Mark Puente Police Brutality

There is no question that police brutality, when it occurs, is one of the most egregious violations of public trust that a public servant can commit. Police officers, those individuals taxed with protecting the public from danger, should never be in a situation where they pose a threat to the public. Furthermore, there is no question that police brutality occurs. Moreover, generally when there are allegations of police brutality, there has been some type of underlying violent incident. In addition, while issues of brutality may seem clear-cut to a disinterested observer, it is critical to keep in mind that law enforcement officers are not presented with textbook examples of the appropriate or inappropriate use of force, but real-life scenarios involving quick decisions. There are many arrest and non-arrest scenarios where officers need to use force to protect self or others; and the degree of force required may be greater than what a disinterested observer would assume. Another recurrent issue in debates about police brutality is that racial bias appears to be a motive behind police brutality. When one considers that minorities are disproportionately likely to be arrested and convicted of crimes, one would expect to find a disproportionate number of minorities among those alleging police brutality. Therefore, while acknowledging that police brutality, when it occurs, is a serious problem, the reality is that most

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)

From the disturbing beating of Rodney King to the horrific death of Malice Green to the shooting of Michael Brown shows there is a consistent problem with police brutality and the exertion of force used. Police brutality seems to be a rising issue again with the occurrence of the Michael Brown shooting and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement making sure that any form of police brutality should not be swept under the rug. Action has been taken in some cities around the country for dealing with police brutality, such as police reform, which requires the retraining of hundreds of officers. There has also been talk and use of police body cameras that would record interactions between officers and the public to clear up any discrepancies in police/witness reports. To look at the effects and causation of police brutality we will be analyzing the media’s role, the sociological and psychological aspects of officers who administer the beating, and the timing of when these beatings/killings occurred.

Police brutality is one of the most severe human rights violations in the United States, and it occurs in many communities. Police officers have one of the hardest jobs out there. They have to maintain public order, prevent, and identify crime. Throughout history, the police community has been exposed by brutality in one way or another. Violence by law enforcement officers in the United States is one of the most serious human rights violations in the country. Police officers have engaged in unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal chokings, and unnecessarily rough treatment. The history of police brutality is repeated, going through stages of violence, corruption, and improvement. Many people think of corrupt when they hear the word

There has always been a common assumption from the police and society that minorities, primarily African Americans, are associated with criminal activity, in turn causing police brutality today. When the news report shows a police officer hitting a black man who was suspected of a crime, there are many people quick to point out police officers as racists. Usually, the police officers would say something along the lines of, “He attacked first and would not comply,” or “I thought he had a gun.” Now in some scenarios, this may be true as the suspect might have tried to fight back but most of the time, it is not. Many police officers in these cases try to make up lies to get out being known as a racist. Thankfully, there are many witnesses and

Some horrific cases have happened throughout the years. Brining these cases to the public’s attention will help show how much of a problem police brutality really is. Police brutality is the use of force that is exceeding the necessary amount of force (“Police Brutality,” n.d.). In 2011, a 37 year old mentally ill homeless man was laying on the ground when police were kicking and punching him eventually leading to his death (Akkoc, 2018). In 2014, Eric Garner an African American male was being arrested for selling loose cigarettes when he was wrestled to the ground by a New York police officer who had him in a banned chokehold technique (Akkoc, 2018). Eric Garner told him, “I can’t breathe (Akkoc, 2018, Sec. 5)” multiple times, but the officer

Most people think that the police are not biased and that their use of excessive force is closely monitored. That is not true. Today many of the police, within the minority, are subjected to killing or fighting innocent people. The new definition of the police department has turned into a department that only resorts to violence as a first priority. The Police Department’s use of excessive force has brought to the attention of the people after multiple cases has happened where the Police are out of control. Police Brutality basically means it is an excessive, unnecessary force when dealing with civilians. But Many police officers argued that they are not using an excessive amount of excessive force. And that the news are painting the

Over the last 2-3 years’, police brutality and nation retaliation is all over the news. According to the Washington post, police have fatally shot nearly 1000 people in 2015. (Kindy, Fisher, Tate, & Jenkins, 2015). It was stated in the post, “A single bullet fired at the adrenaline-charged apex of a chase can end a life, wreck a career, spark a riot, spike racial tensions and alter the politics of the nation.” (Kindy et al.,2015). Every time a person is killed by police it takes a toll on the whole nation, from California to the tip of Maine. Generally Speaking, police Brutality has reached an all-time high in the last couple of years. Police officers, the victims’ family, and the bystanders, all play a part in these tragedies, and honestly no one is going about this correctly.

