Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Asha Bynoe-Berry
Government
Honey
2 November 2015
Bill Research Paper
Imagine one day at school, as you are seated peacefully at your desk, a police officer
approaches you, forcefully picks you up and flips over your desk, while you are still seated in it,
then proceeds to throw you across the classroom, and continues to violently restrain you, until
you are in handcuffs. This October, at Spring Field High in South Carolina, a horrifying video
was taken of a young, African American student being physically harassed, in this way, by
Officer Ben Fields. The official term for this activity is called police brutality. Police brutality as
defined by the Law Dictionary is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when
dealing with civilians. The most common form of police brutality seen is the physical form,
meaning that policemen physically intimidate or intentionally hurt civilians. The issue with
police brutality is that it is disrespectful, uncivilized, unethical, and even worse; police brutality
has been a constant problem for this country for over two decades. Many organizations and
communities have tried to grasp the attention of Congress but to no avail. The problem of police
brutality in American needs to be resolved because large masses of people being killed at high
rates, especially those of minority groups, police brutality violates human and civil rights, and
millions of federal dollars are being spent to pay off hundreds of police misconduct lawsuits.
To begin with, police brutality has resulted in the mass deaths of thousands of people,
specifically people of minority groups. Statistics show that policemen often violently, verbally
and physically harass people that are of darker skin, that being, African American and Hispanic
people, because they look suspicious. Instead of following procedures in a professional and
legal manner, policemen automatically resort to physical harm (i.e. throwing the person to the
ground, using a Taser, baton, or gun) even if the person is unarmed and nonviolent. In a post
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from The Berkeley Blog, Rasheed Shabazz stated that the Oakland Police have shot and killed
young Black men like Lil Bobby Hutton (1968), Melvin Black (1979), [and] Gary King, Jr.
(2007). In Berkeley, police killed Black women like Anita Gay (2008) and Kayla Moore (2013).
Earlier this year, two recent Black UC Berkeley graduates were attacked simply for walking
while Black. (Shabazz) All of these victims of police brutality were living their daily lives as
any human would do, but instead were brutality attacked and ultimately killed. Gary King, Jr.,
for example, was just leaving the store, when a policeman pulled him aside for random
questioning. The specifics seem to be a little vague, but allegedly the details involve the
policemen pulling a Taser on King. In hopes of protecting himself, King backed away from the
officer, and in his attempt to leave, the officer shot him twice in the back, killing Gary King, Jr.
Furthermore, in an article from The Journalists Resource, it shows that between 2010 to 2012 the
1,217 deadly police shootings show that blacks, age 15 to 19, were killed at a rate of 31.17 per
million, while just 1.47 per million white males in that age range died at the hands of police.
(Wihbey and Kille) This is a highly significant statistic simply because it shines a light on the
fact that more than 32,000, most likely, innocent lives were lost at the hands of authority figures
that are supposed to be keeping the peace, not disrupting it. Notice the timeline of the killings
expressed in both of the facts above. On a timeline, they span over the course of 50+ years.
Where have we seen change? Nowhere. Our country continues to do nothing for the suffering of
these individuals, and the protection of our rights.
Secondly, police brutality is a direct violation of human and civil rights. From the
information stated in the previous paragraph and from research found, people of color, meaning
African American, Hispanic, Latin, and Middle Eastern people are more likely to be in the radar
of policemen than any other race. As anyone can see, racism is a very clear, leading contribution.
In a survey from the National Institute of Justice: Research in Brief, More than 25 percent of
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officers surveyed in the Illinois study, and 15 percent of those in the Ohio study stated that they
had observed an officer harassing a citizen most likely because of his or her race. (Weisburd,
Greenspan, Hamilton, Williams, and Bryant) Even officers are aware of this problem in our
society, but the problem still remains to be unresolved. This information relates to the story of
14-year-old Ahmad Mohamad, who was accused of bringing a bomb to school, when he brought
his own creation of a clock to show to his teacher. Ahmad Mohammad, a young, Muslim,
Sudanese, and intelligent student was arrested by the local police and brought to the station for
questioning. There is a strong possibility that this assumption was developed because of the
unfair perception that America has made of Middle Eastern people. Moreover, in an article from
Shield from Justice: Overview it shows that, Police abuse remains one of the most serious and
divisive human rights violations in the United States. The excessive use of force by police
officers, including unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal chokings, and rough treatment,
persists because overwhelming barriers to accountability make it possible for officers who
commit human rights violations to escape due punishment and often to repeat their offenses.
