When looking back at all of the success of the civil rights movement, it seems that our country has come a long way on many important social issues. Whether it’s ending racial segregation in public facilities or putting an end to disenfranchisement of African Americans, our country has made many strides. That being said, our country still has a long way to go in order to reach true equality for all. Specifically, when it comes to the subject of police brutality. Throughout history, African Americans have been plagued by unfair treatment from members of law enforcement and with each passing year it seems to become an even bigger issue. In fact, it has led to the protest of many powerful members of society, including Tina Charles of the WNBA. …show more content…
For Tina Charles dealing with racism has become a regular part of her life. Like many other African Americans she has had to deal with her fair share of mistreatment, and as a result has grown thick skin in order to continue on with her everyday life. For the most part, she has managed to keep a very reserved personality type over her seven year basketball career. However, after learning of the fatal shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling she realized that she could no longer remain silent. With the help of several other WNBA players, Tina led a league wide protest against police brutality. The protest started on July 9, 2016 when members of the Minnesota Lynx showed up to pregame shootaround in warm-up shirts printed with “Black Lives Matter,” and the phrases “Change Starts With Us” and “Justice and Accountability,” This sparked nationwide outrage and quickly harsh fines were assessed to all the players that were involved. That would not hinder the cause however, as the New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, and the Phoenix Mercury would continue to wear the same shirts to their games the next day. Again fines came pouring in for all the players involved, and it seemed that the WNBA had picked a side by refusing to support the cause. Frustrated by the league's lack of understanding,
In our nation’s history, African Americans have been treated unequally by whites. Since then, the treatment whites give to minorities has degraded. Now, white police officers have abused their power towards minorities. This is an issue that continues but we as a society can no longer ignore the fact that this is unconstitutional. African American communities have turned into the targets of racism. This paper will examine the repeated history of police brutality in America in order to explain the racism and injustice involved. America needs a policy to enforce the unjust treatment police give to African Americans.
African Americans are the number one group to be gunshot by law enforcement officers. Police brutality has been an issue for many years, and it is still a major concern for the minority community. Police officers use deadly, excessive force that leads to inexcusable assaults, beating, shootings and overall many deaths. Although, police brutality comes any many forms but some of the common ones are racial profiling, and use of deadly force. In order to see why so many people are outraged by the recent police brutality events we should change how police are trained, how they communicate with the community members, and overall how we can change the outcomes of police brutality.
Within the past few years, incidents involving many deaths of unarmed African Americans and police officers have been broadcasted across the media. A large portion of these incidents result in protest and advocation against police brutality. There are a wide range of feelings and viewpoints people care to discuss concerning the topic of police brutality. Usually, when an African American person is killed by the hands of a police officer, people tend to explain how police brutality is the cause and culprit. Some people voice how police brutality is a matter that needs to quickly addressed while others believe it doesn 't even exist and therefore is not a cause for concern. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, police brutality is a
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.
Recently, there has been much in the media about clashes between African Americans and the police. Two such cases, being the shootings of Michael Brown and Laquan McDonald - both incidents resulting in public outrage. These cases result in questions about racial profiling by police. Through research, it is clear that African Americans are the target of racial bias by many police departments in the United States; in order to remedy this situation, law enforcement agencies need to (and are beginning to) undergo scrutiny on their interactions with the public and, additionally must receive training on diversity.
Police brutality is a major issue in today’s society. Many African Americans tend to avoid the police for that very reason. A campaign was started in 2012 against police brutality and the unfair treating of African Americans entitled, Black Lives Matter. This movement was met with controversy as well as support from the American people. This movement has followed several controversial police brutality cases in the United States including, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Sandra Bland. All African American and all killed in the presence of a police officer, with no convictions. These three cases have been some of the biggest cases in the Black Lives Matter campaign. This campaign is determined to make sure that Black lives are treated just as equally as white live and Hispanic lives, because black lives matter
In my opinion, police brutality is the most important problem in the U.S., and people should concern about it. Because the problem is strongly connected to other crucial issues like racism and civil rights violations. Additionally, currently it is the critical moment when we can stop it now, or it is going to practically impossible. Now it is not a secret that people of color are affected the most from a police brutality. This is quoted as, “Since the time that Africans were forcibly brought to America, they have been the victims of racist and discriminatory practices that have been spurred and/or substantiated by those who create and enforce the law” (Chaney & Robertson, 2013, p. 481). It is reported that African Americans to be killed at three times the rate of whites or other minorities (Wong, 2015). In 2015, at least 102 unarmed black people were killed by police at 5 times the rate of unarmed whites (Dallas Shooting, 2016). According to Buehler James’s
Ever since the case of Trayvon Martin being shot in 2013, dozens and dozens of cases of injustice have been brought up to the eyes of the media and the law. Lately, the majority of those cases have been about police brutality, and it’s taken such a strong effect on the public that movements have been born out of it, such as the BlackLivesMatter movement. The situation has reached a point to where President Obama stepped out and addressed the issue at hand. The central issue here isn’t only the barbaric tactics that law enforcement resorts to, but the fact that the power police officers have as enforcers of the law is and has been abused over and over.
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 principles of democracy, the respect of the equality of all people is one of its pillars. But there is an issue here, the definition of equality is not met in America. Anyone who watches the news must know by now, what is this “talk” African-American parents have with their kids. Police brutality has prompted African-American parents to take action and warn their children at a young age of the hardships they may experience as they grow up. Police brutality, towards black people mostly, is an example of the lack of equality that all people by law should receive. According to statistics, provided by The U.S. Census Bureau, of the more than
Beginning with Alton Sterling, the video depicts the man immediately being hit and thrown to the ground, but there is a foreshadowing story to this. Apparently, a witness said the police were called because Mr. Sterling was selling CD’s outside, and the gas station owner saw it as loitering. Following this, the recorded confrontation happened where the police held him down and shot him. Not only was this an unarmed man, but this was an African-American man, and this police vs black conflict has been very apparent as of late. Now for Mr. Sterling, may athletes took to twitter, for example, NBA player Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) tweeted: “Innocent lives man.. No restart button on life. People are taking lives like they're playing a video game.. HAS TO STOP! #AltonSterling” and Colin Kaepernick (@kaepernick7) followed up on Instagram, “This is what
Police violence and brutality has long been a debated topic in the US. This has especially sparked controversy in last 3 years, after multiple young African american males has been killed by police on dubious grounds. Some argue that the police only followed orders, while others argue that the blacks and other minorities in the US are being mistreated by the criminal justice system.
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.
Recently, our country has undergone tremendous suffering due to police brutality. Some police officers are taking the law into their own hands and intertwining their personal views and stereotypes on the black community. They are committing inhumane crimes on African Americans and our justice system is allowing it to continue. Several police officers are noticing that if they commit this crime out of pure hate it is acceptable and the courts will rule in their favor. It continues to happen because there is no punishment for their wrong doing.
Police brutality has become very prevalent in today’s society. Many officers, predominately white, are killing black victims in police stops. Some are being pulled over in their cars and others are being stopped while on the streets. These police officers are shooting their victims multiple times, choking them, and/or misusing their authority, which leads to the victims’ deaths. Some officers have made statements saying they handled the situations the way they did because they “feared for their lives.” However, mistaking a black person to have a gun because of the officers’ ignorance, for example, is not a valid reason for a person to lose their life the way victims of police brutality are losing theirs.