Social Media Has Made Us Less Safe

Due to recent technological advances, many social justice issues have been brought to light. One issue is police brutality involving minorities. Police brutality is a major problem in our society, but it is a problem that we can fix. In order for any problem to be fixed, the problem must be acknowledged, then whoever has the problem must work for change. In order to fix the problem of police brutality, we must bring light to the issue by utilizing social media, then push for a change is the police force. One significant change the police force could make is the implementation of body cameras. They can offer video evidence in the case of opposing accounts of an incident, they dissuade police brutality, and videos released from police cameras

Excessive force and police brutality have become common terms for anyone keeping up with today’s current events. In 2014, the media covered numerous cases of excessive force that resulted in the deaths of several people of color (Nelson & Staff, 2014). The most widely covered cases by the media in 2014 were of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black male shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri; and Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black male in Staten Island, New York who was put into a choke by police officer Daniel Pantaleo until he lost consciousness and stopped breathing (Nelson & Staff, 2014). These cases brought attention to the seriousness of police brutality and the curiosity of how often it occurs (Brown, 2015).

This article describes how the increase of body cameras will help reduce police misconduct by recording police-citizen encounters, and serving as evidence of what happened. This article also talks about the complications that it contains. One of the complications are the privacy concerns, many people say they don't want their police encounters to be all over social media. It also says that body cameras are not the only thing that will make officers behave, it says they also need reforms of use-of-force policy and training. Even though there are many privacy concerns experts have said that those concerns can be resolved with the right policies. This is a great article to use because it appeals to

Eric Garner knew he did not do anything wrong. Eric and the other officers continues their dispute until one of the officers named Daniel Pantaleo took action. Daniel Pantaleo had put Eric in a choke hold and forced him onto the ground. “It also shows a cluster of officers, including Pantaleo, kneeling on Garner’s back and pressing his face, mouth and nose to the pavement as he lay face down, hands cuffed behind him, pleading— at least 11 times—“I can’t breathe.” (In these times 1) Eric continued to struggle until his body stopped moving. The officers took another look at him and saw that he was unconscious. They called the paramedics and they arrived shortly. The paramedics had brought Eric to the hospital where they announced that Eric had

There are thousand among thousands of misconduct reports filed each year against the law enforcement for police officers using excessive force complaints make up nearly one quarter (Harvard Law Review, 2010). Decision, decision, decision… when a police officer decides to gun down a suspect during encounter or an arrest it the police officer decision. Particularly, that these deadly encounters are being video filmed by the communities that these police officers serve. The communities has come together to protest against the excessive force that police officers are displaying across the United States. These encounter that are being filmed by the communities are asking why are these acts continue to happen. With the advancing of technology (cell phone with cameras) and social media being played or watch throughout the real world display an unpredictable behavior among both police officers and the communities that they serve. These action has push Law Enforcement to consider a solution; Body worn cameras might be part of a solution for the growing recognition that the United States real problem with police excessive force. In August 2014 the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri or April 12, 2015 of Freddie Gray arrest in Baltimore, Maryland or March 3, 1991 of Rodney King in Los Angeles, California; there are many more misconduct of

In July of 2014 Eric Garner was killed by a “chokehold” by an officer. 12 year old Tamir Rice was shot by police for playing with a toy pistol in november 2014. (text 1, line 10) Police departments continue to generate headlines even after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Most recent deaths on the police department have fueled a debate across the nation. (text 1, line 2) while some believe that police brutality only happens as isolated incidents the truth is that it is a major societal problem.

Social media has played a role in emphasizing the importance of capturing events on video when the actions of a police officer are questionable. The assumption that body-worn cameras will deter police officers from committing deviant acts is something that would benefit society by holding police officers accountable for actions taken and provide transparency on the conduct of police officers. Background of the Problem The news and social media is constantly showing recordings of police violence occurring in America. Recordings of police officers being filmed using excessive force creates a distrust in society.

The Article that caught my attention was “The police hunting and killing of black males stops today” by Trey Ellis of The Huffington Post. This article discusses how through racial profiling police have turned their trust to proctect and surive into a way to demoralize and incrimnate Black males. The reason this article stood out to me is the events that are viral on social media such as “ Anton Sterling and Philando Castile”, these young males had altercations of some type (not exactly the same), but both ended tragically from being shot by an officer on duty.These tragities were recorded during or after the event and streamed live or posted on Facebook, giving users/views a first persons veiw of the moment. The authur decribes how many current events have involove officers who have used their power to pull over these males for no reason, but to “assume the black citizen is in some way criminalized, the officer uses an excuse to make an arrest and is then praised and possibly promoted by his supervisor.” I believe that this reading is sort of one sided, I am not condoning or in any way supporting the officers actions, but I believe in any situation there is two sides of the story( I am mearly stating my opinion on the matter).