(Shield from Justice: Overview) Due to this finding, it is seen that the actions that are taken by
policemen are unnecessary and unethical because of the instances they are used in, and on top of
this, the regulations that are somewhat upheld against this activity are not strong, or specific
enough to have a significant impact on the policemen of this country. In addition, according to
the Sociological Theory of police brutality, police officers are more likely to take legal or other
coercive action against lower-status persons whose accusers are of higher status, rather than
taking such action against lower-status persons whose accusers are of lower status as well.
(Duffee and Miguire, 24) In this country, the belief is that everyone is equal and deserves equal
rights. However, if it is known that policemen do not value the seriousness of all emergencies
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and accusations of the people, how is there equality and justice for all? So, not only do
policemen continue to behave inappropriately, and discriminate by race, but they also
discriminate by the social status of the people.
Finally, police brutality is costing this country millions of dollars to pay off police
misconduct lawsuits and to fund police departments. Every time there is an occurrence when the
police mistreat someone, there is a chance that a lawsuit will follow close behind it. On top of
this, the lawsuits have to be paid through government tax dollars that could otherwise be used for
something useful to society, like keeping up other public policies. In an article from The
Huffington Post, findings show that during the last five years a combined $16.6 million was
spent by taxpayers in just four cities alone to settle 122 police-misconduct lawsuits. Those cities
are: Indianapolis, Austin, San Jose, and San Francisco. (Wing) If police brutality was eliminated
by the government, there would less of a problem, resulting in fewer lawsuits, and more money
that could go towards say helping the homeless or the unemployed, or even paying back the
tremendous debt that this country is in. Furthermore, in December, Obama proposed to spend
$75 million for 50,000 body cameras. However, funding is being stalled in Congress, because at
the moment it is not clear exactly how many police departments are using body cameras. (Starr)
The President took the right step in finding a way to document police activity by placing body
cameras into the hands of our policemen, however, there is nothing in the Constitution that states
that they are required to wear them at all times. Therefore, once again, the problem of police
brutality is not clearly being resolved, and as another result, millions of dollars are being wasted.
It is often argued that police brutality occurs so often because policemen do not feel safe
out in the field, and they feel it is necessary for handling extremely-intense situations. One
cannot deny that in this day in age, with the technology and opportunities that are available, it is
quite easy for the people to get involved in dangerous instances. Therefore, it is reasonable for a
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policeman to feel unsure if that day at work will be his or her last day for good. Also, it is true
there are times when excessive force is needed to handle an extreme case, such as a riot or a
serious form of chaos. However, this is not the real problem here. These extreme acts by the
police are being used for the wrong reasons, reasons that police brutality is otherwise considered
unnecessary. The policemen feel unsafe because the people feel unsafe, therefore forming
distrust between policemen and people. Even President Obama stated, And that is a simmering
distrust that exists between too many police departments and too many communities of color,
during a civil rights meeting December 1, 2014. (Jones) From an article from CBS News, it
writes that distrust is bred from, racial disparities between police and the communities they
serve, such as in Ferguson, Missouri and how it is nearly 70 percent black, while the police
department is 90 percent white; and distrust is also fueled by a perception of unchecked police
violence through the ages, such as the 1992 acquittal of four white Los Angeles police officers
in the beating of black motorist Rodney King; the 1967 beating in Newark, New Jersey, of cab
driver John Smith; Miami in 1980, after the acquittal of six white police officers in the beating
death of black motorcyclist Arthur McDuffie. (CBS News) In an article from Gawker, 70% of
whites "express some level of trust that police do not use excessive force," but only 27% of black
people do. (Nolan) The police use extreme forces because they have access to it, which makes
them think it is okay to take advantage of it. An article from Liberty Voice states,
They are bursting into homes (often the wrong ones) shooting and killing residents, but
then claiming somebody had a weapon or made a sudden move causing them to fear for
their lives. They are shooting people in the back then claiming the person again had a
weapon or came at them threateningly. In many of these cases the police have been found
to have falsified reports, planted evidence and flat out been the aggressor. (Nowlin)
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An article from Alternate withholds seven graphic video clips of policemen abusing their power
by pepper spraying, Tasing, harassing, and two stories of policemen killing, innocent and
nonviolent citizens. (Figueroa) According to ThinkProgress, On Tuesday [Sept. 15, 2015], a
sobbing 16-year-old boy was hit with a baton by a cop and then forcefully arrested by three
additional officers, after one of them saw him jaywalking. (Townes) Lastly, the Bureau Justice
of Reporters has reported, An estimated 84% of individuals who experienced force or the threat
of force felt that the police acted improperly. Of those who experienced the use or threat of force
in 2008 and felt the police acted improperly, 14% filed a complaint against the police. (Use of
Force) Therefore, there is distrust between policemen and people, and use excessive forces by
taking advantage of their resources.
