Training Day Sparknotes

-By definition the term police brutality is “applied in the context of causing physical harm, it may also involve psychological harm through the use of intimidation tactics beyond the scope of officially sanctioned police procedure.” In today’s society we have police known as riot police, who are known throughout the world to use extreme force. Statistics show almost every time the riot police are involved in crowd control, there is at least one fatality and multiple injured. This is why I believe this is one of the most important issues in the World today. Police are there to protect us but from April 2009 to June 2010 in the United States there were 5986 reports of misconduct from police officers. Police brutality has today’s citizens doubting the police department, and how they go about their arrest. Police brutality is an everyday occurrence, especially in cities where there are large communities of Blacks, Latinos and Asians.

Rational choice theory is predicated on the idea that crime is a matter of choice in which a potential criminal weighs the cost of committing an act against the potential benefits that might be gained (Siegel, 2011, p. 84). James Q. Wilson expands on this decision in his book Thinking About Crime, stating that “people who are likely to commit crime are unafraid of breaking the law

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)

The rational choice theory gives insight in to why otherwise law abiding citizens would commit crime. Most burglars do not burglarize because they want something specific from the victim's property nor are they saving the cash proceeds for a long-term goal. They burglarize because they need the money right now to pay off bills, buy food and clothes for their family or to purchase alcohol and illegal drugs. Most burglars would turn to making an honest living, but, even that does not meet their immediate desires for cash. Nor would the earned wages support their lifestyles. (Wright & Decker, 1994).

Huey Newton co-founder of the Panther Party preaches to the minority communities that, “Black power is giving power to people who have not had power to determine their own destiny” which is movement that formed for self defense against the U.S government. The Black Power Movement established itself in the 1950’s branching off of the nonviolent groups established during the Civil Rights Movement. Two major Black Power groups in history were Malcolm X and Black Panther Party that focused on justice for the black communities. These groups primarily fought against police brutality in their communities. At this time the United States that was gripped by white supremacy. During this time, Flores Alexander Forbes a fifteen year old boy had been running at his football stadium to make weight for a game. He was blindsided by several police officers that kicked and continuously struck him with clubs until he was identified as a student. This is one of many unjust stories from the book Police Brutality written by Jill Nelson that describes the life of African Americans. The Black power is an important part of the African American experience because it explores racial movement groups and the connection with police brutality.

First, it is crucial to note that police brutality is not synonymous to racism against a particular group. However, there is a stigma that police often racially profile a specific African Americans. In February 2015, two cases of police brutality did not involve African Americans; instead the two victims were a Hispanic shot and killed in Washington State and an Indian-American severely paralyzed in Alabama. Even with this considered, of late, a majority of police brutality cases have involved minorities and specifically African American males. Cases such as Michael Brown and Freddie Gray have sparked a cultural uprising. These trigger event inspired the protests and riots against police brutality demonstrating collective action and physical violence, but the idea of police brutality is much larger than these individual cases, since it is a reoccurring cycle.

“I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” These were the last words of Eric Garner, a middle-aged African American man. Garner died at the hands of multiple police officers who were trying to restrain him for selling cigarettes. These sorts of images are showcased on television way too often. To the point that some people feel helpless, they know that they alone do not have the power to overthrow the superiority of an officer. So they have really no choice but watch the tragedy unfold. Also fear that if they interfere, that they may be the next victim. “I am most struck by the behavior of the EMTs, who stood along with the police and did nothing as they watched Eric Garner die” (Williams 10). Although some people deny that police brutality is a problem, recent studies and events (such as the one listed above) prove that ultra-aggressive police officers, militarization of police agencies, and the effects of racism have increased police brutality.

What does the term ‘police brutality’ mean to you? ‘Police’ are the men and women dressed in uniform that are supposed to protect us from any danger at any time. They’re who you call when someone is breaking into your house in the middle of night, or even when someone strange is following you home. The word ‘brutality’ is physical violence towards someone. How do those two words sound next to each other?

Over the past five centuries, black people have endured violence in many different ways. Today, police officers use deadly, excessive force that leads to inexcusable assaults, beatings and shootings. This demonstrates the governmentТs role in initiating and prolonging racial suppression and provides the explanation for police brutality to become a federal crime(Black Radical Congress, 3). In history, racist violence, police brutality, has been used to suppress the racial blacks and to preserve power and privileges for the white race. This was done for five primary purposes. First, it has forced black people into slavery or low wage situations. Secondly, to steal land and other resources. A 3-rd was to maintain social control. A fourth

Antoine Fuqua’s, Training Day (2001) is an intense movie that follows a rookie police officer Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), whose dream in life is to become an elite narcotics agent for the LAPD. But before landing this difficult job, Hoyt must prove his worth. Enter the ultimate badass, thirteen-year veteran Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington), who accepts to test Hoyts capabilities by riding with him for a day around the cruel streets of South-Central Los Angeles. This is a crime thriller that depicts a police culture entrenched in corruption and violence. While Training Day is a great movie, it uses storybook stereotypes of black males with strong masculinities to portray what seems to me to be a negative representation of black society in America.

Recently police have come under fire for the deaths of many unarmed African American males. This has broken the trust between civilians and police and torn our country apart. People are frustrated about the killings of unarmed citizens and how it seems every officer can get away with killing an unarmed suspect. Back in 1994 a law was passed that required the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to record date on police involved shooting and deaths by police officers. Except where are the numbers that would show there is an increase in unarmed African American deaths from police officers?

b) Their silence and ignorance set a bad example to the communities they are meant to protect.

Over the recent years, police have been one of the organizations to be associated with the largest cases of misconduct. Police brutality can be termed as the process of misuse and abuse of authority by the police. The rising cases of police brutality are causing more harm to the public, compared to the actions perpetrated by real criminals. Although police claim that it’s sometimes necessary to curb crime, the process is illegal and police officers should be charged just like any other criminal offender. It should be the responsibility of the justice system to establish effective strategies to deal with the rising illegal activities in order to restore public trust in the law

The article “Black Lives and Blue Lives Matter” by Bryant Alston shows and represents the importance of black lives just like any other, police brutality, also showing how no matter the color of one’s skin, it should not affect one in a negative way or agitate others to want to look over one just because a person of color seemed as a more ‘fitting’ person for such a crime instead of other non-black, or non-hispanic, person. I completely agree with Bryant Alston’s perspective on those cases, which regard race and ethnicity.

Police Brutality has stemmed from racist attitudes, discrimination, and prejudice to African Americans. In the movie “Fruitvale Station” the subject of police brutality is touched on through the true story of Oscar Grant III an African American young man who was assassinated in 2009. The movie follows Grant who is played by Michael B. Jordan in his final twenty-four hours of life. The shooting takes place after Grant and his girlfriend are on the subway returning home in the early morning on New Year’s with some friends. After a fight breaks out on the subway the police are called and Grant and his friends are taken off the train and handcuffed after a verbal altercation between Grant and the police officers one of the officers takes out and shoots Grant. Grant is taken to the hospital where he passes away. The officer who assassinated Grant was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and spent a year in jail. The main theme this movie follows is police brutality. The reason I chose to discuss this movie is because Police brutality is a very large issue that has occurred too often in the past few years in this country. Oscar Grant is one of the many African American men who have lost their life and left behind a family because of senseless police brutality. Police Brutality is a very difficult issue to discuss because people should feel protected around police rather than fear for their lives and for many people of color this is their reality. Police brutality solely stems from racist attitudes, discrimination, and prejudice of African Americans in the United States.