The High Prevalence Of Police Brutality Towards African Americans

Since the unlawful shooting of 18-year-old Mike Brown on August 9th, 2014, the small town of Ferguson, Missouri has sparked unrest for racial tensions that still exist in America today. Subsequently, Mike Browns death and the ongoing racial tensions have ignited protests all across the world. The current events have been the tipping point for many Americans after situations such as the Rodney King beating in 1991, and the more recent death of Trayvon Martin in 2012. One of the specific issues being protested has been police brutality towards African Americans specifically. The high prevalence of police brutality towards African Americans demonstrates the racial tensions that still exist in America today. While racism seems to be deeply engrained within America, police brutality can be resolved through legislative changes.

Article Summary

It has been two months since the shooting of Mike Brown and although tensions have lowered the protesting has not stopped. In fact, hundreds of demonstrators marched outside the Ferguson police headquarters on October 13th to protest Browns death. They marched for almost four hours, which was also the amount of time Browns body was left on the street after he was shot. The march started when protestors insisted the renewing of charges placed against Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot Mike Brown. There is currently a civil rights investigation and a grand jury reviewing the incident. The protestors had three main demands. The first was a protest against the military-style response from the police, who showed up to protests in riot gear with guns carrying rubber bullets, and tear gas. Secondly, they insisted on police to begin to carry body cameras with them at all times in order to monito...

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...erence. With the knowledge that every move they do is being recorded, police officers would less likely to mistreat citizens, thus holding them accountable for their actions. This addition would have multiple different benefits such as being able to record crimes, and interactions that are useful in court cases.

Conclusion

Following the changes in the structure of the policing system, most of the demands specified by the protestors in the recent riots can be fulfilled. Police brutality would decrease and the targeting of minority groups would cease. Although none of the suggested changes would create an immediate impact to the racial tensions in the U.S, the annihilation of the brutality towards minority groups would assist with the beginning of a societal revolution. The reforms assure a safer community allowing police to do, as they should; serve and protect.