Selma Riots

In February of 1965, organizers within the black belt led a march to the county courthouse in Marion protesting the incarceration of freedom fighter James Orange. Shortly thereafter, state troopers and local policemen from counties around the state of Alabama, met protesters at the post office, cut all street lights off, and began to beat and torture all those involved in the protest that particular night. Jimmie Lee Jackson, the aforementioned martyr, was in a local café next to the jail where both he and his mother and grandfather were being beat by the police. When Jackson intervened by getting in the way of the officer, he was shot twice in the stomach by police officer James Bonard Fowler. [1] Jackson, as a result of his abdominal

On the night of the shooting incident, Brown was walking home and confronted by Wilson because Wilson thought Brown was suspicious. There was a struggle between Brown and Wilson. According to Brown’s friend, Wilson started the fight. Wilson was violent toward Brown and shot Brown several times even though Brown had already surrendered and put up his hands in the air. People who are on Brown’s side claim that a white police officer abused his power, and a sign of race discrimination among police officers.

According to the testimonies heard at trial, “the constant fear of death and the trauma of several devastating incidents took a heavy toll on morale” (Mosher, 2006, p. A13). The testimonies also revealed that the soldiers had been consuming alcohol prior to committing the crime. Furthermore, it was determined that Steven Green was the “ringleader” in the attack and that he was the one who had allegedly shot and killed the girl and her family. After the incident had occurred, Green was discharged from the Army because he was found to have a personality disorder. In addition, a trial witness who met Green in Iraq claimed that he had expressed “lack of concern or caring for Iraqi life versus American soldiers’ life” (Mosher, 2006, p. A13).

Citizens not only experience discrimination in the work field, they also experience it at school, stores, movies, theaters, or while seeking health care. Recently, the biggest outrage of discrimination has been by police brutality towards innocent black or minority citizens. According to the Washington Post, 908 people have been assaulted, shot, and brutally murdered by police in 2016, most of which are native American, black, or Hispanic. The 14th amendment’s purpose is meant to protect all citizens of the United States, disregarding race, but why has no justice been served to the deaths of these innocent

The purpose of this paper is to examine the recent event regarding the Baltimore riot, an issue that I plan to examine from a structural strain theory perspective. The death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year old African American who sustained injuries and died in custody, as a result of discriminatory practice and excessive force used by the law enforcement, had initiated the Baltimore riot. According to “Damage to businesses from Baltimore rioting estimated at about $9 million”, the Baltimore riot consisted of at least twenty police officers injured, at least 250 people arrested, 285 to 350 businesses damaged, 150 vehicle fires, 60 structured fires, and 27 drugstores looted” (Wenger, 2015) within the timespan of the riot. Some would ponder why would

There are about 5,000 to 8,000 members in the U.S. today. Trial of Josephus Anderson was when an African American was charged with murder of a white police officer. The local KKK was upset because they didn’t reach a verdict, they believed that they couldn’t because some of the jury members were African American On May 17th, 2000, the FBI announced the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing was done by the KKK splinter group (Cahaba Boys). There were 4 men involved Robert Chambliss, Herman Cash, Thomas Blanton and Bobby Cherry. Cash was dead, Blanton and Cherry were arrested.

The police had attack dogs, there were bombs exploded, and four little black girls were killed at a church all in a little over a week. Birmingham jails were full, and police were concerned they weren't going to be able to contain the protesters and it resulted in them using water hoses on the mobs of people injuring many people. The protest in Birmingham left so much impact "President John F. Kennedy would later say, "The events in Birmingham... have so increased the cries for equality that no city or state or legislative body can prudently choose to ignore them."" (PBS,

While Carl Lee was at home after he killed two men who raped his daughter, the sheriff came and took him to the prison for the murder of these two men. The city became divided between those who think that he should be killed because he is a murderer that belongs to the black people, and the others believe that Carl Lee should not be imprisoned on what he did because they deserved it. They have raped a little black girl which have become a case of racism murder. This issue of racism had led to an increase in racism between the black and white people who are presented by the (KKK). Actually they have caused this racism as well.

Police brutality is at its peak. In recent years police men have killed a number of innocent civilians. On July 17, 2014 one such case is Eric Gardner died in Staten island, being one of those civilians who sadly have been killed by a law enforcer. Another example is Harming students and by standers has also appeared recently, on October 27th 2015 a police officer in a high school class told a student to give him her phone and she refused. Resulting in him viciously grabbing her and throwing her (while still sitting at the desk) and slamming her on the ground and sedating the student.

A few months later George Wallace attempted to prevent enrollment of black students at the University of Alabama. These events caused the President to realize he could no longer avoid the issue of race. President Kennedy addressed the nation the night of the University of Alabama confrontation, he spoke of the “moral issue” facing the United States. He introduced new legislative proposals prohibiting segregation. To support this legislation 200,000 demonstrators marched on Washington for the largest Civil Rights demonstration in United Stated history.