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The truth about police brutality
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To those apart of Black lives matter and those that follow the events of police brutality, it is no surprise that once again African Americans and people of color are the target of police brutality. There have been multiple instances in the past year of murder of American men at the hand of white police officers, who received no punishment for murder. In these few pages i am going to explore the case of Eric Garner, and go into depth of the possible reasons of how police brutality came about and how it continues in the law enforcement. In the twenty first century there have been numerous cases in which African Americans are being shot while unarmed and when these cases go on trial the officer in questioning is still relieved of punishment. …show more content…
In the late 1990’s the Broken window theory was developed in New York. The theory states that by the best way to decrease crime is to patrol areas in which crime is high. This Broken window theory then leads to the legalization of stop and frisk, zero tolerance and community policing. Most of the people affected by the policies of Broken Window theory are African Americans. This theory allows racial discrimination to be practiced legally (why baltimore blew up,2015). The prevalence of the Broken Window theory in the institution of law enforcement leads police to practice discriminatory actions towards African Americans, without being punished.This institutional training leads to the police brutality in society towards African …show more content…
Stop and frisk, is when the police stop a person they believe to be a criminal and question that person and then searched by the police. Reverend Al Sharpton, discusses how in the year of 2011 685,724 people were stopped and frisked and eighty seven percent were men men of color. Out of the eighty seven percent of men of color that were frisked, eighty eight percent were innocent. Due to these high numbers in which men of color are being frisked,but are innocent; shows that the NYPD is racially profiling and discriminating towards men of color (Sharpton, 2012). The continuance of stop and frisk allows police to racially profile discriminate against African American males, because police only stop and frisk those who appear as criminals. In America to “appear as a criminal” is based off of the stereotype that men of color are all criminals based on the way they dress. The perpetuation of this type of discrimination and racial profiling that is not being confronted by higher authorities, allows police enforcement to be comfortable in racially profiling and discriminating against men of color until it becomes the norm. Once this is the norm for law enforcement, police begin to abuse their power , which later develops into police brutality and the majority of people affected by police brutality are men of color. Overall the tactic of stop and frisk that
African American’s still are thought to be discriminated against by law enforcement, according to recent scenarios which have occurred. For example, Eric Garner was seen to have been physically abused by police and many of the public believe this is because he was African American. Though racism is less common today, it is still relevant and apparent in society. Violence is still used by both individuals and law enforcement, as well as as a form of protest in some circumstances. Though there is still some violent-protests present today, for humanitarian reasons this form of protesting has become less common throughout all of the ethnic
In the United States of America today, racial profiling is a deeply troubling national problem. Many people, usually minorities, experience it every day, as they suffer the humiliation of being stopped by police while driving, flying, or even walking for no other reason than their color, religion, or ethnicity. Racial profiling is a law enforcement practice steeped in racial stereotypes and different assumptions about the inclination of African-American, Latino, Asian, Native American or Arab people to commit particular types of crimes. The idea that people stay silent because they live in fear of being judged based on their race, allows racial profiling to live on.
Stop and Frisk is a practice that was put into play by which a police officer initiates a stop of an individual on the street supposedly based on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity “Stop and frisk” and other discriminatory policing practices have spiraled out of control.
Since Mayor Rudolph Giuliani first stepped into office in 1993, new rules and policies were implemented to bring change to the then corrupt and dangerous streets of New York City. Quality of life and zero-tolerance policing took in effect and with these new standards came a drastic drop in crime. Even with statistical reports and research about decreased crime rates, the stop and frisk policy of the NYPD has caused much controversy and debate over the issue of racial bias within the judicial system. In the late 1990s, popular, legal, and political concerns were raised across the U.S. about police harassment of minority groups in their everyday encounters with law enforcement. These concerns focused on the extent to which police were stopping people on the highways for “driving while black" (Gelman et al. 2004) Additional concerns were raised about racial bias in pedestrian stops of citizens by police predicated on “zero tolerance" policies to control quality of life crimes and aggressive policing strategies concentrated in minority communities that targeted illegal...
Stop and Frisk is a procedure put into use by the New York Police Department that allows an officer to stop and search a “suspicious character” if they consider her or him to be. The NYPD don’t need a warrant, or see you commit a crime. Officers solely need to regard you as “suspicious” to violate your fourth amendment rights without consequences. Since its Beginning, New York City’s stop and frisk program has brought in much controversy originating from the excessive rate of arrest. While the argument that Stop and Frisk violates an individual’s fourth amendment rights of protection from unreasonable search and seizure could definitely be said, that argument it’s similar to the argument of discrimination. An unfair number of Hispanics and
While the stop and frisk program ultimately seems like a great idea and that it will help residents of New York City feel safer while on the streets, there has been much controversy with this program. The issue of racial profiling is largely discussed when talking about NYPD’s stop and frisk program. Besides police officers targeting lower income neighborhoods, more stops are of African Americans or Latinos than of whites. These stops often end up with a higher arrest rate. Of the 685,784 stopped last year, 92% were male and 87% were African American or Latino (Devereaux, 2012).
