Afternoon Americans,
Much and more has been said recently about American police brutality, with high profile cases like the one in Ferguson resulting in rioting and extreme civil unrest. Has police brutality gotten so out of hand? Is this a nation-wide epidemic or simply a string of isolated incidents?
On August 9th of this year Michael Brown, a black teen living in Ferguson, Missouri was shot and killed by local police officer Darren Wilson. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months you have undoubtedly heard at length about the riots and protests occurring in Ferguson over the shooting death of Mike Brown. Widespread looting and civil unrest have been met with a strong-handed police response in the aftermath of the shooting, with local police rolling down streets in armored vehicles with military grade assault weapons and crowd control implements. 
Since the shooting incidents of police brutality have been more widely publicized than ever. Websites like CopBlock make it their daily mission to expose episodes of police brutality across the country, encouraging citizens to film police whenever possible in hopes that this tactic may dissuade officers from acting rashly. The racial divide on this issue has also been brought to no small amount of media attention, with many black citizens claiming that this has been an ongoing problem for as long as some people can even remember. The fatal shooting of Mike Brown however would seem to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Across the country there have been police brutality protests since Brown's death, effectively making him a martyr for those who have ever been treated unfairly by the police.
With the startling amount of news coverage this story and stories like it seem to be receiving, many might be left wondering if all of these alleged cases of excessive police force aren't being overblown or over-publicized.
Honestly it is incredibly difficult to find the exact numbers of people killed by police in the last decade, let alone the last year. This article published in august by USA Today details some of the figures involving police shootings over the past few years, claiming that an average of two black men per week are killed by police "year in and year out." Almost every source I could find, reputable or otherwise, allows that even the scant data available on police killings in the US is incomplete due to the process of individual police departments self-reporting their own numbers, with some departments not reporting anything at all. These facts outline a disturbing trend in the shady nature of reported police killings within our borders, and at least for me justify the protests and civil disobedience surrounding the overwhelmingly racial component of the implementation of our justice system.
As far back as I can remember police in general have been accused of prejudice against minorities, especially black people. This was more or less just one of those racial stereotypes that has been ingrained in my mind since I was old enough to recognize it. Evidence of police brutality towards blacks goes back to the civil rights era, and is apparently being kept alive, though just a shadow of what it once was. The time has come for people to take a stand against this kind of discriminatory behavior, and solidarity among anti-brutality groups has never been stronger. It is my sincere hope that within my lifetime we will see a tangible change in the level of police authority over the average citizen as well as in the nature of police attitudes toward people of all races. We need to get back to "protect and serve" rather than our current trend of "incarcerate and inconvenience."
I agree with you Brett. I feel as though there have been countless acts of police brutality that have went unreported throughout the years. The Michael Brown murder is as you stated it, "the straw that broke the camels back". I think that minorities have finally had enough and have decided to make a stand. I do think however, that the media's role in the coverage has proven to be a double edged sword. On one side they have been effective in spreading the message, and in some cases, mobilizing like minded people to the cause. On the other side, there have been some media outlets that have used this tragedy to further the racial and political divide in this country for the purpose of ratings. I agree that we must get back to the "serve and protect", but I think that it will be a long process. We must think and evaluate content for ourselves, lest we run the risk of further manipulation. I agree that not all law enforcement is bad, as there are many good ones out there. But the saying stays true, "one bad apple can spoil the bunch".
ReplyDeleteBrett,
ReplyDeleteI think you brought up some interesting points. I think another thing to consider are forms of police brutalities that do not involve murder. There are various police tactics that are shady and are often correlated with race. I think as a general rule most Americans do not want to acknowledge this issue.
Great Post!! Brett.
ReplyDeleteWith the use of media people are now able to see first hand the use of unnecessary force. Racial divide is an issue with police brutality, this issue has been ongoing and with the use of media people are able to make their own judgement calls on what they believe is unjust.I agree officers need to get back to protecting and serving. Great Post!!