Alannis J. Bremer
Dr. Robyn McGee
English 102
2 November 2017
Police Relations in Black America
Numerous unjust losses covered by the media over recent years that involved African Americans and police officers are continuously dwelling in the minds of many today. All of these incidents involved excessive force by officers and many involved racial profiling as well. Following these incidents, many American’s have vocalized their loss of trust with law enforcement officials through protest marches and riots. Everyone is demanding a solution for healing these poor relations between police officers and African American communities.
Mass criminalization of victimless offenses are part of though the problem, as well as police weapons, though healing relations between police and the people goes much deeper than that. First one would have to ask why there is generally a culture of distrust and trepidation between police and African Americans.
From runaway slave catchers in the 19th century, to Jim Crow enforcers in the 1960’s, to the drug war pillaging our communities, African-Americans and police officers have never had a good relationship. The drug war of course is the bane on humanity period and isn’t exclusive to African-Americans, but in America it was formally introduced by the state into African-American communities. Longstanding research conducted by the University of Florida indicated that “race plays a primary factor in attitudes towards the police, with blacks more likely than white to express levels of dissatisfaction” (Rice and Piquero 1). For the peace and safety of everyone, it is important Americans make an effort to mend these strained relationships.
It’s very true that most Americans tend not to look forward to having interactions with police officers. This isn’t all surprising, of course. When something bad happens and a police officer responds, one is more than likely grateful for their service just as you would be with any other first responder, such as AAA or paramedics. This leads to a positive relationship between people and their civil servants. When one is meeting with an officer in a way that puts them in a position that in no way if for their protection, but rather contributes to
Police brutality and office involved shootings have sparked national debate and created a strain between police officers and citizens. Recently, there have been more home videos that display acts of aggression by police officers. These police officers often use excessive forces or a condescending tone towards people of color which is why there needs to be a better way to mend police and civilian relationship. People should be able to trust the police in their communities rather than fear them.
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)
Chapter 4 in The Color of Justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America, was about the relations between society and law enforcement officers. This has been a major topic, especially in the United States for a long time. The unfortunate statistic that minorities are more likely to encounter being killed, arrested, and victimized by excessive physical force; has been a real issue even in today’s society. However, police departments are trying to combat the way police officers interact with the community; especially those of color. Although steps have been takes there are still some instances where police aggression happens. With all of the issues that arise between certain minority populated community’s police it is evident that conflict
Over the last two years in the United States the African-American people have been fighting a war within our own backyards. The Washington Post reports that since January 2015, the police have shot and killed over 175 young black men ranging from ages 18-29; 24 of them were unarmed. On the flip side 172 young white men were killed, only 18 being unarmed. With these statistics there are similarities in the numbers but, blacks were killed at rates disproportional to their percentage of U.S population (1.Washington Post). Of all unarmed people shot and killed by police in 2015. With 40% being black men make up just 6% of the nation’s populations. In the wake of the killings of Mike Brown, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, and many more the world has been made more publicly aware of injustices black people have to handle when dealing with law enforcement. Crime in the black community is nothing new in the black community or should I say black on black crime. There is a bad stereotype that has been put on black people since slavery times that I believe has help fueled the violence between the police and my people.
Police brutality is becoming a trend in America. Tensions among the public and especially the African American community are rising due to the latest cases of police brutality. Many people believe that we have come far in this society but to be honest Racism is still a factor. The use of brutal and lethal force by some police officers leading to unnecessary deaths have African American parents on edge to send their children outside for anything. Law enforcement and people whom we trust with our lives are the very same to take it. Some people may want to argue that these cases such as the shooting of Michael brown and choking of Eric Garner are isolated incidents. Others would argue that the work of a police officer is too difficult and that sometimes an officer needs to use such force in order to enforce the law and protect him/herself while on duty. Law enforcement proclaims to feel threatened however what about the civilians who feel threatened of becoming the next target or victim of prey. The society is well aware that not all police commit these crimes and that we do still have law abiding officers. However, with the effort from everyone we can eradicate the bad apples and create a safer road for the officers and civilians.
Throughout the last one hundred and fifty years, there has been a history of tension and conflict between the police and minority communities in the United States. In principle, the police exist to enforce the law and protect all citizens regardless of race or ethnic background, yet police departments across the country have been repeatedly accused of targeting and harassing racial minorities, and of failing to root out racist attitudes and practices within their ranks. In recent years, high profile cases such as the beating of Rodney King in Los Angles and the assault on Abner Louima in New York have only served to heighten concerns over the mistreatment of minorities by the police, resulting in widespread calls for major legal and institutional reforms. The recent shootings of Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Eric Garner, and Terrance Crutcher underscore the danger Black men and boys face when they cross paths with law enforcement officers. In the absence of a coordinated national strategy, state and local police departments have largely been left to develop their own solutions to the problems of policing minority communities and improving cultural sensitivity amongst their officers. Many departments have sought to reform recruitment and selection policies in the hope of attracting greater numbers of minority applicants, while others have instituted diversity training and education programs aimed at improving police understanding of minority cultures and communities. To date, however, these efforts have yielded mixed results. Some departments have achieved notable successes, but on the whole, relations between the police and minority communities across the country remain strained. of cultural diversity and the police.
