“I realize I will always be the poster child for police brutality, but I can try to use that as a positive for haling and restraint.” – Rodney King. Why is police brutality against blacks a re- occurring problem in America? On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was driving his car in the city of Los Angeles, California. Bryant Allen was a passenger in the back seat. King didn 't stop when signaled by a police car behind him, but instead, sped up and increased his speed. It is estimated that King drove at speeds reaching 100 miles per hour for 7.8 miles. When King finally stopped the car, officers of the LA Police Dept., Delivered 56 baton blows and six kicks to King in a period of two minutes, result in eleven skull fractures, brain damage, …show more content…
In 2014, the UN Committee against Torture reprobated police brutality and inordinate use of force by law enforcement in the US, and highlighted the "steady and recurrent police shootings or fatal pursuits of unarmed black individuals. “According to a 2016 report by the United Nations ' Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, "contemporary police killings and the trauma that they create are evocative of the past racial terror of murder. There are many reasons as to why police officers can sometimes be overly combative. It is thought that some personality traits make some officers more predisposed to the use of excessive force than others. In one study, police psychologists were surveyed on officers who had used excessive force. The information obtained allowed the researchers to develop five specific types of officers, only one of which was similar to the bad apple stereotype. These include personality disorders, previous painful job-related experience, young inexperienced or macho officers; officers who learn improper patrol styles, and officers with personal …show more content…
There are clips that reference the police brutality that the African American community has become all too familiar with. Beyoncé uses this vision to express how this is an issue that has existed in the past and is not yet respelled. The lyrics that stand out to me are the ones that describe stereotypic African American features, such as afros, “negro nose,” and others. I found these lyrics interesting in
In a viewpoint by Nicole Flatow titled “History Indicates Varied Results in Improving Police Brutality in America,” She believes that there has been little reforms regarding police brutality. Nicole argues for years, America has barely made any effort on improving the use of force by police officers. For example, victims such as Rodney King and Amadou Diallo, led to some reforms, but did not solve the violence of police brutality. With the beating of Rodney King that was captured on camera, it sparked massive outrage that led to a riot when the police officers received no charges. Because of the riots, it created a momentum for a reform of the police.
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.
History March 3, 1991, Rodney King is beat over 50 times by members of the Los Angeles Police Department. In retaliation, riots broke out across Los Angeles. Cars and stores were looted and torched during these violent riots. This was a terrible time to be living in the areas involved with the riots, especially for families and children. Undoubtedly, the riots left scars on all the people involved.
The quote stated above by Rodney King is an interpretation of how he feel towards police brutality. Rodney King was an African American male who was brutally beat by police officers when he refused to pull over. This incident showed that officers can be cruel and as a future criminal justice professional, it makes me question the understanding of ethical practices in the criminal justice system. Unlike Rodney King, the man in the video was not beat but he was tortured –twisting of his arm. Both Rodney King and the man in the video were helpless as they continued to scream for help.
James Baldwin, an American writer about race, once said, “The challenge is the moment; the time is always now.” One of the biggest challenges in today’s society is police brutality, especially in the Black community. This challenge was prominent back in the day, particularly during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. As of today, current events like George Floyd took the world by storm and the Black community is still fighting for their rights. Police brutality was also shown in the book, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
Even today over 20 years later police brutality and rioting are still major concerns for our society. The Los Angeles riots were so significant because they showed enough is enough In early March of 1991 a black man by the name of Rodney King was driving in Los Angeles under the influence of alcohol to the store when a Los Angeles police officer attempted to pull him over for speeding. Mr. King was on parole for robbery and knew he would lose his freedom if pulled over or had any interaction with the police at that moment. Mr. King proceeded to lead the police on a high speed chase, which ended in him being relentlessly and excessively beaten by four LAPD officers while several others stood around and watched.
When the justice for Mr King was not given rightfully, the people from the streets who went through alike problems hear about it, they immediately want change. From gang members who initiated the truce that helped decrease street violence, to the average high school student being active in protest around the city, the riots were portrayed heavily by the people affected by the beating. At these times, around the clock news and live television coverage followed but also in Ice Cube’s “The Predator” and Rodney King 's speech to the city of Los Angeles. Rodney King, intoxicated, speeding down the interstate had ignored all police sirens and warnings. He led the California Highway Patrol on a eight mile chase down freeways and city streets.
A major part of my paper is the response to police brutality by the American republic. Often, when discussing police brutality there is certain language used that tends to devalue experiences of the victim. In 1992, during the second day of rioting in L.A after the Rodney King trial president George H.W Bush addressed the nation to address the trial and the riots. This could provide a look into coded language that was used to discuss these topics. Coded language is a term that refers to words that may have other meanings when used in a certain context.
This will show how police brutality has affected black communities and how African American communities’ have responded to it with movements and protest, and how they try to overcome
While the other book used is useful for providing an account of what happened at the beginning of the decade, this book is able to look at police brutality throughout the 1990s and how the earlier events impacted the later ones. Journal Articles Matheson, Victor A., and Robert A. Baade. “Race and Riots: A Note on the Economic Impact of the Rodney King Riots.” Urban Studies, vol. 41, no. 13, 2004, pp. 2691–2696, Academic Search Premier, doi:10.1080/0042098042000294628.
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.
Cops around the United States have been accused of racially profiling black people. This topic has been brought up by everyone around the U.S. and is very controversial. Studies have shown that the majority of deaths by police officers have been people of opposite color in America. Police brutality in America is a growing epidemic that has shown no signs of slowing down. Innocent men, women, and even children have been killed by police officers for no reason.
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.