I have chosen to document and research African-American Hate Crimes during the eras of 2007 until 2015. With recent cases of Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin and the crimes of San Jose University, I believe this research is more than needed. By researching several forms of accurate and up-to-date literature and research findings I will promote and compile the most accurate and efficient research of these factors as possible with the prevalent information found from over 20 different sources, direct and indirect. Subjects will include and will be limited to African Americans between the ages of 15 and 35, Law Enforcement Officials within Southern States v. Northern States, and Parental Figures of those who have lives lost. With approval …show more content…
When slavery was declared illegal in the 19th century, US laws have often been changed or have been manipulated in order to exclude Blacks from financial success, individual freedom, and public participation in our society. As Reverend Harriet Walden, who works on Black on Black violence in Seattle, WA, has said “We cannot talk about this without talking about white supremacy and racism.” From Jim Crow, to redlining, to racial profiling, these barriers have been effective in frustrating Black people’s legal efforts to support themselves and their families. And when people are unable to participate in a legitimate economy, they have at times turned to illegal economies. And those environments support and encourage violence. Since we have not yet achieved a period of true equal opportunity in this country, we are steering some people into illegal activity and lives with more …show more content…
All we need to do is look at the television or listen to the radio to experience the sobering statistics or the self-hating bullshit that now passes as black entertainment on the evidently racist major networks to confirm this fact. Thuggishness and gangsterism, misogyny, brutality and ignorance have become synonymous with black life in the eyes of many, both inside and outside of our communities, as a result of both our actions and of corporate America 's sanctioning and glorification of negative imagery and behavior. Our worst attributes are always awarded, paraded and celebrated by those whose job it is to keep us in a state of distress. Fear of non-whites is big business in America, and shows like COPS and virtually any news broadcast aid in the manifestation of that fear and the acceptance of its remedies - increased police presence, new prison construction and the passage of
Matthew Desmond and Mustafa Emirbayer (2009:342) argue in the Du Bois Review that “racism is much broader than violence and epithets” and reveals itself in common, everyday microaggressions. In May 2010, a string of assaults on elderly citizens of Asian descent by black individuals transpired in the San Francisco Bay area (Shih 2010). CBS San Francisco ran a segment covering the attacks featuring an interview with a 21-year-old black man named Amanze Emenike, who had a criminal history of juvenile robbery and theft (CBS 2012). CBS uses Emenike’s history as a basis for theorizing the motives driving the black attackers in the May 2010 attacks. This news segment sheds light on troubling portrayals of black men and people of color in mass media as all being dangerous criminals, as well as the stereotypes fueling racism amongst minority groups.
Lastly, violence against black people was very prominent during the Jim Crow era. The statistics for the amounts of black deaths from violence is outrageous. Fremon wrote, “In 1890 until 1917, on average, two to three blacks in the South were illegally hanged, burned, or otherwise murdered every week” (Fremon 37). Two to three black people were killed every week. The amount of abuse was so much and was for random minor “crimes” and sometimes black were even falsely accused.
Alex Viamari Professor: Marcus Nicolas ENC1102 T/R 9 October 2014 Issue Analysis Paper Following our nation’s reconstruction, racist sentiments continued to occur and White on Black violence was prevalent throughout American society. Racism was still alive with the oppression of African Americans through the Jim Crowe laws. Deprived of their civil and human rights, Blacks were reduced to a status of second-class citizenship. A tense atmosphere of racial hatred, ignorance and fear bred lawless mass violence, murder and lynching.
Gun Violence and police brutality is making it very challenging for young black men to escape poverty and violence which is leading to the downfall of black men. Police brutality is the use of excessive force by police when dealing with civilians. Most cases arise from cops who can't control their emotions in the face of insults (NewsOne Staff, 2010).This may seem as an issue of the past but it's still going on today, Last summer Sandra Bland was found hanging in her jail cell, nine people were killed in a charleston church, Freddie gray death while in police custody, Laquan Mcdonald who was shot 16 times by cops. People are still being targeted based on their physical appearance and what they wear. In Order to move forward as a society one
Events that took place like the enslavement of Black people have society believing that since it is a part of the country’s history, it can continue to shape social relations today. The problem is no one acknowledges the racial inequality for the reason that it is seen as a normative. Studies show that even 5 in 10 white Americans acknowledge the racial imbalance of our system (Hill 2015). However not many speak out on it because racism is so deeply rooted into society. After many of these police shootings, researchers concluded that when white police officers approach black men out of suspicion based on their biased opinion, they are not approaching these men from a place of intentional racism or differential treatment.
