Police brutality is a very controversial topic in America. Some people think that the police are protecting their community and are doing whatever it takes to keep them safe. On the other hand, a lot of Americans feel that the police are choosy, prejudice, and overall just unfair. Personally, I think it depends on the situation at hand. I have read up on some cases that I felt that the police took advantage of their powers. I have also read a couple of situations where I felt that their actions of brutality were justified. Police brutality is not a new topic in America. I have researched cases that date all the way back to 1991; although I am sure there are cases long before this. One thing I have noticed is how the public responds to police brutality incidents. As we have seen in Ferguson, people of the city are rioting to try to get their points across. Not much has changed. People back in the day did the same exact things, or maybe even worse. The Rodney King incident of 1991 in Los Angeles, which I will go into more depth later in the essay, sparked outrageous riots. Over a period of five days in the spring of 1992, more than 50 people died and more than 2,000 people were injured in these riots. They also damaged over 1,000 buildings and cost the city of Los Angeles over $1 billion. These are ridiculous statistics and, unfortunately, not much has changed. (cnn.com) Of course we all know about what happened in Ferguson, Missouri this past August. Michael Brown, who was
Police brutality is a very widespread topic through all religions, all kinds of different cultures and all races. People believe that police officers use their powers and their badge to hold them to a higher standard then the average civilian. I belief that its all up to interpretation and the many experiences we go through that define a bad cop from a good one. If we judge all police officers from one bad cop how do we expect to change? Its a never ending cycle that has to change and heres some examples on how we can do so.
Police brutality has been a growing issue in the United States of the past century. The unique thing about police brutality is it does not discriminate. With that said some races have it worse than others. Such as the African American race they are continently in the news for African Americans being shot and killed by the police. Many look at police brutality as a physical abuse, but it is much more than that. Some people have suffered from mental issues to, such as thinking back to a incident with the police or having anxiety everytime they see a police officer. With that in mind if the police are viewed as a threat in the eyes of some of the public it can only get worse.
Although I should know by now, I cannot help but think that there has been an overwhelming amount of police brutality in recent years. Police brutality can be defined as, when a police officer uses more force than necessary. This issue has spread throughout the United States of America, and is putting the lives of our citizens in great danger. Police brutality is not only physical, but it can also be verbal attacks; and, in most cases, it is caused by false arrest and racial profiling due to police corruption. Police brutality has been and continues to be a major concern in society and it is used very loosely to any and all forms of police misconduct. Whereas, in reality, excessive force of police misconduct is what defines police brutality. The jobs of a police officer are too calmly resolve public disturbance and disputes. Police officers are supposed to protect citizens; instead they are hurting and using excessive force. It is not right and it is unjust for a police officer to hurt a citizen due to an assumption without any actual proof of criminal activity.
A young man’s brutal death at the hands of the police is found justified in a court of law due to his “suspicious” appearance: a black hoodie and his hands in his pocket. An elderly woman is fatally shot in her home for her relation to a suspected criminal. A married man with two toddlers is choked to death after a minor traffic stop by an officer who later claimed that his unarmed victim was wielding a gun. These people all have a few commonalities: the color of their skin, their presumed guilt at first sight, and their ultimate unjustified death administered by the law force. These are not uncommon occurrences. Due to the staggeringly disproportionate rate of African-Americans killed by the police, and the underlying rampant racial profiling, police brutality towards blacks in America must be called to light.
The law of this world tells one to get rich but kills you when you try to make ends meet, one is told to stand up straight and be loud but sets your skin against you when your pride gets a little too loud. Over the past decade, police brutality has been an extremely controversial issue as it is a serious violation of the basic human and civil rights of American citizens. These actions of severe beatings, fatal chokings, and unjustified shootings have caused an outburst from the minority communities which has made it easy for many to be fooled through the language of persuasion.
Police brutality and the issue of excessive force can be dated back far into history. This issue is relevant in not only American history but also World history. As long as there has been a show of authority, there has been an underdog, and an issue of the powerful verses the powerless. With that said, in American history there have been events, that are greatly recognized today, that date back as early as the late nineteenth century. For example, the New York Police Department, which is one of the first law enforcement agencies in America, has deprived many persons of liberty. Many of the events pertaining to this department back in the late nineteenth century had a lot of relevance to police attacking unemployed citizens that exercised their
This case sparked many other cases similar to Mike Brown’s situation. He was shot and killed
There have been many cases of “police brutality”but there have been a couple to really stand out. One that has really made its impression felt, has been the Beating of an innocent man during a traffic stop named Rodney King. An Artical on Bio.com states “The officers pulled him out of the car and beat him brutally, while amateur cameraman George Holliday caught it all on videotape. The four L.A.P.D. officers involved were indicted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force by a police officer”. Although the officers were charged with assault ...they were soon released a after few months due to “a
Police brutality is a phenomenon that is occurring more and more frequently. Because of the current police crisis happening in our country today, officers are becoming more violent and untrustworthy. We the people have to have some sort of enforcement for society to work and without it, chaos could ensue.
