preview

Police Brutality Essay

Decent Essays

Police brutality is one of multiple forms of racial discrimination which involves unjustifiable violence by police officers. This term was first referred to in the works of the American press as early as 1872 in a report of a policeman beating of a civilian. These targeted civilian groups by police officers typically are those from powerless groups like minorities (Latinos and African-Americans), the youth, as well as the poor. There has been a notable lack of commitment in the criminal justice system or towards holding police accountable for their wrongdoings. Police brutality is an ongoing problematic issue in the U.S. today with police officers using excessive force that needs to be addressed immediately before more lives are lost and …show more content…

Yet again, we see officers blatantly escape what should be the way of the law, but no meaningful action is ever taken. Now here’s another unjustified case where an officer tries to make his wrongdoings justified, Officer Grant Morrison gunned down 38-year-old Richard Ramirez at a traffic stop in Montana in April of 2014. Even when they don’t claim justification, officers tend to face no consequences as in this one not even getting charged. Why hasn’t this officer been discharged from his line of duty? Now lastly, here’s a more key case that displays the underlying issues of police brutality and the criminal justice system: James Brissette and Ronald Madison who were killed as well as four other civilians who were left wounded in New Orleans, LA. All of these victims of this shooting were unarmed, but the police department fabricated the true story by falsifying a report that there was an officer down first and that some of the civilians were armed and fired first. These unjust officers also planted a gun at the scene to make it seem as though the civilians were armed and dangerous. (“List of cases”). This goes to show what extents the criminal justice system will go to just to hide the crimes their officers have committed. Criminal justice system or criminal injustice system? These brutality officers have created tension as well as a higher level of mistrust within colored communities and the police which is a major problem within our criminal justice system. In

Get Access