There is recent controversy over police use of force, especially in minority communities such as in African American communities, Hispanic communities, and other publics with large populations of minorities. Increased levels of force among these communities have created challenges for police departments. These challenges include a lack of trust from the community towards law enforcement officers and an absence of respect creating situations that lead to police use of force. There are already various programs in place that attempt to decrease this challenge by educating the public, respecting one another, and giving those who were on the wrong track second chances. A combination of these solutions and the implementation of more of them would decrease the number of contacts between police and minorities that lead to the use of force (Roberg & Novak, 2014).
Many of the problems and conflicts between the community and the police are based on situations involving police misconduct and race. Other issues occur because of an experience one has had with the police because he or she is minority. Early resentments from White officers cause a different outcome when handling a police situation that involves a different race as oppose to his or her own. This begins to shape the perception of the residents that witness these actions. It has been shown that an officer’s attitude and behaviors when dealing with a minority is harsher and unfair. Several situations like the Rodney King story and police brutality where a minority was the victim is viewed by the public and discriminatory behavior solely caused by a person’s race or ethnicity. This creates distrusts and suspicion with regard to the way a police department handles these issues. The public is disappointed and reluctant to construct a relationship with his or her fellow officer.
The corruption began in the 1980’s but peaked during the early 1990’s (Law, 2017). After Hurricane Katrina hit, the police department became known for the prejudice, abuse and criminality that spread throughout the department (Ramsey, 2015). These problems surfaced and of course, the department faced backlash, leading to distrust between officers and black civilians (Ramsey, 2015). Incidents like these have become a common theme amongst police distrust.
Police Brutality against African American people has begun to take a toll on our communities. African American communities cannot even trust the police, because of the way they are being treated unfairly by a police officers of them distract or their state. Which is why the police are being coming more advanced in technology, but still fail to use their powers as an officer correctly. This cause the police officers are using misconduct against African American people when confronted by them. This research leads me to conclude that the police department of many states across the United States becomes more corrupted every day because of the lack of order in our police departments. In this essay, I will argue that the policing between black
Ever since the late 1700s, when all racial groups started to assimilate into the dominant culture in the United States, the tension between the police and this diversified population has largely been held in check, with a few incidents happening every now and then as a result of racial conflicts (Datesman, Crandall, and Kearny 180). However, in the past few years, the tension between police officers and the black community has become strained due to several high-profile incidents of fatal shootings by police. The acquittals of the police officers involved ultimately added fuel to this heated debate over abuse and misconduct of police (Wexler). To tackle the long-standing
For decades, America’s attention has been turned to the deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement. The roots of the outrage & unrest that often follow such killings go back much, much, much further. It is very obvious that there is a difficult relationship between law enforcement & the communities we are sworn to serve and protect. There are tons of studies proving police are implicitly biased against African Americans. Racism in law enforcement has had disastrous effects on society as evidenced by recent cases in the U.S.
The continuously growing number of Blacks in the United States’s population is ironic in how they are being treated by White cops. It may be their very numbers that frighten government authorities, causing them to act in violent ways, or it could simply be their skin color. Oppression based on race, color, or numbers anywhere should no longer exist in this day and age, let alone the United States of America. This country should be a place where no person should be afraid of being oppressed because of their physical self. Many believe that judgment and aggression towards a specific color of skin was simply a part of our past. However, what we are not aware of is that this behavior was, is, and will be a part of our past, present, and future if we are not shaken out of what hopefully is, a phase. This phase includes people quickly assuming and acting brutally towards Black people. Based on countless circumstances, it is evident that we need to change how we live, which continues to be a world that has Blacks being mistreated by white police.
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.
When a person thinks of a policeman, a variety of thoughts will probably come to his or her mind. Some people feel a sense of security or fear, while others have accomplished an actual camaraderie with policemen. Who feels safe? Who is fearful of police and why are they? The United States Constitution’s Fifteenth Amendment says, “The rights of citizens of the United States shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude” (United States Constitution). Since the abolishment of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans thought they would be equally treated in this country, but they have yet to have their wishes come true. Many