Effects of Police Brutality There has always been times where police officers and other authority figures have been accused of abusing their power. In the past three or four years, it seems that it has become more common that police have been at fault for killing or injuring people of various ages when attempting to detain them. Police brutality has a negative affect on all lives directly or indirectly through racial profiling, protests, and media. Being part of a minority group, one is subject to racial profiling which is when someone creates a stereotype of the person because of his or her race, ethnicity, or religion. The “evidence shows that racial minorities are systematically victimized, without cause, in public, when driving, at work, …show more content…
The civilians are worried about what they have done wrong or if they have done anything at all; therefore, they are on edge and could very easily become very defensive toward the officer which would make the officer worry more. When the officer is approaching a vehicle, a single person or a group of people, he or she will be assessing the situation. Is the the person armed, is he or she hiding anything, is anyone hiding in the car or behind an object to where he or she could injure me? are all questions that an officer could be thinking of when entering a situation. Have two people who are on edge, jumpy, and have many thoughts going through their head can result in misjudgment, quick actions, and poor decisions. The amount of incidents “4,778 alleged victims; 258 fatalities” have sparked people’s attention to how common violent meetings with the police are (Lendman 3). With that many victims and fatalities, anyone who is pulled over will be hoping that they do not become part of the statistic. The feeling one will have toward an police officer will be negative and defensive. Being on guard at all times and knowing how police can react, that mindset and and preconception of all police are bad can put a person in a seriously dangerous situation. When the stories go public the people have opinions, and like to express …show more content…
The likelihood of a social media user to not hearing, or reading anything on a trending topic especially one involving police brutality is very uncommon. After the death of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, “over 3.6 million post appeared on twitter documenting and reflecting on the emerging details of Michael Brown’s death,”(Bonilla and Rosa 1). Anyone who reads of an incident such as this, will not have a good feeling about what is happening no matter who the person is. If 3.6 million people have given their opinion or given information about the incident, it must have some meaning to those 3.6 million people. Out of all of the tweets made with the hashtag “#Ferguson”some would be about the actual event, people’s opinion, or just a general statement with the hashtag added to the end (Bonilla and Rosa 5). With all of the statements made, one would find a few that are not very accurate or appropriate for the situation, but with all of the opinions in 3.6 million tweets, someone in that huge number of people will have an idea that they chose to share and makes an impact on the ones who read it. That opinion can generate many thoughts from the many readers that can be positive or negative. Other very popular hashtags such as; #HandsUpDontShoot, #hoodiesUp,
In today’s society, police officers are very cautious on how much force they can use on a suspect due to the police brutality going on right now. Police brutality is defined as the use of force exceeding what is necessary, many people argue that there should be new policies to determine how much force a police officer can use and also have laws that will convict officers who have killed people by using too much force, so that there is less incidents in the future.
Racial Profiling The targeting of a certain group of people based on stereotypes of their race is called racial profiling. Many times this method is used by police, and other law enforcement agencies in order to prevent terrorism before it happens. They are influenced by the same things that we are, and they see things the same way we do.
Holmes, Malcolm D. "Minority threat and police brutality: Determinants of civil rights criminal complaints in US municipalities." Criminology 38.2 (2000): 343-368.
Because the justice system isn’t always in favor of the innocent, people have started to stand up for their rights. Whether it is by protesting or even showing their support on social media, this nation’s youth is standing up to these injustices and demanding their rights back. They are a community standing together against injustice. Social media has paved a way that allows today’s youth to connect and collaborate in order to achieve this. They come together through art, music, literature, protests, etc. to illustrate their support. Social media allows the entire world to see what is really happening. Instead of being fed information by the media, they are able to hear and listen to the people who have been silenced. They are able to share experiences with one another, which results in the community available today
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Racial Profiling refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, social economic class, sexual orientation, and so on. (American Civil Liberties Union) It is to say that authorities in charge of providing security and justice have taken this power to an extent in which discriminate people, especially the ones who are in disempowered groups.
