Police brutality is undoubtedly a pressing problem in the United States today. The definition of police brutality is the use of excessive or unreasonable force by law enforcement when dealing with the public. In recent years, there have been numerous incidents of police brutality, usually involving the killing of unarmed young African Americans. It could be said that police officers often display hateful feelings or behavior toward a particular race, gender, or religion. Evidence suggests that police brutality primarily targets African Americans. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay The United States has a long history of unequal treatment of the African-American race. Race plays a major role in the issue of police brutality in today's society. As one journalist stated, “The history of African Americans in the United States is one of segregation and discrimination, which continue to shape modern society” (Chama 203). Historically, the police are known for defending and enforcing racism and segregation in both the North and South of the United States. During the civil rights movement, protesters were attacked by police with extreme violence. For example, they were beaten with batons and guns, pepper-sprayed and bitten by police dogs. Although segregation was outlawed after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, African Americans were still mistreated. Journalist Brain Chama also agrees: “Even though the Jim Crow laws that legalized segregation no longer exist, millions of African Americans continue to be arrested” (203). On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was captured. by Los Angeles police after a high-speed chase. The officers pulled King from his vehicle and brutally beat him, while George Holliday, a passing driver, filmed the entire thing. All officers involved were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force by a police officer. Nonetheless, after a three-month trial, a mostly white jury acquitted the officers, provoking citizens and leading to the violent Los Angeles riots of 1992. This left more than 50 dead, 2,000 injured, 9,500 arrested and 1 billion dollars in property damage. King made a public appearance to address the ongoing riots on the third day. His famous plea was: “My friends, I just want to say to you: Can’t we all get along? Can't we all get along? The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil complaint against the four officers involved. In August 1992, two of the officers were found guilty, while the other two were acquitted. Ultimately, King was awarded $3.8 million in a civil trial for the injuries he suffered. King describes his experience as follows: “It was like being raped, stripped of everything, beaten to death, on the concrete, on the asphalt. I just knew what it felt like to be a slave. I felt like I was in another world. » Racial profiling forms the backbone of the issue of police brutality. Stereotypes against African Americans generalize an overarching identity for the entire race. Since the police are in power, they have the ability to define racial boundaries. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights states: "Racial profiling is a historic feature of policing in the United States, from the establishment of slave patrols to selective criminalization and enforcement of “vagrancy” laws andsimilar crimes” (49). African Americans are more likely to be suspected of committing a crime than any other race. This is simply based on the stereotype that African Americans are criminals, poor, and tend to exhibit aggressive behavior. Discriminatory actions by police officers are hidden behind criminal law policies such as "stop and frisk", a law that allows a police officer to stop any person without making an arrest based on reasonable suspicion that the person has committed or is about to commit a crime.commit a crime. The IACHR confirms: “In recent decades, racial profiling has been a feature of law enforcement policy as part of the “war on drugs” and counterterrorism and “war on drugs” initiatives. internal security » » (49). On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner, an African-American man from Staten Island, choked to death after a New York police officer choked him and refused to let go. Garner was first approached by agents Justin Damico and Daniel Pantaleo for allegedly selling "looseies," individual cigarettes from packs without a tax stamp. After Garner told police he wasn't doing it, they arrested him. When Garner told officers he was tired of being harassed for no reason, Officer Daniel Pantaleo put his arms around Garner's neck, applying full force, choking him in the process. The meeting was filmed. Throughout the video, Garner repeatedly said, “I can't breathe,” Officer Pantaleo did not stop. An hour later, Garner was pronounced dead at the hospital. Even with the video of the encounter as evidence, a grand jury decided on December 3, 2014, not to indict either officer. On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed African American man, was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson, in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown and a friend were walking in the middle of the street when the officer passed by and told them to use the sidewalk. Apparently, Brown and his friend left a liquor store where surveillance footage shows Brown allegedly stealing cigarillos. Officer Wilson sees that Brown matches the description of a suspect in the liquor store robbery. Wilson uses his SUV to block the two men and traffic. The situation worsened with the fights between Wilson and Brown. Officer Wilson fired 12 shots, and Brown, who was unarmed, was wounded by six bullets and was killed. In November, a St. Louis County grand jury of nine whites and three blacks decided not to indict Officer Wilson in the Brown shooting. This decision sparked community outrage: as night fell, buildings were set on fire and several businesses were looted. The mass incarceration of African Americans goes hand in hand with police brutality. According to studies, African Americans are arrested 10 times more than whites. An article from the University of Chicago Press states: “Historically, police and other law enforcement agencies have targeted African Americans and charged them with violating the law. This targeting led to incarceration, imprisonment, chain gangs, prison farms, and other correctional facilities for tens of thousands of African American men, women, and children." (Taylor 201). Mass incarceration today constitutes the condition of slavery for African Americans. This negatively impacts the African American community by limiting the opportunities available in society. The IACHR states: “The result is a situation in which 1 in 15 black men are currently in prison and 1 in 13 African Americans have lost their right to vote due toof a felony conviction” (45). It is suggested that individuals are incarcerated not because of their crime but because of racist policies, beliefs and practices. The article titled "Introduction: African Americans, Police Brutality, and the American Criminal Justice System" explains the struggle caused by incarceration: Many young black men and increasingly women without legitimate alternatives are getting involved in drug trafficking and end up either in prison or on probation. , or under correctional control. After their release, they are labeled as criminals and pushed into second-class citizenship where they are denied the basic rights of citizenship, such as the right to vote and serve on juries and are made ineligible for many employment opportunities. housing and employment. (Taylor 200)On July 13, 2015, Sandra Bland, a young black activist, was found hanging in a Texas police cell after being arrested during a traffic stop. On July 10, she was arrested after a state trooper said she failed to signal a lane change. Bland recorded the encounter on his cell phone. Encinia approached his vehicle, took his information and returned to his vehicle to write a citation. In the video, Encinia asked Bland if she was "okay" and told her she seemed "irritated." Bland said she was irritated because she was given a ticket for moving out of the officer's path. When Encinia then asked Bland to put out the cigarette she was holding and she refused, the encounter quickly escalated. The officer ordered Bland to get out of the car, but she refused. Encinia shouted that he would remove it and attempted to do so, but Bland resisted. He pulled out a stun gun and shouted, “I’m going to light you up.” At this point, Bland gets out of the car and the video ends. Bland was booked and placed in a women's housing area of ​​the Waller County Jail. It was then that 3 days later, on July 13, a guard on tour found Bland hanging in her cell. Authorities ruled his death a suicide. State Trooper Encinia was charged with perjury, the only criminal charge in the case. Jurors accused Encinia of making a false statement when he claimed his purpose in ordering Bland out of his vehicle was to conduct a safe traffic investigation. But the charge was dropped at the request of prosecutors in exchange for Encinia's promise to never work in law enforcement again. One of the main problems with police brutality is that it often goes unpunished. For example, it is not uncommon to find that the situation comes down to the police officer's word versus the victim's word. One study reports: "The New York Civil Liberties Union, which wrote the report, found that since 1996, the police department has disciplined officers in only 24 percent, or 371, of 1,543 cases of brutality and other misconduct confirmed by the Civilian Complaints Commission. » (“NY” 6). It can easily be assumed that a judge or jury could be biased in believing a police officer's claims of self-defense in a questionable murder situation, especially when there is no evidence involved except for declarations. “In other cases, either the department has not found the officer guilty, or it has not punished him, or it has not yet followed up on the complaint” (“NY” 6). Taking racial bias into account, one suspects that many African Americans are at risk of being wrongly convicted and imprisoned, due to police brutality and discrimination. On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, a.98.2.0200.