Over the years the rate of police brutality has increased in America. It has become one of the biggest headline in today’s news. Many African-Americans have become victims of police brutality. From young teenagers to mothers and daughters, even babies; whether the encounter was direct or indirect, all of which has encountered a form of police brutality. It’s not that the African-American community hates the police it’s their actions that we are upset and frustrated with. It’s their actions of beating, injustice shooting and killing of our brothers and sisters that have us protesting and rioting. How many more of our family members and loved ones must become a new hashtag or headline before the act of police brutality is a problem? Charles Dent argues that not all cops are bad and that we should support the police and not bash them. I agree with the point that not all cops are bad, but it’s not the police that are being bashed it’s the act of police brutality which they partake in that we don’t like and are protesting.

Police brutality has affected American citizens since the early days of law enforcement. For instance, during the Lawrence textile strike of 1912 “at the behest of the textile manufacturers police began clubbing a group of women and children at the Lawrence Railroad Station” (Cahn). Police use of excessive force when unnecessary has occurred for several decades, and in the last few years the media has shined a light on this issue more. “In 2015 alone, 1,202 Americans were killed by a police officer” (Blanks). This number only represents deaths that occurred due to instances of

The issue of police brutality in America has produced a series of moments where the individual motives and individual protests take a front seat in our conscious, but there is a lack of awareness of this crippling embodiment of fear among people all over the nation. We can no longer afford to buy into the misconception that these instances of civil disorder and un-readiness are about discrete cases. Nor is it merely about their detailed nature as prescribed by the law. The system of justice, in and of itself, is under intense examination. The ethnic devices are produced speak to the fact that our nation’s current system is currently under questioning. America as a whole is under an intense phase of cross-examination. We are in a new period

Police brutality is an issue fraught with statistical misconceptions. The debate is often over whether police brutality incidents are either underreported or accurate. Despite the fact that numbers are used in both arguments, this does not serve as true empirical evidence since the numbers lack the proper context necessary to make assumptions from the statistics. For example, a statistic was produced by The Free Thought Project stating that “police in the United States kill 70 times the rate of other first world nations (Agorist 2015).” Additionally, the language surrounding the term “police brutality” is vague, making it difficult to identify what police brutality actually is. Ultimately, this causes police brutality to be underreported as

In July of 2014 Eric Garner was killed by a “chokehold” by an officer. 12 year old Tamir Rice was shot by police for playing with a toy pistol in november 2014. (text 1, line 10) Police departments continue to generate headlines even after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Most recent deaths on the police department have fueled a debate across the nation. (text 1, line 2) while some believe that police brutality only happens as isolated incidents the truth is that it is a major societal problem.

Unlike the images of brutality that sparked outrage in the past--photographs of lunch victims hanging from trees during the age of Jim Crow or newspaper images of brutalized black bodies lying in a coroner’s office--we are now able to witness and document police violence as it happens. Videos from handheld phones and surveillance cameras have shown Marlene Pinnock being beaten by a California highway patrol officer, the ambush police shooting of John Crawford at a Walmart in Ohio, the chokehold death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, the drive by police shooting of twelve-year old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, and the crippling condition of Freddie Gray as he was arrested in Baltimore, before he eventually died in police custody.

Police brutality has become more of a worry within the past two decades. Riots are becoming more frequent. Fatal shootings are becoming common. Police officers are not held accountable for the killings they have committed and will continue to commit. Several people believe in the use of excessive force, otherwise known as police brutality, to claim territories and correct others. It is important to analyze the different views of this aspect. Police brutality has had a negative impact on society just as it has had a negative impact on cultures. Five varying voices meticulously examine every aspect of the arguments of police brutality. Therefore, these views can be traced in various news articles in order to gauge where we, as a society, are in this conversation.