Police brutality is an excess and unnecessary use of violence police officers use toward civilians. Police abuse has been going on since the time of slavery when police officers captured slaves who tried to escape. Since this issue has been going on for a long time, I believe that people are getting accustomed to this issue. Police brutality seems to be a big issue in America. However, other countries do not seem to have police brutality as an issue. This makes us wonder why America has higher police brutality than other countries. America is the most diverse country which means there are the most number of people in U.S who are of different race than Caucasians. This idea link race and police brutality together. I chose this topic to argue because recently, the violence against people of color has been brought up more often by the media; however there has been no punishments against the officers or change in leadership to resolve the issue. People do not seem to understand that police brutality can be traumatic for African Americans. Violence is not just physical, it could be
The impact of police brutality has been profound. It has done considerable damage to our country. Not only has it heightened racial tensions and created a culture of fear in certain cities, it is now becoming increasingly prevalent due to the lack of accountability taken towards officers’ actions. Right now, police brutality is a very sensitive subject because there have been so many recent cases of it, such as the shooting of Michael Brown. That is why this problem needs to be dealt with immediately, so no more riots will happen and so the reputation of our nation’s law enforcement will not be forever tainted. Police brutality is defined by Encyclopedia.com as, “the use of any force exceeding that reasonably necessary to accomplish a lawful police purpose.” This definition entails many specific types of “brutality”, which include excessive force, false imprisonment, and violation of the rights of pretrial detainees. All of these types of police brutality are illegal and are currently happening, and that is why this issue needs to be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
There have been countless cases of police brutality throughout the united states. United States has history of excessive force being used in situations where it was not necessary, sometimes even resulting in the loss of lives. “Eric Garner was killed by police” on “July 17, 2014” due to excessive force (marcus n. 54-58). “Eric Garner cried out to the officer who had him in a chokehold “I can’t breathe” eleven times before his heart gave out” (marcus n. 55). Police brutality does exist, it is not a thing of the past, Eric Garners death in 2014 shows just how recent these incidents are. A completely
Unjustified police brutality has been an issue for quite sometime, but only recently has it become an incredibly serious problem. This recent issue has become more serious over time because of the wide use of social media, or perhaps it is because of this new generation who finally decided to shine some light on an otherwise kept in the dark situation.Police brutality is one of several forms of police misconduct. Police misconduct in general is disapproved by not only citizens, but people of power as well, like politicians, because Section 1983 in the U.S. Code makes it unlawful for anyone acting under the authority of state law to deprive another person of his or her rights under the Constitution or federal law”(“Police Misconduct and Civil Rights”). Unjustified police actions can easily be outlawed on paper, but it’s the actual action that causes much debate. “Whether the officer's use of force was reasonable depends on the surrounding facts and circumstances”(“Police Misconduct and Civil Rights”); this piece of information allows room for injustice to prevail. Police brutality must be addressed because the United States is presumed to supply its people with “justice for all”. With this country on the brink of prejudice, it’s hard for people to see the equality the country is meant to inhabit.
One of the biggest issues in not just criminal justice but also in America is the use police brutality and use of force. The interpreted definition of use of force is when an officer feels like it is necessary to defend themselves or others. There is no set definition of what use of force actually means. The amount of force used depends on the situation the officer is and how the situation ends in the safest result. There are two types force lethal and less-lethal force. Less-lethal force is basic verbal commands and physical restraint while lethal means to use enough force to kill. Reasonable force is classified as force that is constitutionally permissible by the fourteenth amendment. The fourteenth amendment states that citizens should get equal protection of the law. Using more force than is needed to subdue and individual is known as excessive force. Officers who use excessive force should be punished for their actions. There has been a lot of cases in the news about the use of excessive force all over the country and the videos are on all sorts of social media. The result of this is people being afraid of a police and also causing a dislike of law enforcement as well. The use of force has many different outcomes for law enforcement. With the use of force officers can look like heroes or a villain based on a split second decision. Law enforcement as they are put in situations where they can save lives but also end lives in certain situations. The use of force is a very
First, to understand what police brutality is there needs to be an understanding of what it means. By definition of The Law Dictionary, police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force when dealing with civilians. (Danilina). Excessive force goes way beyond just being pushed to the ground. Essentially, it is the force well beyond what necessary actions are needed to be in place. Police brutality has taken place since the police forces were formed. “Police brutality has existed during the United States Industrial Revolution, the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and after the September 11