Preview

Police brutality

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1670 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Police brutality
Tinker-Martin6 Police Brutality, Have Times Really Changed The history of Police Brutality for minorities; especially people of color has left America wondering have times changed. Police brutality has deemed the opportunity for socioeconomic advancement or access to good and services for many Black/African Americans dating back as far as 1955. The system of Police brutality has affected many realms of society for minorities’ employment and family life. After some scholarly research, police brutality is still prevalent in the Black/African American community; moreover, it comes in many different forms and fashions. Police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. Excessive use of force is a means of force well beyond what would be necessary in order to handle a situation. This research seeks to understand the history of police brutality and how it continues to be prevalent; if not, more prevalent in presently than in the past.
The history of police brutality dates back to slavery, encompasses the civil rights movement, and defines the growing accounts of modern situation in which Blacks/African Americans have been treated wrong by law enforcement. Elijah Anderson (2000) claims, “the idea of the race man goes back to the segregated Black/African American community, in fact all the way back to slaver” (Elijah Anderson, 2). Modern leaders like Jesse Jackson could be viewed as a race man; meaning, his help is deeply imbedded when he feels the Black/African American community has been treated unjust. As a leaders of the Black/African American community, there is always a time to become actively involved in the community, especial pertaining to police brutality. Secondly, Emmett Till is another example of police brutality, but in another form. Note, Emmett Till was not beaten by the police; however, his brutal beaten came from a group of white men in Money, Mississippi. I define this travesty as police



Cited: Abu-Jamal, M. (1999). Legalized Cop Violence. New York: The New York Amsterdam News.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Police brutality has been evident in the United States for decades. The death of minors killed due to this type of crime has risen within the last year. Although black youths in America are far more susceptible to police brutality, mainly because of the characteristics of their skin color, it is important to recognize that not one group should be more empowered than another. Just like every other citizen of the United States, law enforcement officers have to abide by the laws set here in America. Based on the cases in the United States, the police force should enforce the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments of the U.S. constitution to ensure that officers are being punished for committing brutality crimes against citizens.…

    • 1014 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Police Brutality

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The article “The Media Underestimate Police Brutality” by Michael Novick opens with the following expression “Don't trust everything you read in the papers.” This article illustrates how the media portrays police brutality. Novick believes that police brutality is an epidemic and not an aberration. This article contains many well made points, but it is biased, has unsupported evidence, and too many facts that are not needed.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Police Brutality

    • 1486 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Have you ever wondered what goes down in a community where the police, who are supposed to protect and serve the community, assault, harass, and discriminate the people for no apparent reason? First off, that is called police brutality and it sure does not go down well at all, police brutality is a serious crime and should not be taken lightly at all just because they are police officers. Police officers tend to be looked at very negatively from a civilian’s point of view, and to me the main reason why they are is because of police brutality. In many communities that have been victim to police brutality, they often fight back by protesting and rioting. Once a crime such as police brutality is committed I believe those members of that community lose all respect for police officers and is what eventually leads to these protests and violent riots. These riots that have occurred show that those members of the community are out for blood and will do whatever it takes for their voice to be heard and to stand against police brutality.…

    • 1486 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Police Brutality

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages

    There is not a day that goes by that somewhere in the United States that an innocent civilian gets beaten from a police officer for no apparent reason. Sometimes the reason is because a police officer is racist. Racism, discrimination, and police brutality all go hand in hand because police officers usually do not go around beating civilians up for no reason. Usually the motive is because they are racist. The most major race that was affected by police brutality seems to be Caucasian people but according to the “NAACP, they say that between 1976 and 1987, officers killed about 1,800 blacks and 3,000 whites. Since blacks comprise approximately 12% of the general population, the data suggest that blacks are about three times more likely to be killed by officers than whites”. These appalling numbers are probably on the rise.…

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Rodney King

    • 3023 Words
    • 13 Pages

    There are occasional publicized reports on police brutality, but it is far more common in our society than we are made to believe. Police brutality has been an issue for many years, and it remains a major concern for those of the minority community. These minorities have been subjected, for many decades, to violence by those in law enforcement in the United States. More often than not, racial profiling is a driving factor in police brutality. The issue of police brutality is not a new one; it has become more focused on in recent years due to certain cases that have proved to be of extreme violence and have been linked to racial profiling, such as the beating of Rodney King. The incident that had happened to Rodney King is a tragic one, but one that accurately reflects what the police force is capable of doing: wrongly deciding to commit a heinous crime based upon racial reasons influenced by our society’s media, an especially notable misinterpretation of the situation at hand for something relatively more sexual than intended, and based on the grounds that these authoritative figures are given liberty to do as they please by their domineering allies who, in hopes of preserving their power and social standing, are always only looking out for themselves by any means necessary.…

