Michael Brown The police killing of Michael Brown caused multiple violent riots and protest in the Ferguson area. The hands up don’t shoot movement was due to the lack of trust between African Americans and law enforcement. The protesters claim that Michael Brown had his hands up to the police and they ended up shooting and killing him. Forensics prove that to be completely wrong (Capehart, 2015) Michael Brown had a gun, and made a move towards to officers potentially threatening their lives. Earlier on in the day Michael Brown robbed a liquor store for blunt wraps. Michael Brown wasn’t an innocent child. He was a criminal who broke the law, resisted arrest, and put police lives in danger (Capehart, 2015). The media once again twisted to story …show more content…
One man, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, took his frustrations beyond what was acceptable. Brinsley ended up assassinating two random, and innocent officers in New York. He boasted about his plans to murder the two cops on social media prior to his actions. Brinsley stated “I’m putting wings on pigs today..they take one of ours, let’s take two of theirs” on Instagram with a picture of his gun (Tracy, et.al., 2014). He also stated, “This may be my final post….I’m putting pigs in a blanket”. Brinsley came to New York from Baltimore to carry out his attack. Brinsley snuck up to the patrol car of the officers and started firing into the passenger window, he shot both officers in the head (Tracy, et.al., 2014). The two officers, Officer Liu and Officer Ramos, never had a chance to defend themselves, let alone see their murderer (Tracy, et.al., …show more content…
Lying on the ground, surrounded by police, Garner repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe” before suffering fatal cardiac arrest. The confrontation was captured on videotape (Editors, 2014). Officer Pantaleo was not acquitted of any charges of murdering Garner, despite video evidence. There were many ways around the encounter that tragically ended with Garner’s death. There is no reason to pardon Officer Pantaleo, if in fact his actions were criminal; and despite the wide latitude they must be given to perform their duties, law-enforcement officers, too, must be subject to the letter of the law (Editors, 2014). The results of the killing outraged the community and the “Black Lives Matter” protestors. Sadly, this was another example of an innocent man dying due to the hands of the police. There is no telling what was going on inside the officer’s head, but it is hard to imagine any logical reason to choke out Garner until he died (Editors, 2014). This shows that sometimes police do act in brutality and the media is not all about stories for
In June of 1998, a sadistic murder of a middle-aged black man from Jasper, Texas, rekindled memories of lynching practices from the blood stained American past. James Byrd, Jr., 49, was beaten savagely to the point of unconsciousness, chained to the back of a pickup truck by his neck, and dragged for miles over rural roads outside the town of Jasper. It is believed that Byrd survived through most of this experience, that is, until he was decapitated. Three white men, John William King, 23, Shawn Berry, 23, (both of whom had links to white supremacist groups) and Lawrence Brewer Jr., 31, were arrested. Brewer and King were sentenced to death for a racial hate crime that shocked the nation. Berry was sent to prison for life.
The beating of Rodney King from the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991 and the Los Angeles riots resulting from the verdict of the police officers on April 29 through May 5, 1992 are events that will never be forgotten. They both evolve around one incident, but there are two sides of ethical deviance: the LAPD and the citizens involved in the L.A. riots. The incident on March 3, 1991 is an event, which the public across the nation has never witnessed. If it weren’t for the random videotaping of the beating that night, society would never know what truly happened to Rodney King. What was even more disturbing is the mentality the LAPD displayed to the public and the details of how this mentality of policing led up to this particular incident. This type of ethical deviance is something the public has not seen since the civil rights era. Little did Chief Gates, the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, and the LAPD know what the consequences of their actions would lead to. Moving forward in time to the verdict of those police officers being acquitted of the charges, the public sentiment spiraled into an outrage. The disbelief and shock of the citizens of Los Angeles sparked a mammoth rioting that lasted for six days. The riots led to 53 deaths and the destruction of many building. This is a true but disturbing story uncovering the ethical deviance from the LAPD and the L.A. riots. The two perspectives are from the Rodney King incident are the LAPD and the L.A. riots.
On March 3, 1991, Los Angeles police officers attempted to stop a white sedan traveling at a high rate of speed through Lake View Terrace, a residential neighborhood in northern Los Angeles. After a short pursuit, King was ordered out of his vehicle at gunpoint. King refused to comply and became belligerent and uncooperative. The use of open-hand controls, pepper spray and tasers were ineffective, as King continued to assault officers while resisting arrest. More LAPD officers arrived and King was finally subdued with the use of nightsticks. Investigation later revealed King was under the influence of a combination of PCP and cocaine.
To citizens, Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown of out racial prejudice. To police officers, Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown out of self defense. The media focused mainly on the citizens negative reactions, consequently labeling Darren Wilson as a racist murderer. The officer received numerous death threats, putting his life in danger. Ben Brumfield and Brian Todd, reporters for CNN state, “Fellow officers have been by [Darren Wilson’s] side day and night, as deadly threats have driven the former Ferguson police officer into hiding…” This is a prime example that media can ruin the lives of officers, as well as put them in legitimate
In the case of the Michael Brown shooting the officer stated that he was in fear of his life because the offender attacked by reaching into his patrol car window punching him in his face and trying to retrieve his service firearm during their physical altercation, but The officer gained control to reach his firearm and then fired two rounds, one hitting the hand of Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown then tried to flee the scene by foot only to turn around and approach the officer in a threatening manner, therefore officer at the time of the incident stated that he feared for his life discharge his weapon for the second time discharging about ten rounds striking brown multiple times ending with a fatal shot to the head of Mr. Brown. The court decision of
A father purchased a toy gun as a birthday gift for his young son. His son went outside to play and and encountered a police officer who shot him seven times. This incident occurred in Sonoma County in October 2013. A similar incident occurred in November 2014 when Cleveland police killed a 12-year-old boy carrying a toy gun. Use of excessive force by police is common in impoverished "black" or "brown" communities.
