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Tension between minorities and police
Social issues of police brutality
Social issues of police brutality
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What do you think is the biggest problem with police and citizen interaction? Most of the biggest problems is people saying the people are racially related. January 1st, 2009, Oscar Grant was Killed by a white police officer. The police officer, Johannes Mehserle, was not found for murder but for involuntary manslaughter. The shooting that day was filmed by a bystander on his phone. When Mehserle shot Grant, he thought he was reaching for his gun but he was wrong (Macaskill, Ewen). Grant was unarmed and most people of Oakland were so angry when the jury announced they weren't charging Mehserle for murder that "rioters trashed parts of Oakland, California... In protest against the verdict in a controversial court case in which a white police man shot dead an unarmed African American" (Macaskill, Ewen). Up to 1,000 protesters took the streets and wore masks of Oscar Grants face. Rioters attacked journalists and many shops boarded up their windows in fear of being attacked. (Macaskill, Ewen). Oakland's police chief held a press conference and blamed anarchists coming from outside Oakland. Grants family spoke and said that Mehserle should be guilty for murder. Many reporters interviewed people close to Oscar Grant also and, "Grants …show more content…
Although Brown was unarmed, he resisted his orders to stop and he slammed Wilsons' car door shut. After Brown hit Wilson, Wilson knew pepper spray wouldn't work so Wilson pulled his gun out once he knew if he got hit by one more punch he would die and warned Brown but he reached in the car harassing Wilson so Wilson shot twice. One of the bullets went through Browns hand. Brown started walking away and refused to stop and cooperate a first. Brown turned around and started charging towards him so Wilson shot him 10 times and hit him with 6 (Strauss, Gary ET AL). When the Jury announced their decision, things went down hill from
The Los Angeles riots kicked off on the twenty-ninth day of April 1992 following the acquitting of four officers who had beaten and injured a motorist in the previous year. In the year 1991, California Highway Patrol officers detected Rodney King speeding as he drove in Los Angeles. King then led the officers on a high speed chase for the fear that the court would revoke his probation for a robbery offense he had committed (Gray, 2014). He was caught and ordered out of his car surrounded by several L.A.P.D cars and this led to a struggle between him and the police officers with some of them thinking that he was resisting arrest. One sergeant, Stacey Koon, used a Taser gun to fire at him before they beat him with their buttons mercilessly. He was struck with police batons more than fifty times and suffered eleven fractures besides other injuries. George Holiday, who was a nearby resident, videotaped the ordeal and delivered it to a local television station the following day (CNN Library, 2014). The tape sparked tension between the black Americans and the whites. The blacks saw the beating as racial discrimination against their community. However, no violence was recorded from the blacks du...
The article, Racial Conflict, written by Peter Katel in January 8, 2016, is about racism in the United State and to discuss if U.S. policies are discriminatory. Propelled largely by videos of violent police confrontations with African- Americans, protesters have taken to the streets in Chicago, New York and other cities demanding changes in police tactics. These brutal policing tactics had lead persons to say that U.S. policies are discriminatory. For example, Chicago police officer shot 17-year-old Laquan Mc Donald 16 times in the street. Official kept the video away from the public until a reporter forced its release through freedom of information request. Keeping the video under wrap prove that Mc Donald was killed innocently which also
Witnesses in this case described Brown and Wilson having a scuffle inside of the car, and the gun went off through the car before Brown jumped out and started running (Dennis & Santhanam). Once Wilson got out the car he immediately started shooting. Brown put both hands in air and tuned around towards Wilson and he shot 5 more times a total 6 shots until Mike Brown was dead on the ground (Dennis & Santhanam). Was it right for him to shoot him that many times, and was he a threat once he was away from Mr. Wilson? Why didn’t he take off on foot, or call for backup? Why did he immediately shoot, as well as shoot him up to six times? Were those ethical decisions, well these are just a few of the questions American citizens were discussing in their
Oscar Grant is a young man killed on New Year’s 2009 in Oakland, California at Fruitvale BART Station by a BART police officer by the name of Johannes Mehserle. Mehserle and other officers were called for a reports of fights that were occurring in Fruitvale Station, the officers detained Grant and other passengers off the train to the platform of the station. Officer Mehserle and his partner were restraining Grant, while trying to restraining him Mehserle told his partner to stand back he was going to tase Grant but pulled out and shot Grant in his back. The next morning he was pronounced dead at Highland Hospital\ Mesherle was sentenced for two years in prison, but only served eleven months for good behavior. This events was captured on many phones and was uploaded to social media, and news outlet which caused a high issue in the community even more once Mehserle was released out of jail early. This event was later shown in theaters called “Fruitvale Station” made by Ryan Coogler.
A video was taken of the whole incident. The officers were acquitted. Numerous people of all colors became livid after they heard this. There were protests and riots, although many just wanted whites and blacks to come together. There are several other accounts of police brutality among individuals.
Undoubtedly race and ethnicity plays a key role in whether perceptions of law enforcement is positive or negative. Most of the research presented finds that police contact with white’s vs blacks shapes their attitudes. Although contact with police plays a role, it is not the only component. Perceptions of police not only come from contact with police officers but from hearsay and media portrayal. As stated by (Callanan & Rosenberger, 2011) “most citizens are probably not likely to establish their opinions of law enforcement solely based on an occasional encounter, but also from other sources of information about the police, which for most members of the public is chiefly derived from the media.” Also, minorities are more likely than whites to believe that minorities are treated worse by police, and minority communities receive inferior police services (Graziano, Schuck & Martin 2010).