Over the years, this country has witnessed many cases of police brutality. It has become a controversial topic among communities that have seen police brutality take place in front of their homes. Officers are faced with many threatening situations everyday forcing them to make split second decisions and to expect the worst and hope for the best. Police officers are given the power to take any citizens rights away and even their lives. With that kind of power comes responsibility, that’s one major concern with the amount of discretion officers have is when to use force or when to use lethal force. The use of excessive force may or not be a large predicament but should be viewed by both the police and the community.
Racial profiling or stereotyping could diminish how a certain race is viewed. Racial discrimination can be a result of racial profiling and stereotypes in our present culture. Today, racial discrimination is used to approach citizens assumed to be criminals. This is called racial profiling. Although some argue that racial profiling is a necessary tool for law enforcement to protect our safety, it puts some people at a disadvantage while it privileges others.
Police brutality is a very real problem that many Americans face today. The police carry an enormous burden each day. Police work is very stressful and involves many violent and dangerous situations. In many confrontations the police are put in a position in which they may have to use force to control the situation. There are different levels of force and the situation dictates the level use most of the time. The police have very strict rules about police use force and the manner in which they use it. In this paper I will try to explain the many different reason the police cross the line, and the many different people that this type of behavior effects. There are thousands of reports each year of assaults and ill treatment against officers who use excessive force and violate the human rights of their victims. In some cases the police have injured and even killed people through the use of excessive force and brutal treatment. The use of excessive force is a criminal act and I will try and explore the many different factors involved in these situations.
For many years in the past, police action particularly police abuse, has come to be unclear. Citizens are worried about protecting them from criminals. In fact they need to me aware of the corrupt police officers that are in the streets today as well as the criminals. There are many examples that make police brutality the worst as it is today. This one is one of them. Police Officer Daniel is in the choke hold death of Eric Garner, come in the wake if November 15th by the channel 24 news in Ferguson Missouri, police officer would walk free after killing 10 year old Michael Brown. (www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32740523) In the present police brutality does exist in the mist of us in the time and age we live in everyday. We just haven’t seen it yet. There are people that think if a police
Background and Audience Relevance: According to the Human Rights Watch 2012 report on Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States; police brutality has become one the most serious human rights violation. As citizens of the United States it is our duty to make sure that those with authority don 't take advantage of their power.
Chaney and Robertson, (2013) stated that “The Department of Justice office of Civil Rights has investigated more than a dozen police departments in major cities across the country on allegations of racial discrimination or police brutality”. Police brutality is defined as the use of excessive physical force or verbal assault and psychological intimidation. White police officers who grew up in the south and were raised to see African Americans in a negative way have a lower opinion of them. However, not all white police officers are from the south, some say that police officers are just abusing their power. When we look at what is going on around the country, it appears racism plays a part in police brutality. Even during this new digital age, there are video cameras in police cars facing the front of the vehicle, but that still does not hinder police using excessive
Over the course of the past few years, officers have been using extreme actions when it is not needed. Everyone knows that police work can get dangerous at times. But sometimes the police are put in addictions were extreme measures are not useful. Because these actions take place, Police brutality should be addressed. Police brutality continues to be a major concern in society.
Police officers primary responsibility is to protect and serve citizens and communities, not to abuse the laws by hurting innocent people. In most states Stand-Your-Ground laws allows innocent citizens the right to use deadly force to defend and protect themselves. But what if they were protecting themselves from police brutality. Police brutality has been going on for many years; they can cause riots, injuries, and even mistrust for the police.
According to the National Police Academy, in the past year, there have been over 7,000 reports of police misconduct; fatalities have been linked to more than 400 of these cases (Gul). Police brutality is often triggered by disrespect towards the police officer. The most noticeable form of brutality is physical, where Chemical gas, batons, tasers, and guns, can be used for physical intimidation or to actually hurt people. Police brutality can also take the form of verbal abuse or psychological intimidation. It seems reasonable to understand that sometimes the police are put into situations where excessive force may be needed. But, because some officers use these extreme actions in situations when it is not, police brutality should be addressed and looked into by both the police and the public. For instance, a police officer who beats a nonviolent protester with a baton would probably be accused of excessive use of force, under the argument that the police officer probably could have dealt with the situation less violently.