ROOT of Police Brutality
Fear is an emotion induced by danger or threat that occurs in humans and animals which causes a change in behavior. Someone or something fears only because of their misconception and ignorance of knowing. In Angie Thomas’s, THE HATE YOU GIVE, Starr witness a police brutality situation which causes her to fear the justice system. Because of the countless events happening lately, Fear is the root of police brutality. Police brutality is a form of police misconduct which involves undue violence by police members. The fear that is the root of police brutality is built from racial bias and discrimination in the targeting and killing of unarmed Black people. The most fearful realization of it all is the failure to hold police
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Based on most local and national news stations, minorities are targeted for small crime offenses while majorities are literally blowing up the country. It is understood that the police could more effectively fight crime by targeting minor offenses (Hinkle 1). Those minor offenses are more likely done by minorities but more specifically Black Males. Raja Staggers-Hakim’s article argues the needs of Black male youth, relative to police killings, are captured, and persistent racial stereotypes that are often used to justify the extra judicial killings of unarmed African American boys and young men are challenged. His argument understands the social epidemic of police killings on the emotional and psychological well-being of Black males to put an end to police killings. “From the failure of national data collection monitoring systems to accurately capture the number of cases of extrajudicial killings by police, to the reluctance of the criminal justice system to appropriately indict police officers who intentionally profile and purposefully use deadly force, the United States faces a crisis in the policing system, and the most vulnerable victims are Black males” (Hakim …show more content…
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Hinkle, Joshua C. and David Weisburd. "The Irony of Broken Windows Policing: A Micro-Place Study of the Relationship between Disorder, Focused Police Crackdowns and Fear of Crime." Journal of Criminal Justice, vol. 36, no. 6, Nov. 2008, pp. 503-512. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2008.09.010.
Johnson, Suzanne B. and Page L. Anderson. "Stereotype Confirmation Concern and Fear of Negative Evaluation among African Americans and Caucasians with Social Anxiety Disorder." Journal of Anxiety Disorders, vol. 28, no. 4, May 2014, pp. 390-393. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.03.003.
Staggers-Hakim, Raja. "The Nation’s Unprotected Children and the Ghost of Mike Brown, or the Impact of National Police Killings on the Health and Social Development of African American Boys." Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, vol. 26, no. 3/4, Apr-Jun2016, pp. 390-399. EBSCOhost,
Addressing police brutality must be done with empathy for and awareness of the plight of the African-American community. Historically speaking, there has not been a period wherein the African-American community was not inhibited by institutionalized barriers. American enslavement provided the foundation for later oppressive provisions that are especially prevalent within inner-city, predominantly Black communities, which, incidentally, many of the prominent instances of police brutality have taken place. Political regimes like the “war on drugs,” “school to prison pipeline,” and mass incarceration criminalize and dehumanize the African-American community, and thus affect the collective mindset of the population. I believe that an imperative first step that has not been taken is acknowledging the effects these may have on the Black community.
However, research demonstrates that often times men of color are treated harshly which leads to negative perceptions of police officers. Police brutality is a crime that is has been surfacing in the news recently. Some people are just starting to realize that these injustices against the black community really occur, while others are well aware. The recent shootings, different run-ins with officers being filmed while doing such harmful actions against African American men is an example of police brutality and, that reminds us that as a society work needs to be done to improve police and community relations. A black male cannot even walk down the street on a cold night because he might be a suspect from something or he may be of danger to the people around.
Buehler, J. W. (2017). Racial/ethnic disparities in the use of lethal force by US police, 2010-2014. American Journal of Public Health, 107 (2), 295-297. In Buehler’s article, he attempts to disprove a study that found no racial disparities in killings that law enforcement were responsible for.
Keeps a kid from running for office” (P. 3). Overall, Spence concludes with the argument that the city of Baltimore are using its police officer as a toll of social control. That from police stops majority occurring in Western and the Central Districts affecting the poorest black neighbourhoods “is producing and reproducing a population that has no functional purpose other than to be policed” (p.3). This is not just occurring in Baltimore either. “Seeing police violence as simply an expression of racism omits this crucial component.