Harris (2015) in his article, “The Next Civil Rights Movement?” explores the idea that racial tension in connection to police brutality is an extension of the civil rights movement from the 1960s. By connecting a contemporary movement to a well-documented movement, it is possible for racial tensions and police conduct to gain momentum in the news media. Furthermore, the advent of social media in more modern times has changed the face of the traditional civil rights movement as there is now the possibility for the movement to gain momentum in a matter of hours rather than days or week as was the case in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This instantaneous collective momentum has allowed the news media the opportunity to explore varying points of view straight from the public through their posts, videos, and pictures on social media rather than relying on selective interviews. The momentum behind the movement has gained traction and prominence in the mind of the public with the creation of the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) and #AllLivesMatter

In certain cases when police brutality is reported its always involved with a negative side from the race down to certain sexes. Law enforcements have mistreated minorities in many cases and got away with it. However, sometimes mistreatment isn't always consisting of physical harm to an individual in most cases. Disrespect and abuse come hand in hand when it gets down to police brutality. Police assume the victim is disrespecting their authority and they are quick to arrest or shoot an individual. Social media is changing the game for governments under pressure. Social media has suddenly turned into a powerful instrument of public scrutiny. And it is certainly here to stay. As a result, devising efficient means to subdue traditional media will not be sufficient anymore for governments intent on concealing the harshness of their law enforcement.Still, social media

The video began with a very distressed and irritated Eric Garner explaining to three cops on how he broke up a fight and was “Minding my business.” The police in the video stand stoically just listing to Garners pleading story where he kept proclaiming his innocence. Orta also tries to narrate the situation to the audience by saying “this guy right here is forcibly trying to lock somebody up for breaking up a fight.” The video eventually cuts to the police surrounding Garner which leads to him resisting arrest by saying “please don’t touch me.” The situation escalates very quickly when a cop comes behind Garner and puts him into a chock hold while at the same time using his weight to bring Garner down. When Garner is brought down you can see two to three police officers’ surrounding Garner while the NYPD Officer named David Pantaleo is still holding him in a choke hold. As Garner is being forced to lie on his stomach, you can hear Garner plead to the cops that “I can’t breathe.” Garner continues to reiterate that he couldn’t breathe a total of seven times as the police keep holding him down. A few minutes after Garner is brought down, the video shows a few cops examining Garner’s lifeless looking body. Another video from a different spectator shows an EMT checking if Garner still had a pulse and then giving the signal he was still breathing. A few minutes later Garner is put on a stretcher and dies on his way to the hospital on June 17,

What impact does social media have on police brutality? Police officers were once known as peace keepers whose duties include maintaining public order and preventing and deferring crime, but it now seems as though all we see in the media are cases of police brutality and the lack of ethics and morals possessed by police officers. Within the past year, the highly publicized deaths of Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, and Michael Brown which many will say were murdered by police officers have been a central piece of media coverage with the last year and has placed the controversial topic of police brutality at an all-time high. II. What is Police Brutality?

The events of the now infamous video have evolved to become a symbol of police brutality; a rallying cry for those disaffected with our justice system. Garner’s last words: “I can’t breathe”, have been adopted as the mantra of recent demonstrations. More importantly, unlike the shooting death of Michael Brown, whose case was enshrouded in a fog of conflicting witnesses and forensic reports, Garner’s death serves as an irrefutable, visceral testament to the violent excesses of law enforcement. Although the Grand Jury investigating Pantaleo’s conduct

In the past couple of years, phrases such as "Hands up, don’t shoot" and "We can’t breathe" have been shouted from the streets. Acts of violence and misconduct committed by the police have masses of people coming together and protesting the widespread problem. However, this current issue has been around for longer than Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two recent victims of police brutality. Offences from our police have occurred and were debated about for decades, but now are being brought back anew in these tumultuous times. Though police transgressions have an infamous place in history and a big part of today’s society, some still do not see it as that big of a problem. Others think the issue is causing the stereotyping of all the cops

Social media live streaming, reality television venues have allowed an opening for police officer’s actions to be brought into question. This is not a recent phenomenon but rather process before society’s eyes. The nation will never forget the vivid video involving the Los Angeles Sheriff Office, Los Angeles Police (LAPD) and one motorist later identified as Ronnie King. The incident was captured by private citizen and later distributed to various news stations all over the world. The world was shocked to see the violent way that police handled King (Jacobs, 1996). The event, trails, and riots that following the release of the video highlighted the brutal way law enforcement dealt with African-Americans.