Police Brutality Case Summary

There have been many significant cases that have death with the issue of police brutality. Among these cases was the case of Rodney King, 1991. The case of Rodney is one of the biggest police brutality cases in history as it was racial motivated. Rodney King was an African American who “became a symbol of racial tension in America, after his beating by Los Angeles police officers in 1991 was videotaped and broadcast to the nation.” On April 2, 1965, King was pulled over after a high-speed chase. The officers pulled him out of the car and brutality beat him. King beating was captured on tape and the video became a media sensation. The video was initially an introduction to police brutality as it showed the nation the severity of police brutality. After a three-month trial, a predominately white jury acquitted the three of the four L.A.P.D officers and the jury did not reach a verdict for the fourth. It sparked the violent Los Angeles riots of 1992, leading to 53 deaths, some in the hands of police. The Los Angeles riots led to a federal trial where two officers were found guilty and the other two were acquitted.

Eric Garner was suspected by the NYPD of selling untaxed cigarettes. When he refused arrest, an officer put the asthmatic man in a chokehold. Garner repeatedly screamed "I can't breathe!" and went into cardiac arrest. He died soon after, on July 17th, 2014. Daniel Pantaleo was the officer who killed Eric Garner. Despite having video evidence of the altercation, the grand jury decided not to press charges on the officer. In the end, Pantaleo was also acquitted. Another key point is that hearsay is allowed in a grand jury. This means a person’s oral testimony will be taken as evidence. This in itself is a human right violation for the reason being that the final verdict is not solely based on facts, but rather on the discernment of the