The intention of my research is to expose the racist tactics in the criminal justice system that have been camouflaged. I am prepared to explain how racism contributes to the vast number of incarcerated African Americans, and other minorities. The criminal justice system has created and perpetuated racial hierarchy in the United States, and has done so throughout history. I propose the question: Are minorities being targeted within the Criminal Justice System? African Americans are criminalized and targeted because of their skin color, and it is not fair. This argument connects to the theory of Law in the Book vs. Law in Action, and relates to how this type of discrimination from the law affects society. In particular, the way the Law is written in codes, statutes, judicial opinions that supposedly support the righteousness of justice, is a far cry from the way the Law actually operates. Despite substantial progress in recent years, racial discrimination remains a significant problem in the United States. I will prove this argument with the help of various peer-reviewed articles, and non-scholarly article that examine this unequal behavior.
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. The police officer 's authority role, is to “fight crimes, maintain order and provide social services”
Images and video of Eric Garner’s murder by police generated outrage and protests across the nation. Many wept for the loss of this innocent, but for Black America, it was just another offense in a long series of transgressions against the black body. To them, the pain was familiar—they had known it by many names: slavery, Jim Crow, mass incarceration. Police brutality was nothing new. This situation was different, however. Garner was the last straw—the one that broke the camel’s back. Horror, disgust, and rage swept through the nation’s major cities. This image galvanized communities around the country, who declared in one voice: “No more. Enough is enough.”
Throughout African American history , the police force has been accountable for numerous detrimental deaths in the African American community due to racial discrimination. In 1960s, African American protesters were targeted by the police force because of the their desire to be be deemed as equal. Likewise, in today’s society African Americans are still experiencing active racial discrimination and injustices from the police force. African Americans have expressed their level of frustration with the inhumane actions of the police force. Police brutality of African American protesters has been rebirthed into 21st century by ongoing racial injustices through Henry Louis Gates Jr. and victims of the detrimental equality marches , evidence is presented.
So far in the year of 2015, 66 unarmed African Americans have been killed by police authorities. Ever since the death Michael Brown in August 2014, the world has become much more aware of police brutality. According to wisegeek.org, police brutality is “a form of police misconduct in which officers engage in an excessive use of force.” Police brutality against African Americans is an issue that has been causing a lot of controversy in the past year. This issue needs much more awareness than ever before, since there have been many startling cases during and after the Ferguson protest. While there are many solutions to ending police brutality, most of them are difficult to accomplish individually. However, as a community, there are a couple solutions
As police brutality against African Americans is increasing, it is very much reminding us of the civil rights movement. Black leaders risked their lives to ensure that all African Americans would live an equal life as white Americans. The racism and discrimination had been unapparent until recent events such as Donald Trump’s campaign being successful and the police brutality against African Americans. “Every 7 hours cops kill an American citizen”. Many times African Americans are targeted. In fact, Police killed 160 black people in 2016. Did black lives activists die for such a world, destroyed by discrimination and inequality?
The number of shootings involving law enforcement officers and unarmed African American men has increased in the United States in recent months to the point where there is social unrest in one particular community: the African-American community. Groups such as Black Lives Matter have been created in the recent past to create tranquility between the police and the people of the Unites States. If media accounts of these incidents are accurate and these recent trends are taken together, the country is on the tipping point of a deadly unprecedented racial divide.
Police officers are entitled to care and protect the citizens of the country? In recent news, white male police officers have corrupted their use of power and used unnecessary, excessive force against African American males. Police brutality with African Americans resulted in the Walter Scott case, Michael Brown case, Trayvon Martin Case, and Eric Garner case. The following cases are referred to as racist to the public because of white male police officers are doing avoidable acts to African American males. The justifications induced rioting and protesting in the community of the African American males. This worldwide topic, opened the eyes for Americans around the country. Americans, promptly, are questioning their communities police
Police brutality is not a new problem in the United States. It has occurred throughout history and has affected all genders, ethnicities, and races. Recently, however, police brutality towards African Americans has become a controversial topic in the news media, and has prompted heated discussions and angry public outcry about race relations and civil rights throughout all sections of the country. Ever since the Michael Brown shooting in 2014, which was caught on camera and viewed widely on national television and on social media, the police have been under scrutiny by both the news media and the general population to stop their use of physical force and unnecessary violence when apprehending and confronting criminals.
Police brutality is a civil rights violation, occurring when a police officer acts with uncontrolled power by using an amount of force with regards to a civilian that is more than necessary (Reuters 1). In the past, several years’ police actions of abuse have become very crucial. Instead of police officers protecting and serving the people like they were assigned, they rather murder and anguish them for no cause. The common race being tortured are African Americans. The incidents that are occurring is being overlooked.
All throughout America, individuals are taught at a young age that police officers are always the “good guys.” Police officers are painted to be trustworthy, honorable, and advocates of justice. This idea is often displayed in the media through television shows, movies, and news specials. For some, this idea still holds truth, however there are many, particularly individuals of color, whom would quickly disagree. Numerous persons of color have been subjected to racial profiling by officers resulting in stops, searches, and false accusation of crimes. In the Coloradoan’s article entitled, “Profiling happens right here in Fort Collins,” Steven Rodriguez expresses his frustrations and personal experiences with being racial profiled by police officers
The treatment many police officers have towards African Americans is unjustified. Police officers have certain protocols and rules to follow certain scenarios. This is to prevent casualties as much as possible and to protect bystanders. However, when do some of these actions go overboard? Recently, there have been many cases involving police brutality against African Americans in which some had costed their lives. Some actions taken by these officers are questionable to be justified or not. In July 2014, Marlene Pinnock, a 51 year old woman at that time, was arrested by a California Highway Patrol officer for walking next to a freeway. The officer straddles her to the ground and repeatedly struck Pinnock 's head with his fists (Williams 106).
Richard Wright was born after the Civil War but before the Civil Rights Movement. If Wright were writing an autobiography titled “Black Boy”, today in 2017, about a black boy growing up in the United States, he would write about white people horribly expressing racism against African Americans, the brutality police officers perform on blacks, and the positively protesting movement, Black Lives Matter, which people engage in fighting for the rights of African Americans.
Racial profiling is a very important issue that individuals in society face every day. This problem occurs in low income or poverty-stricken areas throughout cities and communities across the nation. Hundreds of anecdotal testimonials allege that law enforcement officials at all levels of government are infringing upon the constitutional rights and civil liberties of racial and ethnic minorities through a practice called “racial profiling” (Ward, 2002). So what is racial profiling? According to the National Institute of Justice, racial profiling by law enforcement is commonly defined as a practice that targets people for suspicion of crime based on their race, ethnicity, religion or national origin (National Institute of Justice, 2013). The
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.