Why Do People Kill Raheem?

One of the first situations that went worldwide which the public saw police abusing their authority is in the beating of Rodney King. Rodney King was an African American male who was under the influence and decided to take the police on a high speed chase (Bates & Sastry, 2017). Once Rodney King stopped his vehicle the police ordered him to exit his vehicle and to put his hands up. Mr. King exited his vehicle and then that’s when the police officers started to attack him. The policers kicked him and beat him for a 15 minutes (Bates & Sastry, 2017).

“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.

From the disturbing beating of Rodney King to the horrific death of Malice Green to the shooting of Michael Brown shows there is a consistent problem with police brutality and the exertion of force used. Police brutality seems to be a rising issue again with the occurrence of the Michael Brown shooting and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement making sure that any form of police brutality should not be swept under the rug. Action has been taken in some cities around the country for dealing with police brutality, such as police reform, which requires the retraining of hundreds of officers. There has also been talk and use of police body cameras that would record interactions between officers and the public to clear up any discrepancies in police/witness reports. To look at the effects and causation of police brutality we will be analyzing the media’s role, the sociological and psychological aspects of officers who administer the beating, and the timing of when these beatings/killings occurred.

The perception of excessive force has been intensely debated for the last few decades. With continuous public defiance increasing, instances of police brutality are rising at an exponential rate. However, the accessibility to social media has greatly increased as well, therefore, causing us to become more aware of such situations. With that considered, the increased amount of police beatings is far less than what may be perceived. Frequently occurrences of police brutality are brought to our attention through the media. Often times, broadcasting very graphic, and sometimes unlawful situations. Several people may say that discrimination against particular ethnicities may be the main cause of this recent influx. Though, others may believe that subsequent social disparities towards specific ethnicities may cause frustration, consequently, causing law enforcement officers to use unnecessary excessive force, more frequently.

There are consequences to every action either good or bad. Sadly to say the death of Radio Raheem was caused by an officer. The illegal procedure of choking him was the reason for his death. Many may say it was from Sal bashing his radio with a baseball bat. Also Radio Raheem is avoiding the situation by turning down his radio and following orders. Even from being 26 years apart police brutality is currently happening. Mike brown was recently killed by illegal procedures from police officers. It is a race situation from the history of police brutality to blacks.

According to theguardian.com, 634 people have been killed so far in 2015 by police officers or while in custody (theguardian.com, 2015). Years of good policing practices and community trust can be jeopardized by a single act of, or perception of, the excessive use of force (EUF) by police (www.justice.gov, 2015 ). Police deal with difficult people and situations on a daily basis, one of the biggest complaints from citizens is that excessive and sometimes unnecessary force is used by police officers during arrests. In the wake of past claims of police brutality such as Rodney King and more recently publicized victims like Freddy Gray, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown, I will use the functionalist perspective to determine if giving police the liberty to exercise the force they deem necessary per arrest situation is effective or if stricter guidelines for the use of force and training is needed to deal with citizens. I believe most citizens exert some type of resistive behavior when they feel they are being unlawfully arrested. I will investigate separate claims of excessive force use by police against citizens in America. I will also look at other countries’ police brutality complaints to determine if the issue lies mainly in America or if it is a global issue. I will use the inductive research method as well as qualitative research such as present and historical data, past journals, court cases, news publications, and statistical data to conclude my findings.

“All units, please respond to a suspicious man walking on the street between 2nd st main st.” A police officer driving his beat responses to the dispatch as any officer would. Little does he know that he will be in an officer involved shooting and be the reason for protests and riots only because he was doing his job and following protocol. This is too often the case as the media and society are quick to judge what happens in an incident like this. When these tragic incidents happen it's no wonder why cops don't want to go into crime and poverty ridden neighborhoods because they will just be harassed for doing their job by the media and society.

The power of authority allowed police officers to use brutality on many people, which turned out to be a problem to many Americans. Why do officer’s do this? It is still an unanswered question. The police in general have a bad scheme against the non-police officers and are more suspicious of minorities assuming that they are troublemakers and deserve to be brutally hurt than to be brought to justice. In addition, the United States court systems are backing up the police officers and showing brilliant favoritism against people, which in other words, gives harsh treatment and long presentment to the minorities. Their counterpart predominant civilians in this country are getting lenient sentencing and even most of the times are given opportunities to recoup their wrong doing activities. To fix this type of negative policing, United States needs to call for epidemic law revisions and spend trillions of dollars to reform policing in order to rebuild the trust between law enforcement and the minority community.

