There are many open wounds in the African-American community that have not healed what so ever. Disintegration of family structures in the African-American community has been a persistent problem for far too long. High out of wedlock birth rates, absent fathers, and the lack of a family support network for many young African-Americans have led to serious problems in America's urban areas. The persistence of serious social problems in inner-city areas has led to a tragic perpetuation of racial prejudice as well. African Americans still face a litany of problems in the 21st century today. Some of those problems consist of, unemployment, education, police brutality, single parent households, drugs, gang violence, and the high rate of incarceration …show more content…
Nevertheless, millions of African Americans still live mired in poverty, susceptible to poor living conditions in underserved inner cities. The War on Drugs, which began in the 1980s, is a leading cause of the high rate of incarceration among African Americans, especially males. Today, criminal gangs have spread throughout the country and into the prisons. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with over 1.6 million dwelling in prisons. Of this number, a fairly large amount are African Americans. They are so prevalent in this prison population that on any day, a male with no degree is more likely in jail than working. Many legal scholars refer to this high incarceration rate among African Americans as a new form of Jim Crow segregation, in which minorities head from high school straight to …show more content…
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. One example was a young man by the name of Trayvon Benjamin Martin was an African American from Miami Gardens Florida, who, at 17 years old was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch
Police racism is a very big problem in America. The killings of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Walter Scott are other examples of police racism and brutality as well. Reasons behind police racism and brutality are simple. People still have a certain way that they think about people of color.
Years have passed but the same obstacles are being faced by African Americans today, as those who have passed. We are still looked at as the less fortunate class and discriminated against. I want you to be better than me at life to know that you can do all things in life if you put your mind to it. I do not want you to be known as the kid from Baltimore because the first two questions majority of people would ask you is “where were you doing the riots” or “how does it feel to live in a city with a high crime rate. These are two questions I get asked all the time because society remembers Baltimore by the riots or the wire.
In this world today, there are many cases of police brutality going on right now. For some cases, police shouldn’t have acted the way that they did. There are multiple reasons for why police brutality occur and must be removed for it to occur less. Police brutality happens to all races, but the main race is African American people.
To ignore mass incarceration as a form of racism because of the strives made in civil rights of American History over the last 60 years, is to assume ignorance that will eventually topple America. This caste system opens the door and justifies other forms of civil abuses. One cannot help the color of skin that they are born with, either should his or her life trajectory be set or punished for it. Bibliography Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.
An 18 year old first time offender caught with less than two ounces of cocaine received a 10 year sentence. A 46 year old father of three who sold some of his painkillers to someone he thought was his friend, received a 25 year sentence. In 2006 37.5% of all state and federal prisoners were black. One in 33 african american men were in jail, compared to one in 205 white men and one in 79 hispanic men.
The sentencing disparity for drug use by race is disproportionate for African Americans because of The War on Drugs. Matthew Lassiter (2015) explains, “In 1951, Harry Anslinger, the commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, collaborated with senate of criminal investigations to target black ‘dope peddlers’ who were luring pretty white blondes into drug addiction”(2015:128). According to Lassiter (2015), Anslinger believed that peddlers, who destroyed teenagers’ lives, required the most sever punishment (2015:129). Using this rhetoric, presidents like Nixon and Reagan would shape the way drug laws are enforced.
In continuing this vicious cycle, it sets the stage for tragedy and further catastrophe. As a result, this creates the feeling of anxiety that can lead to pretense and creates the nature of suspicion that surrounds people. This leads to the misconception and misjudgment that leads not only to police brutality, but feeds the beast of systematic racism. It enhances the spirit of racism that is prevalent across society. Within our police departments and system of justice, the issue of police brutality has been erected in ways that disproportionately impact poor, minority communities.
According to the text "I had a dream" Not given a right to vote, victim of police brutality and not having granted citizen rights were some of the hardships that African American people had to face. One example of hardships that the African American people had to face is they were victims of police brutality. This means that the police had the power to physically abuse the African Americans for any little thing they did. Another example of a hardship African American had to face is granted citizen rights. This means they
The issue of police brutality and the excessive use of force by law enforcement officials has been a contentious issue in the United States for decades. While some argue that police officers use necessary force to maintain order and protect citizens, others argue that excessive force by law enforcement officials is a form of violence that disproportionately affects people of color. This essay argues that police brutality is a systemic issue in the United States that must be addressed through increased accountability and reform measures. Police brutality has been a pervasive issue in the United States for decades, particularly in communities of color. According to data compiled by Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit organization that tracks police violence in the
The African – American 's Assimilation into White America America is often considered the land of opportunities, a place where people can have a fresh start, a clean slate. America is a land that is made up of immigrants. Over the centuries America has been a place where people dream to live in, however the American dream wasn 't as perfect as believed; there were issues of race inferiority, slavery and social inequality amongst other problems. When a person arrives into a new society he has a difficult task ahead of him- to assimilate into that new society- which includes the economical, cultural, political and social aspects. In the following paper I will discuss how the African American, who came as slaves to America, has fought over the centuries to achieve equality in a white society that discriminated them.
Jaclyn Seigel Doctor Morales PHM2121 30 April 2015 “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” By Michelle Alexander; An Evaluation In “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness” by Michelle Alexander, Alexander explains her opinion on mass incarceration and “The War on Drugs.” Even though “The War on Drugs” took few steps forward to eliminating drug abuse, Michelle Alexander’s book explains how this has created more problems rather than solutions. Alexander focuses on how African American communities have become more vulnerable to the arrests.
When it comes to the topic of integration, Rhoden stated that it “stopped a growing momentum toward independence and self-defining within the African American community” (136). It was wrong for white individuals to have treated the Negro League as if it did not matter whatsoever. It is wrong to think that someone will never have the power to become something more than just a player. It is wrong to try to keep these individuals at a certain level without allowing them to ever participate in the business side of their work. Integration is a form of union, of share; however, it is clear to see that this was not something white folks wanted to happen.
African American now are nearly 1 million of 2.3 million incarcerated population. They are being incarcerated six times the rate of whites. Together, with Hispanics, they are covering prisons by 58 percent as of
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
This issue led to what is now resulting in mass incarceration. Mass incarceration has been shown to affect mostly poor and minorities. Individuals living in poverty are not afforded the same royalties as those who are not in poverty. They are more willing to commit crimes because of their lack of fortune. The crime rate is more prone to be in urban communities, which hold a significant number of minorities.