When it comes to the perceptions of the criminal justice system and the role that the police play in society, blacks and whites live in different worlds. African Americans do not receive equal
Every day in America we hear the stories of unarmed black men or boys dying in the hands of police officers and the media portrays these brutal images in our televisions. Rather than focusing on the underlying cause of what morally made it acceptable for police officers to inflict violence on the black body, we find reasons to justify their actions. The storyline brought up to distract the police violence towards the black body is by portraying the victim as a drug seller or a violent person, and these kinds of stereotypes towards the victim overshadow the real problem within our criminal justice system. I will use the book, "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates to examine and understand the challenges African American face, especially
Brent Staples’s essay is still relevant today because of the fear that lives inside people who don’t understand or accept others, which often leads to authorities abusing their power so that they can feel safe while others live their lives cautiously. This relates to how both African Americans and the police live their lives in fear and with caution. The police fear African Americans due to their own prejudice reasons which causes them to abuse their authority by acting more aggressive which helps themselves feel safer and stronger. This forces African Americans to live their lives with caution and patience because if they don’t, they put themselves at a higher risk of endangering themselves. Brent Staples wrote the article “Black Men in Public
Instead the police often challenge black people for walking or driving. This leaves the communities frightened of police rather than feeling supported. In society today, the fear and violence in which the author lived when growing up in Baltimore still continue on. The growing media coverage of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States can be described as “An Event”. Because of all these issues taking place, many in society are becoming psychologically impacted never forgetting the events they have experienced.
There is a point in everyone’s life where they are scared of a police officer pulling them over. The fear is usually getting a costly ticket or taken under arrest; However, darker skinned citizens now have to worry about police brutality. Police brutality is the use of excessive and unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. Over the years, the country has been exposed to the truth about what minorities face when pulled over by a racist police officer. Most of the victims from the police mistreatment are from minority groups, therefore, race plays a key role in police brutality.
This paper focuses on why police brutality is a major issue in our society today, as it affects African Americans. Throughout this paper, police brutality as it is directed toward African Americans will be thoroughly explained and the main factors associated with it. It will also show the relationship that links police brutality and African Americans. The portion of my paper entitled “Reaction” will then discuss how the narrative has raised my insights in regard to my own comfort zone, triggers and learning edge as defined by Miller and Garran.
This report is showing light to the communities’ response to police brutality particularly in the black communities and also their encounters with police officers. Police brutality is physical violence and great cruelty demonstrated by a police officer. Police brutality and misconduct have existed for many decades and it even has been broadcasted in news stories over America, but nothing has changed. It has happened predominantly to African Americans in lower-income states. Police officers are given slaps on the wrist for taking a life or injuring an innocent person.
Synthesis Research Paper Everyday growing up as a young black male we have a target on our back. Society was set out for black males not to succeed in life. I would always hear my dad talk about how police in his younger days would roam around the town looking for people to arrest or get into an altercation with. As a young boy growing up I couldn’t believe some of the things he said was happening. However as I got older I would frequently hear about someone getting killed by the police force.
An occurrence observed by the population of Los Angeles, California conveys the existence of racism and police brutality. According to The Polls-Trends: Racial Differences in Attitudes Toward the Police, “…three quarters of blacks, but only 38 percent of whites, continued to view police brutality as a common occurrence” (Tuch and Weitzer
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.
Police Brutality is an ongoing problem and existent concern in the United States and should be resolved immediately. Law enforcement must function as an element that consists of organized and civilized officers. The presence of police brutality is becoming more of an issue as society grows. The problem posed by the illegal exercise of police power is an ongoing reality for individuals of a disfavored race, class, or sexual orientation. Police brutality must be stopped so that police do not forget who they are serving – not themselves, but the public.