In conclusion, police brutality is an issue that needs to be eliminated in this country.
Police brutality has caused large masses of people to be killed, specifically those of minorities, it
is a direct violation of human and civil rights, and millions of dollars from the people and from
our government are being spent on police misconduct and to fund police departments, that are
otherwise taking advantage of their privileges. Why is this issue so pressing, one may ask? Ever
since slavery, people of minorities have been thrown to the dust, killed, beaten, dismembered,
and horrifyingly mistreated, to the point where you can even recognize their faces. The people of
this nation have gone through civil rights movements, protests, and more, but all of these
combined are still not opening the eyes of our government like they should. Our government
continues to look the other way. So, once again, police brutality cannot go on any longer. The
problem of police brutality leads to a larger issue and that is corruption. In a larger sense, our
society is corrupted and broken by discrimination of all kinds (i.e. race or religion), and until this
country makes the first step to change this, the people will continue to live this way. A bill is a
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great way to put this resolution in place, in order to make not only our communities, but
America, a better place.
Works Cited
Ellis, Ralph, and Jareen Imam. "South Carolina Students Protest Officer's Firing - CNN.com."
CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.
"What Is Police Brutality?" The Law Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.
<http://thelawdictionary.org/article/what-is-police-brutality/>.
Shabazz, Rasheed. "Blog Post: The Black Record: Why We Don't Know How Often Police Kill."
Blog Post: The Black Record: Why We Don't Know How Often Police Kill. N.p., Oct.
2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
Wihbey, John, and Leighton Walter Kille. "Excessive or Reasonable Force by Police? Research
On law Enforcement and Racial Conflict - Journalist's Resource." Journalists Resource.
N.p., 30 June 2015. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
Weisburd, David, Rosann Greenspan, Edwin E. Hamilton, Hubert Williams, and Kellie A.
Bryant. "Police Attitudes Toward Abuse of Authority: Findings From a National
Study." National Institute of Justice: Research in Brief (2000): n. pag. Web. 24 Sept.
2015.
Sarsour, Linda. "Ahmed Mohamed Is Just One Example of the Bigotry American Muslims
Face." The Guardian. N.p., 16 Sept. 2015. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
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"Shielded from Justice: Overview." Shielded from Justice: Overview. Human Rights Watch, n.d.
Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
Duffee, David, and Edward R. Maguire. "The "causes" of Police Brutality: Theory and Evidence
on Police Use of Force." Criminal Justice Theory: Explaining the Nature and Behavior
of Criminal Justice. New York: Routledge, 2007. 150. Print.
Works Cited (continued)
Wing, Nick. "We Pay A Shocking Amount For Police Misconduct, And Cops Want Us Just To
Accept It. We Shouldn't." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 Mar. 2015.
Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
Starr, Terrell Jermaine. "Body Cams Can Capture Abuse, But Can They End Police Brutality?"
Alternet. N.p., 02 Aug. 2015. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
"Ferguson, Missouri, Exposes a Deep National Mistrust of Police by Minorities." CBSNews.
CBS Interactive, 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
Jones, Susan. "Obama: 'Simmering Distrust' Between Police, Minorities Is a 'National Problem'"
CNS News. N.p., 02 Dec. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
Nolan, Hamilton. "Black Americans Distrust the Police For Some Reason." Gawker. N.p., 10
Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
Nowlin, Mai. "Police Brutality and Abuse of Power the New Norm? [Graphic Video]." Guardian
Liberty Voice. N.p., 02 Apr. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
Figueora, Alyssa. "9 Revolting Videos of Cops Abusing People (Just From Last Month)."
Alternet. N.p., 03 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
"Use of Force." Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.