Oscar Grant was reported to be rowdy on the train and was shot at point-blank range. The policeman later revealed he was trying to grab his Taser not his handgun. While reading this review, the author was using present day situations such as the Zimmerman case to reflect on how two different cases can be the same but in different standpoints. Trayvon’s incident was not recorded, but Zimmerman was reported to be running behind an unarmed suspected to have a gun. The author wanted to say that cases are similar considering that both officers were not prosecuted. A better example he could have used was the Walter Scott shooting. Both men were believed to be causing a disturbance, the policeman was trying to grab their Tasers, and someone was
In 2014, the death of Eric Garner in New York City raised controversial conversations and highlighted the issues of race, crime, and policing in neighborhoods that tend to be poor and racially isolated. Garner, an unarmed black man, was killed after being tackled and held in a “chokehold.” According to the AP Polls in December 2014, “Police killings of unarmed blacks were the most important news stories of 2014.” The problem is that young black men are targeted by police officers in which they have responded with the misuse of force and policy brutality. It is evident that this issue affects many people nationwide. The civilians do not trust the police department and the justice system because they hold the perceptions that police officers are immune from prosecution despite their actions. In particular, black individuals, specifically black males, do not feel safe in the presence of police officers because they are not held accountable for their mistakes.
The story unfolded that, Garner was unarmed and therefore harmless when he was being arrested for supposedly selling loose cigarettes. It may not be out of context to put someone in uncomfortable situation to enable arrest, but for the fact that Garner cried out for his life by saying “I can’t breathe”, should have warranted some form of release which required the immediate discretion of the law enforcement to save the life of Garner, but they ignored him. This led to his death. In my opinion, for America to have an effective equal rights system as we profess that governs our nation, the law must be reinforced to discourage negligence and noncompliance to racial issues and partiality, which often leads to biasness in a
If a person want a peaceful protest, then sit at home and use social media to protest and wait for change. However, violent protest raises awareness and get the issue resolved much quicker than just holding hands and chanting. Violent Protest shows the anger and frustration of the person or people. It also shows how people are willing to risk their life by standing by something they believe in. When violence is used during a protest it gets the point across much quicker. Violence cannot be ignored and it forces the authorities or whomever to take notice.
August 2014, Police killed Michael Brown an unarmed black teenager. This set off protests and brought more attention to police killing unarmed black men in Baltimore, Chicago, and other cities. In most of these incidents, the office never gets charged with a crime. Which increases the thought that police are not held accountable for their actions. This has all started a movement called Black Lives Matter (Police Brutality).
Stated by John Ramsey, “As I was walking through the basement, I opened the door to a room, and knew immediately that I’d found her because there was a white blanket- her eyes were closed, I feared the worse but yet- I’d found her” (Bardesley, and Bellamy). On December 26, 1996, one of the most famous, unsolved murders took place in Boulder, Colorado (Christopher). The murder caused many events including accusations, interrogations, false claims, and examining of evidence. The case also caused the Ramsey family to go through a hard time. The murder of JonBenet Ramsey was very shocking and caused a huge investigation that is yet unsolved.
The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri became a controversial media sensation. The shooting created uproar and mistrust towards police officers. Many believed the shooting was unjustified and even an act of racism on the behalf of the police Officer Darren Wilson. The Department of Justice issued an investigation in order to understand the basis of the shooting and to decide whether or not to charge Darren Wilson in the shooting. Despite the evidence and the investigation which portrayed the shooting as an act of self- defense, the shooting still remains controversial.
Police brutality and racism are an ongoing problem in our country. It goes back hundreds of years with no sign of it stopping. Police officers have been abusing their power since they have been around. Abuse against African American males by white police officers is getting out of hand. Most officers face no punishment at, and all there is a special code that they follow. Officers follow The “Blue Code of Silence”, which is a code that means they look out for one another. Even with video recording devices, the news, and social media, these events still go on. African Americans take most of the abuse and it looks like there is no end to this. This is a reflection on our society, and it makes us look ignorant to what is going on around us.
Convicted for armed robbery in 1960, James Earl Ray escaped from Missouri State Penitentiary on April 22, 1967. Ray’s hatred for the black population and support for Nazism fueled his drive to assassinate pacifistic leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. During the civil rights era, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s strong political and religious presence caused him to be a potential target as many denounced his promotion of equality amongst blacks and whites in America. Moreover, with the use of a Remington rifle, Ray shot King from a bathroom window of a hotel located across the street from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had a perfect view of King standing on the motel room balcony. On the eve of April 4, 1968, King was pronounced dead. Afterwards, Ray fled to Canada where he changed his identify and created a fake passport which would later be used to flee to Brussels, Belgium from a Scottish airport. However, Ray was caught at Heathrow Airport on June 8, 1968 and was deported back to America. James Earl Ray was convicted in March 1969 for the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. In court, Ray voluntarily pleaded guilty before Judge W. Preston Battle which reduced his sentence to 99 years in prison instead of the death penalty . As will become evident, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. resulted in the immediate outburst of riots, Robert Kennedy eulogizing King, the high attendance of King’s funeral service, and the implementation of the Fair Housing Act; the prosecution of James Earl Ray; and in the longer term, the creation of Martin Luther King National Holiday as well as the desire to reopen the case of James Earl Ray in 1997.