This particular shooting involved Officer Darren Wilson (which happened to be white) shooting and killing an unarmed black teenager (Michael Brown). As soon as this news broke out, angry citizens took to the streets of Ferguson within hours. They destroyed businesses, burned cars and assaulted officers. All of which these events took place before an investigation had even began. The rioters carried on for days without actual facts of what happened that Saturday when Officer Wilson pulled the trigger and let out six rounds into Michael Brown leaving him dead on the
The officers were acquitted of use of excessive force and abuse. This started riots in Los Angeles that rocked our country. This was the beginning of a stigma and stereotype that would be placed on all police officers. The stigma was that Rodney King was brutally beaten because he was black. The media portrayal of incidences across the nation since 1991 only heightened the stereotype. There was a very similar incident in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 with the shooting of Michael Brown by a white officer. The coverage for Ferguson lasted for weeks and put the police in a very negative light. The Portland Press Herald states that “many police think they’re being stereotyped as racist and brutal” (Wise). There also seems to be a stereotype within a stereotype. Besides the stereotype of police officers profiling young black men, is the stereotype that all young black men are thugs, especially if they’re in neighborhoods known for gang and drug activity. “Our country 's history, culture and social divide feed a subconscious attachment to stereotypes, even in the minds of people with no measurable racial bias.”
Harsh punishment and police brutality are also common consequences of society’s stereotyped image of black males and another supporting reason as to why individuals should change their perception on these stereotypes as it encourages racism. A particular case that involved unnecessary police brutality was that of Oscar Grant, a nineteen year old boy that was just like any other; he played both basketball and baseball, showed his devotion for worship at church, and enjoyed helping others when he could. Prior to the shooting, Grant was visiting his grandmother’s home and opened up to her about wanting to get his life together on Christmas day; Grant only got to see his father on rare occasions as his father was in prison for committing a murder
The report included testimony from Officer Darren Wilson, physical evidence, forensic evidence, and many witnesses. According to the Department of Justice report on the incident, Officer Darren Wilson was driving after finishing one of his calls and saw Michael Brown and his friend walking on the double yellow line in the middle of the street blocking traffic. According to his account, officer Wilson told them to move to the sidewalk in which they ignored. He then noticed they fit the descriptions he had earlier heard of the suspects of the robbery, he then parked his vehicle blocking traffic. He attempted to get out of his vehicle to speak to the boys but apparently Michael Brown blocked the car door and started to punch the officer. They engaged in a scuffle where Officer Wilson reached for his gun in which he claims that all he had access to. Michael Brown tried to take control of the gun, according to Wilson’s account. (Department of Justice, 2015) Officer Wilson then regained control of the gun and shot Michael Brown’s hand. Michael Brown then took off and Wilson chased him on foot. Brown started coming towards Wilson. Many witnesses even described Brown as “charging” towards Wilson. (McLaughlin, E. C. (2014, August 15) Wilson warned Brown multiple times and Brown kept moving forward towards Wilson
In my opinion, the many different views of police culture can vary in many different situations. I say this because of the many different views this can be misleading at times. I think what's needed is reform of a police culture that has often infected relations between police and blacks, destabilized respect for cops and the law, and set the basis for the many deaths. The overall image of the police offers is an overview of the public’s perception of the police in reality. Without the public’s view of this police culture wouldn’t have the look it has now. Specific characteristics of the publics, association, or foundation remain interchangeable. Actions of the overall image are valuable because they
Not many of us know this but, did you know that there are actually three types of confrontations with a police officer? Now you are probably thinking what those three types could be. Well, the three types are consensual encounters, a detention and probable cause to an arrest. In this paper I will be informing you about what happens in each confrontation and also what you may and may not do. Consensual encounters are the most common type of confrontations between people and police officers.
Understanding the issue is just part of what’s needed. The purpose of the section is to identify a solution, or as may be the case, solutions. So, the question here is what can we do to improve the relationship between the police and the citizens. Over the years there has been many books written and studies conducted, all in an effort to find the best way to improve police and citizen relationships. To do this we must look at all available information. According to The Study Circles Resource Center’s Protecting Communities, Serving the Public: Police and residents building relationships to work together (2000), “Bring police and community together. We need to meet not just when there is a crisis or a big crime. We should do things to build relationships that are not so full of conflict. Then it would be easier to work together. We can build respect and trust for one another when we make time to meet with and learn about each other. This is the only way to do it.
Communication is a vital tool in our society today because police officers could not serve the public effectively without good communication skills. A lack of the ability to listen or to speak effectively could result in a misunderstanding. Communication plays a very important role in the lives and jobs of police officers. Communication allows officers the ability to better manage evidence by interrogating witnesses and suspects and gathering information. This allows them to make quick and informed decisions. Police officers can only succeed if they master communication, both social and professional, so that they can be comfortable with the public and get their jobs done behind the scenes.
Given the nature of the job being a police officer is tedious and dangerous work. Officers have to be on edge all the time because being careless can mean someone losing their life. In the work of policing there is no such thing as a routine patrol; one day they could get called up for civil service and the other day it could be chasing a criminal whose selling drugs to young teenagers. The job of police officers is not easy because a small error can weigh not only on one individual but the whole police department. In the recent years policing have taken great criticism and it usually overshadows the hard service they do for communities around the country. Social media has a great influence in the depiction of police officers. The fact is police officers don’t go out shooting their guns around and those that do, do it with deep discretion. What many fail to acknowledge is that police officers are constantly under extreme stress, experience dangerous situations, and have to make split second decisions.