Taxi Driver

In the short book of “No Heroes, No Villains” by Steven Phillips On June 28, 1972, a Transit Authority patrolman, John Skagen, was on his way home from testifying at court for an arrest he made a couple of weeks prior. Skagen was taking the train home to the Bronx when he saw and stopped James Richardson who was awaiting the subway train which would take him to work at Lincoln Hospital. Skagen ordered him to “put up your hands, and get against the wall”. Skagen’s actions seem unprovoked and unnecessary. After a short tussle the two men exchanged shots and Richardson fled the scene on foot. Two other officers that were on the main street above the subway station rushed to the scene.

A tragic incident that stands out took place in April of 2007, at Virginia Tech University. Student Seung Hui Cho shot and killed 32 people and injured 17 others before he committed suicide. Seung Hui Cho had a history of mental illness and was prohibited to own a firearm, but he still managed to acquire two weapons. Another example takes place in Tucson, AZ at a grocery store while a congressional sponsored event took place. Jared Loughner shot and killed 6 people and injured 13

The shooting occurred at the Fruitvale train station on January 1st, 2009. At the station, a fight broke out in one of the trains and when the train stopped the fight started again outside of the train at one of the stops. While they were fighting on the train the BART officers were called. The officers came and arrested everyone that was in the fight. A guy named Oscar Grant was in the fight and was also arrested (Meyer). While Grant was being arrested by Officer Mehserle, he resisted the officer’s attempts. Since Grant was resisting he was pushed onto the ground on his stomach to be handcuffed. Johannes Mehserle was having trouble handcuffing Grant so the other BART officers helped him. When Grant was on the ground Mehserle was going to tase him since he would not stop resisting. When Mehserle thought he pulled out his TASER, he instead pulled out his gun. Mehserle accidentally shot Grant with his gun since he thought he pulled out his TASER (Bulwa).

The use of deadly force by police officers is a very important subject in today’s society. Many consider the use of deadly force excessive in most cases. However, there are many aspects to look at when considering this topic, such as: Why was deadly force required? When did the officer feel it necessary to apply deadly force? What will be the implications for the officer after the fact? How does the use of deadly force affect society as a whole?

There were boycotts of the malls in Baton Rouge, people were marching even holding up traffic. This didn’t only occur in Baton Rouge, but across the U.S. people were standing up for this injustice. Alton Sterling was selling cd in front of a convenience store when two officers approached him, the situation escalated Mr. Sterling was shot several times resulting in his death. Baton Rouge police did not provide much information about what escalated the incident between the officers and Sterling or what prompted an officer to fire his weapon. A witness, however, described police as “aggressive” and said Sterling was armed but was not holding his gun or touching his pockets during the incident. The level of force an officer uses varies based on the situation. Because of this variation, guidelines for the use of force are based on many factors, including the officer’s level of training or experience.

In light of the recent spate of police-involved homicides of suspects who may or may not have put the lives of the police involved in fear for their safety and well-being, this paper seeks to examine the use of deadly force by police officers in the line of duty. The training involved in using one’s service weapon in situations that call for a determination of the use of force will be explored, as will the rules, regulations, and extenuating circumstances that lead to the firing of a service weapon in the line of duty, resulting in the death of a suspect. The Supreme Court cases that have led to and/or upheld laws allowing a broader interpretation of what is considered justifiable use of deadly force will be briefly examined. Additionally, the use of non-lethal weapons, such as Tasers, by police forces and how the availability of these weapons influences the rate of deadly force will be inspected. Finally, an elucidation of the various perceptions of the general public of the police after use of deadly force is used within their communities will be addressed.

The officers were investigating a burglary when they happened upon the multi-millionaire and Notre Dame graduate. An investigation by the family's attorney revealed that DuBose cooperated with the officers' investigation until they began to "harass and intimidate" him (Amnesty International 1999a). The officers claimed that DuBose charged at them with a pair of nunchakus sticks, a martial arts weapon that he allegedly wrestled away from one of them. Several onlookers said DuBose was shot in the back (Perry A3). To add insult to injury after shooting DuBose the officers stood over his body for more than ten minutes before calling an ambulance (Amnesty International 1999c). An autopsy report revealed that DuBose was shot twelve times, six in the back (Perry A3). When asked to explain how a young man of DuBose's stature could end up being killed in this manner San Diego's police chief called it an isolated incident--an aberration (Jeffries, 2001)