As a result, the “BlackLivesMatters” movement has been brought to attention because of all black people that have died due to the actions of police by the mainstream. However, police brutality isn't just a problem for one individual ethnicity. Providing that, police departments are dissolving claims of brutality out of hand, the statistics are from self-reporting, or the issue begins from not following department policy (Small-Jordan, 2015). As a consequence, police brutality in America has reached such a turning point that society has reached an “us against them” attitude with criminals targeting officers and law enforcement. Also, the constant media coverage has impacted society and resulted in the need for reform or laws to minimize police brutality.
Every hour, a crime motivated by the perpetrator’s bias against the victim occurs in the United States. These hate crimes terrorize whole communities by making members of certain classes - whether racial minorities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, religious minorities or people who are perceived to be members of these groups afraid to live in certain places and be free to move about in their community and across the country. A crime motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, typically one involving violence, this is called hate crimes. In the year of 2012, 5,796 hate crimes incidents that involved 6,718 offenses were reported, down 426 incidents and 536 offenses happened from 2011(Toolkit). Hate Crimes can happen anywhere
Many police officers believe blacks are more violent than other races, and this image has been reflected in media quite often. These stereotypes are rooted in the sordid history of enslavement, genocide, and segregation. Although, stereotypes are not entirely the problem that encourages police brutality. Rampant discrimination and disparate treatment of certain minorities in the judicial
It was against the background of many opinions of why the riots occurred. Yet, the imprisonment was a sore point for people like Elmer R. Akers, and Vernon Fox. There concern was not the riot itself, but the fact that these people were sent to jail – in particular the fact that only three were sent to prison for actual charges of rioting. In their assessment, the conclusion was that “the majority of the men convicted of felonies as a result of the Detroit race riot were not rioters as such, but looters and carriers of concealed weapons.” The authors also created case studies with regard to the racial ratio in Detroit as well as the states they have migrated from.
Modern America along with the world, is becoming increasingly more accepting of diversity; meaning more of us are freely expressing ourselves. There will always be conflict about beliefs and feelings towards one another. Most people keep their own beliefs to themselves, then there is the type of individuals that feel they must put their beliefs into action and hurt others or destroy things to get their point across. Those actions performed by that type of person are called hate crimes. Hate crimes have significantly increased over the past few years and are getting worse each day.
In the Criminal Justice System of the United States, there has been a disparity affecting African-American communities and minority groups. Minorities perceive themselves as the main targets of police use of force, racial profiling, and a bias culture within law enforcement. The central argument, is that such actions have an impact on the relationship between police officers and the African American community, causing problems in our society. But does history explain why law enforcement has developed a negative relationship with African-Americans? In our democratic era, police officers are considered a walking symbol of safety and protection.
Police brutality will be an issue until a solution is created. Many individuals are victims of this form of assault on daily basis. The liberties held by law enforcement are challenged each time they perform their duties. Police officers should abide by the same laws that each citizen is expected to abide by. Although police officers are granted with the right to determine laws as constitutional, civilians are sometimes treated in ways that are beyond unlawful.
These are problems that people had to worry about long ago, yet somehow with the laws, it seems to creep back into the everyday lives of some. Sure, an argument could be made to say society has come a long way, but does that really mean anything if these problems, still exist
Police brutality remains a common yet controversial topic around the world. Police brutality is “the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians” (thelawdictionary.org). It’s a topic that segregates communities and makes each other their enemy. Specifically, a white officer has been the enemy of the black community. Unfortunately, the tension between police and blacks grew over the past few decades.
Black-on-black crime is the result of years of an “unjust society that has instilled the wrong values in them, failed to make them feel worthy and placed insurmountable barriers before them” (Tesfamariam 2012). Many of the perpetrators of this crime are young black men that have inherited the obsession over material possessions. These are people that are born into poor social and economic situations. Countless people in neighborhoods that have a black majority are born into broken homes. Children in these homes grow up to be accustomed to domestic violence, child abuse, neglect, and out-of-wedlock births.