“From 2005 to mid-2008, approximately eighty percent of total stops made were of Blacks and Latinos, who comprise twenty-five percent and twenty-eight percent of New York City’s total population, respectively. During this same time period, only about ten percent of stops were of Whites, who comprise forty-four percent of the city’s population” (“Restoring a National Consensus”). Ray Kelly, appointed Police Commissioner by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, of New York in 2013, has not only accepted stop-and-frisk, a program that allows law enforcers to stop individuals and search them, but has multiplied its use. Kelly argued that New Yorkers of color, who have been unevenly targeted un...
One discriminating practice used by police officers is racial profiling. This is the police practice of stopping, questioning, and searching potential criminal suspects in vehicles or on the street based solely on their racial appearance (Human Rights Watch, 2000). This type of profiling has contributed to racially disproportionate drug arrests, as well as, arrests for other crimes. It makes sense that the more individuals police stop, question and search, the more people they will find with reason for arrest. So, if the majority of these types of stop and frisk searches are done on a certain race then it makes sense that tha...
Law Enforcement policy is designed to help law enforcement agencies cut down on the amount of crime in communities and give structure to the agency. It also helps lessen the number of certain cases in certain areas, as well as from a certain group of people. There are several policies that I disagree with, but there is one policy I will be discussing. Law enforcement officers sometimes stop and frisk people based on gender, race, financial status, and social ranking. It is a very controversial issue because anything dealing with race and ethnicity can cause a lot of disagreement and discord. According to a New York judge on dealing with the stop and frisk laws, "If you got proof of inappropriate racial profiling in a good constitutional case, why don't you bring a lawsuit? You can certainly mark it as related . . . . I am sure I am going to get in trouble for saying it, for $65 you can bring that lawsuit" (Carter, 2013, pp.4). The stop and frisk law is one reason I do not believe in law enforcement profiling. Even though some law enforcement officers allow personal feelings and power to allow them to not follow policy, some policies are not followed morally because I do not feel that officers should be allowed to frisk someone who is innocent and has not committed a crime because it takes the focus off real criminals and onto innocent people; it causes emotional stress. I know because I have been through this several times.
In 2014, the death of Eric Garner in New York City raised controversial conversations and highlighted the issues of race, crime, and policing in neighborhoods that tend to be poor and racially isolated. Garner, an unarmed black man, was killed after being tackled and held in a “chokehold.” According to the AP Polls in December 2014, “Police killings of unarmed blacks were the most important news stories of 2014.” The problem is that young black men are targeted by police officers in which they have responded with the misuse of force and policy brutality. It is evident that this issue affects many people nationwide. The civilians do not trust the police department and the justice system because they hold the perceptions that police officers are immune from prosecution despite their actions. In particular, black individuals, specifically black males, do not feel safe in the presence of police officers because they are not held accountable for their mistakes.
In 1982, the political scientist James Q. Wilson and the criminologist George Kelling psychologist, both Americans, published in The Atlantic Monthly in a study that for the first time, established a causal link between disorder and crime. In that study, called The police and neighborhood safety, the authors used the image of broken windows to explain how the disorder and criminality could slowly seep into a community, causing its decline and the consequent drop in quality of life.
There have been many contributors when it came to tackling anti-social behaviour and preventing crime however, the most influential contributors are Wilson and Kelling. They came up with the theory of broken window which will be further explain in this essay. This essay will outline the broken window theory, as well as explain what is meant by broken window. Finally it will give examples that exemplify the broken window theory. (Maguire, Morgan and Reiner, 2012)
Discrimination in the film “NYPD stop and frisk” is typical and depicts the issues many minorities face in today's society. Police target minorities and make stereotypes against people of color. The video discussed issues that many argue about today such as stopping racial discrimination and the black lives matter movement. The video reminded me of the case of Trayvon Martin, whose life was taken away just because he was black and looked suspicious. This case caused rage and hate against police officers who discriminate against people of color.
The "Broken Windows" Theory The broken window theory was created by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling in 1982 (McKee). This theory claims that unattended property, becomes fair game for people around the community, and even people who ordinarily would not dream of doing anything illegal, would consider law- abiding acts (The ‘Broken Windows). The theory states that a stable neighborhood, can change in a few years, or even a few months to an inhospitable and frightening jungle, if let go (McKee). This theory had a significant impact on local law enforcement that touch the community.
Police brutality is an act that often goes unnoticed by the vast majority of white Americans. This is the intentional use of “excessive force by an authority figure, which oftentimes ends with bruises, broken bones, bloodshed, and sometimes even death” (Harmon). While law-abiding citizens worry about protecting themselves from criminals, it has now been revealed that they must also keep an eye on those who are supposed to protect and serve.