My Personal History

In looking at Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) history with using excessive force, there needs to be a way that hold these police officers accountable to prevent citizen-police tension and create transparency for the public. During the 1990s, 61% of police officers from the LAPD were white and considered aggressive with African American communities which suggest racial tension among the two groups (Suburbanstats, 2017). Eula Love and Rodney King are two victims of

It should be known, beforehand, that the Kerner Commission's Report doesn’t direct the blame towards white people specifically; instead, the riots were usually caused by symbols that represent white people, including media portrayal on its content and the police. According to that report, it says, “to some Negroes, the police have come to symbolize white power, white racism and white repression” (Kerner). Ironic as it seems, even law enforcement was identified as racially intimidating figures themselves. If there was clear, concrete evidence on why the riots happened, then it should be a simple problem to solve, and the issue shouldn’t linger for the future. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case; according to the report, they claimed that “[the

On September 11, 2001, I was seated in my third grade class at the age of eight years old. Every morning we had a “news” station that would automatically come on at 8:30 a.m. called Channel One News, tailored for children. However, after this five minute long news segment ended we started class. I remember commotion in the halls, and my teacher went out to see what was going on. She came back in, and immediately turned on the television that had just recently automatically shut off. There is was, a burning building, at the time I had no clue what was going

On March 3, 1991 Rodney King led the Los Angeles police on a high speed chase. Once the chase was over officers pulled King out of his vehicle and began to brutally beat,taze and stomp on him. The recording of the video taken by a witness standing on the other side of the street was locally broadcasted then nationally broadcasted.The reasons that police officers acted the way they did was because “Rodney King was driving while intoxicated and when officers attempted to arrest him, the large belligerent man resisted that arrest.” (Blue Knights with Lt. Dan Marcou ) It was already said that King had a criminal record of second degree robbery and out on parole so the officers were aware of who he was by now. I also believe that racial profiling was another factor that caused the police officers to act they way that they did. As stated by Connie Rice a lawyer and civil rights activist , “The LAPD at the time was almost an occupying force, partially biased against people of color.” (Sastry & Bates) Personally, I do not believe that the officers acted in an appropriate matter because instead of pulling him from his car and brutally beating him they should've just gone up to him and arrested him. I understand that he was seen as a threat during this time because of the high speed chase but there were other ways that they could have handled the situation. The use of forces that could have been appropriate for this situation were verbal commands, maybe a bit of empty hand control with the soft empty hand technique and if he resisted then that is when the use of less lethal force would of been used. Also they found out that in the first three seconds of the film were cut of and showed that “Rodney King rising up from the street to charge one officer in a clear-cut violent assault. In self defense, that officer struck King with his PR-24.” (Blue Knights with Lt. Dan Marcou.) Now with this new information I believe that the officer had a right to defend himself however not to the extent that they all went. Hitting King ith the PR-24 would have caused him to fall and during that time they could have arrested him instead. According to Biography.com, “The United States Department of Justice filed federal civil rights charges

African Americans in Los Angeles and throughout the United States have experienced racial oppression for centuries. (Background about racial oppression by the LAPD). Rodney King was an African American motorist who inspired positive police reforms after he had a brutal conflict and was beaten by four members of the LAPD. Rodney King’s encounter resulted in a social and legal compromise because the incident made people aware of police brutality, gave African Americans a voice against police abuse, and resulted in reforms to the way that the LAPD responds to communities of color.

The beating of Rodney King from the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991 and the Los Angeles riots resulting from the verdict of the police officers on April 29 through May 5, 1992 are events that will never be forgotten. They both evolve around one incident, but there are two sides of ethical deviance: the LAPD and the citizens involved in the L.A. riots. The incident on March 3, 1991 is an event, which the public across the nation has never witnessed. If it weren’t for the random videotaping of the beating that night, society would never know what truly happened to Rodney King. What was even more disturbing is the mentality the LAPD displayed to the public and the details of how this mentality of policing led up to this

Throughout the years there are events that stay with you, and the date September 11, 2001 is one of them. The plane hijackings, attack on the Twin Towers, and plane crashes that took place on 9/11 were tragic. Though being born that year and not being able to witness the event, I feel as though it changed me in some way. This action of terrorism effected the U.S. in many ways, that would help prevent terrorism in the long run. Which would give the new generation ideas to help prevent terrorism. Despite the years that have gone by, 9/11 will always be a travesty that will be remembered.