On July 26, 2013, Sammy Yatim, a mentally ill youth was shot nine times and killed by a police officer. He boarded a streetcar and pulled out a switchblade, which he used to threaten passengers (Rogan, 2014). The police arrived shortly after all the passengers had safely exited. Constable James Forcillo was one of the first cops on the scene, and had ordered his partner to radio for a Taser to subdue Yatim. While Yatim was still in the streetcar, Forcillo fired his gun. Officers rushed into the streetcar to taser him and then attempted CPR. However, Yatim was pronounced dead early in the morning of July 27 (Rogan, 2014).

A recent current event that is shown in media is the shooting of a Virginia State Trooper at a Greyhound bus station. This tragedy occurred Thursday, March 31, in the afternoon around three p.m. A Virginia state trooper was said to be talking to another individual, the suspect, and then the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the trooper leaving him with serious life threatening injuries. After the suspect shot the trooper other State Troopers began firing their weapons on the suspect. This tragedy ended with the suspect dead, Virginia State Trooper with serious injuries, then later died and two female civilians with not so serious injuries from the gun shots. Virginia state police do not know why the suspect pulled out his gun on the trooper and why in a bus station where many are surrounding and can get injured. Police also found out that the suspect has a long history of crime and gun use. Although there is many different

As Donald Trump’s presidency unfolds his promise to crack down on immigration and cut funding to sanctuary cities is becoming a reality, however, each city is handling it differently. Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump promised to crack down on illegal immigrants and “sanctuary cities”. Sanctuary city is a vague term that is being thrown around right now. It loosely refers to a towns or cities that don’t immediately turn over illegals who commit small crimes, and don’t cooperate fully with immigration services (“Sanctuary Cities: Top 3 Pros and Cons”). Most Texas cities have vowed to remain loyal to their citizens, and not rip families apart due to politics and money. Cutting federal funding to a city is not an

9 shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old who had scuffled with Ferguson officer Darren Wilson, came just a few weeks after Eric Garner — an unarmed black man accused of illegally selling cigarettes — died in a struggle with white New York City officers. Garner’s death was captured by an onlooker’s video. Brown’s was not, and word quickly spread that he had been shot while surrendering with his hands up — an assertion uncorroborated by state and federal investigations.

In 1995, a man walked into a Minneapolis convenience store with his fingers in his pocket pointed like a gun. He was hoping the police would shoot him and kill him. This man was Aaron Burks, Sr. who

The shooting of African American teenager Michael Brown by white officer Darren Wilson has been a hot topic of debate. Those in support of Michael Brown believe that Darren Wilson racially profiled Brown and that the shooting would have never occurred had Brown been white. Those in support of Darren Wilson state that he acted in self-defense. This argument has more evidence supporting it than the argument that Brown was racially profiled.

Driving Miss Daisy depicts a strong friendship that progressively builds between an elderly Jewish widow named Daisy Werthan and an African American chauffeur named Hoke Coleburn. After crashing her car into a neighbor’s property from pressing the reverse peddle too hard, Miss Daisy Werthan lost her privilege to drive on the road. Since she cannot drive, her son hired Hoke to be her personal chauffeur. At first, Miss Daisy refuses to let Hoke drive her anywhere out of fear of losing her independence but out of necessity; she began to accept his offers. From driving to a local Piggly Wiggly to Miss Daisy’s brother’s 90th birthday party in Alabama, the two characters begin to appreciate and respect one another that gradually forms a loving

Travis in the movie is the protagonist, and lives by the lower class ruling. Travis is more intelligent than the typical lower class (proletariat). One can tell because of the thoughts he writes down in his diary. Travis falls under the category of a stereotypical low class laborer. He works long hours; normally from 6 in the evening until 6 in the morning, and works 6, sometimes even 7 days a week. He writes a lot about his trips that he makes while driving the taxi. The writing in his diary show he is against the low life people who he sees, and who live on the streets. He says, “All the animals come out at night. Whores, scum, beggars, junkies, fairies. Someday a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets.” (Approximately 7 minutes into the film.). This is also a possible foreshadowing event on what he plans to do later in the