogue about police use of force doctrine in Missouri and nationwide. The court case that followed the shooting was led by Robert McCulloch in a highly unusual process. Instead of conducting an investigation and gathering information the prosecutor, Robert McCulloch left jurors to wade through mass amounts of information to determine the outcome. (Placeholder cite) His office left no recommendation as to whether or not Darren Wilson should be indicted or not. The unfair treatment discussed just is not in this one area there are hundreds of these communities being treated just as unfair as the Ferguson community. Those communities should band together and protest for a change so everybody in the United States can be treated equally. All of these issues matter and are very important. People in our country no matter what race, religion, or sexuality should be treated as equals. Everybody should protest together for a change, a change for everybody to have the same rights as the common white man. This is an issue everybody in our

To begin the police has caused many unnecessary deaths throughout the United States. More than 920 people have been killed by the police in 2015 (“5 Facts about Police Brutality in the United States That Will Shock You”). In Ferguson, Missouri 18 year old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. Mr. Johnson a witness at the scene, says that his friend was shot once from behind and then turned to face the police officer while raising his arms in the air. According to Mr Johnson, the officer fired several more shots at Mr. Brown before he fell to the ground (“Ferguson protests:What we know about Michael Brown 's last minutes”). Although Mr. Brown was fleeing from the officer, there was no need for the officer to shoot Brown.

In the article, Ferguson Police Committed Human Rights Abuses, Rights Group Says by Carey Gillam, an international human rights organization said that police in Ferguson, Missouri committed human rights abuses when they tried to stop a peaceful protest about the death of an unarmed black teenager by a white officers in August. Amnesty International said that the U.S. authorities should investigate Ferguson law enforcement because of alleged abuses during the weeks of racially based protests (Gillam, 2014). A grand jury is placed with the task of deciding if Officer Wilson should be charged with Michael Brown’s death. In anticipation of unrest due to the probability that Officer Wilson wouldn’t be charged, Missouri police had stocked up on riot gear.

It is one that everyone is familiar with due to its high profile coverage. Although this incident occurred in St. Louis, Missouri, it is very relevant to police shootings all over the country. As a short recap, police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed unarmed teen Michael Brown. Ultimately, Darren Wilson was not charged with any crime. Wilson, like many officers before him, argued that he was afraid for his life and therefore used his weapon in self-defense. Unfortunately, this argument has been heard many times after Michael Brown’s death as well. When Laquan McDonald was shot and killed in Chicago in 2014, Jason Van Dyke “feared for his life”; dash-camera footage, though, showed otherwise. Police personnel and city officials even went so far in this cover-up as to pay Laquan’s mother millions of dollars not to speak to the media about what happened. Although video of the shooting was available in 2014, the video itself was not released to the public until late 2015, after Rahm was re-elected to mayoral office. As more details surfaced, it then became clear to the public that not only did the officers and top law enforcement attempt to hide this incident, but the Cook County State’s Attorney was also involved. I argue that had there been more diversity on the force, or in the very least sensitivity training, maybe these officers would have seen a person and been more compassionate, instead of seeing a threat and

In this article Rebecca R. Ruiz a reporter from The New York Times as well as a Cornell graduate who has a lot of experience in writing about corruption in the world getting herself a George Polk award for work, explains how two policemen Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II are responsible for the death of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and got away with it with the help of Donald Trump's administration. Ruiz shed light on other recent murders of black americans such as Michael Brown, 15 year old Jordan Edwards and Tamir Rice to give evidence of police killings in the last couple of years. She states how the police rarely face repercussions “The bar for charging police officers with federal civil rights violations is extremely high,

The most crucial part of this case, comes down to one word: reaction. Furthermore, Los Angeles Police Officers, Christopher Conley and Jennifer Pederson, did what their instincts told them to do- which was react. Angel Mendez and Jennifer Lynn Garcia were hiding out in a shack, and Mendez was holding a gun. Both officers felt threatened, and they did what trained police officers are told to do, along with what anyone that knows how to react, would have done. If one feels threatened, one is going to whatever it takes to protect one’s self. The United States Supreme Court should rule in favor of the Los Angeles Police Department because officer’s Christopher Conley and Jennifer Pederson had every right to react the way the did,

On August 9, 2014 a white male police officer named Darren Wilson fatally shot an African-American male named Michael Brown to death in Ferguson, MO. An investigation was immediately launched through the collection of evidence from the crime scene, an autopsy of Michael Brown’s body, and interviews with witnesses. For several months following the shooting and after the Grand Jury met, there was immense public speculation over whether Officer Wilson justifiably shot in self-defense or in racially motivated cold blooded murder. The ballistic evidence collected from the crime scene and from the autopsy corroborated Wilson’s story that he was justified in what transpired that fateful afternoon.

During the times of the riots, the Los Angeles Police Department played a significant role in the uprising of the event. After the video went viral of the four police officers brutally beating King, they were found not guilty of their crime. As there was specific evidence displayed for the jury, they still acquitted all four officers. Less than three hours after the verdict was announced, protesting and rebelling occurred. The verdict regarding the four police officers sparked the riots as Los Angeles citizens were not satisfied with the jury’s decision. Citizens were shocked by the response and did not agree with making police brutality seem acceptable. In an interview, Jody David Armour, a criminal justice and law professor at the University of Southern California, said, “there was ocular proof of what happened. It seemed compelling. And yet, we saw a verdict that told us we couldn't trust our lying eyes. That what we thought was open and shut was really “a reasonable expression of police control' toward a black motorist” (Sastry). From Armour’s own experience, he believes the police and the jury did not make the correct decision. The majority of the people who lived in South Central Los Angeles at the time did. People should feel protected by the police, however, no one within the city did. How can they when police officers are getting away with harming their own citizens?

They did not think twice in correctly approaching the situation but instead shot the African American boy that resulted in the victims’ death. In the book, White Privilege and Black Rights it stated, “We believe that the ever-increasing tension between the police and the citizens of Cleveland played a significant role in Tamir Rice’s death. This shooting brings into question the adequacy of the selection, training and preparation of police officers. Police officers should be prepared to confront and address people of all races and cultures and use deadly force only as a last resort” (Zack, 2015). This is a reason on why racial profiling has become an issue, its cases like these and more that are bound to happen with police officers and society. It is not only with African Americans and Caucasians; but with all nationalities and cultures. Although, it seems like it occurs more often between just two races such as the ones stated above. What we do know is that media can play a huge role in these situations. The media, being the main point of contact between the news and the public, has turned police brutality into propaganda. Throughout my criminal justice career in my classes, it has been known that media can be a good thing but it can be an issue when it comes to situations like these. Media can twist and turn the truth around, one of the many reasons why police officers began to carry body cameras.