I was turning three years old when everyone’s lives changed. I can’t imagine a day where one event causes an entire country fall silent and pay attention. The knowledge I have gained of the acts on September eleventh have been in history classes, “where I was when it happened” stories, and documentaries I have watched. I will never know the exact fear that was felt that day but I can understand the current events that have happened and are happening today.

Police brutality is not a new subject. It has been around for numerous years, and like most issues, has resurfaced to the public’s eyes. The recent events brought up the question: Does there need to be a reform in the system in the police system? In this year alone, there have been countless cases of individuals being harmed or even killed by police officers for reasons that continuously are not explained. What has people more attentive to this injustice are statistics showing that most victims in these police attacks happen to be African Americans and other minorities.

At an early age, we are all taught the difference between right and wrong. We are told to treat others the way that we would like to be treated and to follow the Golden Rule. The nineties played a pivitol role in shaping our views of race and police. After decades of various peace and equality movements, the progress made was shortly lived after the LA riots. These riots were the aftermath of the Rodney King's trial, a result of excessive force and police brutality. The police who used their badge to unleash violence on an unarmed man, were subsequently discharged with no punishment. This sparked out rage in not only LA but across the United States. Young minds are easy to influence, and if the LA riots taught us anything is that people don't

Police brutality against African Americans was a huge impact in Los Angeles, California in 1991, and continues to be a problematic situation in America today. On March 3, 1991, a group of white LAPD beat Rodney King. After this incident occurred a lot of negative events started to transpire. A lot of African Americans were angry and demanded justice. The relationship between the LAPD and the Los Angeles community in 1991 were horrific and still continues to be awful today. Police brutality just seems to be increasing more overtime, which means the increase in the community not trusting the police. Police brutality can be a huge disadvantage when it comes to community policing.

The law enforcement was created to bring peace and safety among the community where it is needed. And we were all taught to respect them. But quite frankly some of their knowingly wrongful actions made the entire law enforcement seem awful. And they broke our trust and respect for them all. Today, there has been a plethora of killings among black men by the police. Five years ago, when the death of Trayvon Martin occurred, pain and anger was then brought upon his families, friends, his community, and nationwide. They wanted justice to be served for their lost loved one and they continued to fight for it. It seemed to what might had been the last of the innocent and brutal killings among young black men by an officer. But unfortunately, after two years had passed, a few other killings occurred. There was Dontre Hamilton, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown Jr., etc., who were all fatally shot by an officer multiple times and the killings sadly continue to rise tremendously.

The trauma experienced during the terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center affected not only those in New York but the entire nation. Todd and his family are put at risk for a multitude of conditions ranging from PTSD to respiratory issues. Terrorism results in psychological trauma which if left untreated can develop into post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD in children can lead to a variety of systems such as interpersonal relations, and personality development though the most common symptom is suicidal tendencies, pessimism, and depression (Ahmed, p.2, 2007). This high level of stress so early on in life can impact a child for the long-term if not properly handled using therapy and different coping mechanisms. Todd was on duty during

Do you ever have one of those moments in your life in which you will never forget where you were? I remember waking up early on September 11, 2001, getting ready for school and my dad telling me hurry up to watch the news with him. Being in 8th grade at the time, the news really wasn’t something I would watch in the mornings so I knew it had to be something important. Then I saw it. An airplane crashing into a tower, people panicking, and mayhem ensuing in a city very well known to me. When any tragic event like 9/11 occurs, the effect it will have on a nation is tremendous. It left America in shock, anger, and sadness just to name a few adjectives to describe the insurmountable amount of feelings that we felt on that day.

With this cops get put down for doing what they are supposed to do, and it affects everyone. Civil disobedience has gotten worse and worse over the years and it isn’t getting any better. Protests and civil disobedience doesn’t come with peace. Yes, there are some peaceful protests like, March for Life etc.. Those are peaceful and aren’t harmful, but they are some that end very serious more than what it started with. I believe that protests are somewhat helpful and somewhat not because of the outcomes. Some of them help and get changed others don’t and it still continues today, like slavery. Slavery is free but it still continues today. The biggest issue today is the Black Lives Matter and the whole issue with the cops and the people. The African Americans believe that the cops are only discriminating against them because they are of different color. Which that isn’t true, yes there are bad cops but they are everywhere. They police force need to do what they need to do to keep everyone else safe in the community. This whole thing is so confusing and messed up no one knows what to believe