Police officers believe that they are superior to the citizens. Ferguson is isolated from the other cities because of it is a dangerous area so this makes it more difficult for the citizens there to be who they are without being discriminated against. In the Zimbardo experiment, it shows how roles affect behaviours and in the view of the government, black people are all criminals and so they have to play the role of hiding away from the government so they are trying hard not to be seen near police officers because they are afraid of being interrogated, arrested for no crime and or killed. Although they are just like other human beings, the government makes them seem like they are inferior to other races. Additionally, police officers are supposed to be playing the role of protecting citizens of a country, city, state, etc. but instead they are using their power to ruin the lives of innocent families. Furthermore, police officers are not even disciplined for their wrong doings. In Michael Brown’s case, Officer Darren Wilson was not convicted of the murder and the court said Wilson only fired his bullets in self defence. It is evident that having power can lead to one’s victory even if they do not deserve it. How can one fire 12 bullets for self

The fundamental purposes of law enforcement is the serve and protect the individuals of society. Rough treatment is often times afflicted upon unruly citizens as an alternative reform of discipline. Police abuse remains one of the most serious and divisive human rights violations of today. The secrecy, stress, and dangers of police work leads to an insular and close-knit occupational culture that results in a strong distinction between members of the police and society. An in-depth investigation on police brutalization and its causes of corrupting within the 1991 beating of Rodney King is evaluated by means of the credibility within the rights of citizens in Canada and the United States, the effects from prejudice

Across the nation, injustice has been increasing alongside with bodies and outrage. Citizens put their trust in the hands of police officers who tend to careless on what’s the meaning of their position, and they seem to only care that their position makes them “unstoppable” which is why they do whatever they please. Unfortunately, those who face injustice right in the eye cannot speak for themselves since their life is taken away instantly or are being incarcerated because “justice” usually favors the incorrupt. Across the United States, over thirty citizens have been murdered and beaten by police (“30 Cases…”). As a result, many riots and protests have been advocating the end to police brutality and the end of injustice. Police brutality should be at rest. There has been so many finger pointing on whose fault it is so the blaming game needs to end soon. Police brutality seems to occur with minorities or the behavior and views of police officers.

In the year 2015, it has been estimated that 1,186 people were killed by authorities. Although, officers say their not at fault, citizens are furious that events like this even happen. In fact, on the month of September in Charlotte, North Carolina, a man named Keith Scott was fatally shot by a Charlotte officer. A bystander was tape recording the incident and it showed that Scott was running away from the officer and then was shoot by him. In addition, at court where he was given a trial, the prosecutor ask if he shoot Scott who died on the spot which he did and asked if you felt any guilt from his death. The officer responded that he didn't. As a result to this, an uproar of nearly 100 people gathered outside of Charlotte police headquarters and protested that the office who killed Scott “acted lawfully” since Scott was armed and was not charged for his

When the police do not meet society’s expectations, society reacts with apprehension and anger. The use of professional discretion and crossing ethical boundaries has happened since the beginning

Another example that instead represents police negligence and civilian brutality is the case of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon was a boy in his teens trying to get to his father’s girlfriend’s house when he was gunned down by local civilian, George Zimmerman. His murder actually got away with the crime for some time because police claimed “they found no evidence to contradict Zimmerman’s assertion that he acted in self defense after Martin attacked him” (Onwuachi-Willig 1115). With further investigation evidence revealed that Mr. Zimmerman “called 911 to report Martin as a ‘suspicious person’, but then disregarded the 911 operator’s directives to remain in his car and leave Martin alone. Instead, Zimmerman chased, confronted, and ultimately shot and killed Martin after a physical struggle” (Onwuachi-Willig 1115). Zimmerman was of white descent and acted as a neighborhood watchman for the community. By chasing Martin he ignored both his watch leader and the 911 operator. Zimmerman was eventually charged with second-degree murder, but the time it took for that to happen made many black people feel as though their lives mean nothing to cops. This example portrays not physical brutality by the cops, but negligence that allowed a murder to roam free for six weeks.

Public concern can be stimulated by the police’s use of force. The use of force, especially if deadly, has also established tension and mistrust between the police and the communities they serve. Oliver (2016) insists that trust the public has for police officers has been “rocked” by a continuity of “controversial police shootings from Alton Sterling to Philando Castile to Tamir Rice to so many others.”