    • 3023 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the years African Americans have struggled with obtaining justice and protecting their rights. However, the conflict seems to be even greater today. In the past decade multiple stories about the unjustified death of an African American has occurred. Police brutality is very popular amongst these cases. In each case the race card was also pulled, causing a lot of controversy between blacks and whites. Violent protests took place and resulted in chaos. Instead of solving the problem these acts created bigger ones.…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The biggest issue that is arising in America today within police agencies is police brutality. “Police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians” (The Law dictionary). Throughout this paper police brutality is discussed an analyzed to conclude its causes and effects. In order to conduct this paper numerous online articles have been examined to produce statistics on this sensitive topic. These articles are written by creditable sources specifically detailing police misconduct. Although there are laws to help eliminate unlawful actions by law enforcement, but with power some of those laws are over look when it comes down to those in society who have a badges behind their…

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    When you think of police brutality not too many distant stories pass through our minds. “… They didn’t have to beat me this bad. I don’t know what I did to be beat up” Rodney King, March 3, 1991. Most adults remember what they did, how they felt, when seeing Rodney King on any local news station being brutality beaten by police. This country witnessed various cases of police brutality. Yet controversial topics among communities that have seen police brutality take place in front of their homes.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Police Brutality

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This argument is directed to two different types of people: the police and the public. This addresses two different types of an audience. It addresses a hostile audience and it addresses a sympathetic audience. You can who the audience is because the author tells you in the essay. The tone of this essay is informative and it uses a lot of examples.…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Police Brutality

    • 1781 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Police brutality remains one of the most serious and divisive human rights violations in the United States. The excessive use of force by police officers persists because of overwhelming barriers to accountability. This fact makes it possible for officers who commit human rights violations to escape due punishment and often to repeat their offenses. Police or public officials greet each new report of brutality with denials or explain that the act was an aberration, while the administrative and criminal systems that should deter these abuses by holding officers accountable instead virtually guarantee them impunity (Williams 45).…

    • 1781 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Police Brutality

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Key Issues/Main Ideas: In my essay about Police Brutality I will discuss many different topics and key issues. I plan on discussing all of these topics in detail in the essay but for this proposal I will briefly describe my key issues and main ideas. To begin my essay, I will give the definition of Police brutality. Many people have an unclear idea as what Police brutality really means. Then I will talk about the civil rights movement and police brutality, which will include the riots in Birmingham Alabama. Rodney King will be next and how this incident opened the eyes of main stream Americans that police officers are not always right. I think it is also a vital part of this essay to include the causes and triggers of police brutality. Next I will go into racial and ethnic minorities and discuss how police brutality targets people of minority race and/or the ethnically diverse. Then I will discuss the repercussions of the corrupt police on the rest of the police force including an interview I will have with a police officer on his views and opinions on this subject. In the last few paragraphs I plan on explaining local police brutality cases and prove that police brutality happens with our own local police right here in Denver. Lastly I will give information on a particular organization that specializes in giving support to surviving victims of police brutality dealing with mental or physical damage due to Police brutality. After obtaining…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Police Brutality

    • 1584 Words
    • 4 Pages

    II. Police brutality has been a problem throughout the United States for as long as its history goes back.…

    • 1584 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Police brutality is a very tragic problem that is spreading all over the world, but many people do not know what police brutality is and how long it has been happening. “Police brutality is the use of excessive and\or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians”(Danilina). Police brutality can involve the police hurting, terrorizing, abusing, and racially profiling citizens. However, this is not a new problem; this has been happening throughout history. “Police brutality has been happening since The Industrial Revolution, The Civil Rights Movement, and the September 11 attack”(Danilia). Many people have been racially…

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Although most cases of police brutality occur south of the Mason Dixon Line, this is the imaginary line which divided the North and South during the tine of slavery, and states with histories of racism and segregation, police brutality happens throughout the United States of America. The influence of people and the media, ignorance, and the unwillingness to accept others can explain why this happens. One can also look at statistics and come to the conclusion that minorities are not favored amongst police officers. Because being colored is a metaphysical dilemma that many have not learned to accept, all minorities, African Americans and Latinos especially, almost always seem to “fit the description: There is a statistic which asserts that minorities are two to four times more likely to be stopped, questioned, frisked, ticketed, etcetera while driving or walking by…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    However, for police officers and other law enforcers is in their everyday lives and it just grows bigger and bigger as time passes. “As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the acquittal of five Los Angeles Police Department officers in the street torture of Rodney King, it is urgent to once again examine how police violence shapes our everyday realities in different and contradictory ways” (Rodriguez 303) shows how police brutality is in U.S citizens everyday lives. Just because it does not happen to us or we do not see does not man that is out there. The way that the government does not press severe criminal charges against the officers who perform such fatal events is just indescribable. In the article “Racism and Police Brutality in America” by Cassandra Chaney and Ray Robertson explains how “...racism shapes this discourse” (Chaney and Robertson 480). This shows how police officers being racist is a big part of them abusing their power against minorities. Police officers are taking out their range on minorities when they commit simple crimes such as traffic violations. “Policemen are authorized to write their own rules” (Maddox and Alton 13) . This quote from “Police Brutality: inside rules, outside laws”shows how officers not always use their power correctly and could bring drastic consequences to both the residents and the law…

    • 2242 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays