Imagine someone growing into a black person in their neighborhood. Although they knew the person for a while, they were friendly and down-to-earth. The next morning they see that the officer shot the person. Many incidents have occurred over the years where minorities or civilians are violated in a manner that is outraged. Police brutality is a form of unjustified or excessive use of force by U.S. officers against civilians. “Police brutality” can take many forms, including beatings, mayhem and torture, as well as murder. (Moore, Leonard. “Police brutality in America.” Many reasons can lead to incidents like these, including racial profiling or criminalization, as well the failure of police to properly train for violent and non-violent situations. These acts make certain groups or individuals feel unsafe and targeted. Police brutality has been a problem in society since the Industrial Revolution and Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s. Police brutality was used to oppress workers strikes in the 1870s by using physical violence. A work stoppage is a mass refusal to work by employees. A strike occurs when employees complain. (“Strike Action.” Wikipedia.) Citizen who challenged large industries were allowed to resort to violence and were often detained without cause. (Hg.org.) (Hg.org.) This brutality was the first to raise awareness about how far police will go to stop something, “protect” other people and businesses. The Civil Rights Movement was characterized by violence that included a blatant disregard for minorities. “Civil Rights Movement.” History.com. We can conclude that police and government acted quickly to abolish slavery, but still fight racism. Birmingham was the site of the battle for equality rights in 1963. The police used high-power water hoses to assault civilians and provoke violence. The Law Dictionary. United Press International published a report on the incident that included some details about the victims. “A Negro man suffered four to five deep gashes where his leg was bitten by the dog. Negro woman in tears said that he had kicked her in the stomach. (Siemaszko, Corky. Nydailynews.com.) These historical events show how criminal police brutality can be and how unfair it is to have equal rights between people of different race. These acts are still happening, though not as severely as they were before. Police brutality, like all problems, can be caused by many different means. There are a few examples: the criminalization of civilian behaviors, the racial profiling views of officers and the failure to train police officers for violent or non-violent situations. The first is criminalizing. This refers to the process of making people and behaviors criminals. (“Criminalization.” Wikipedia.) It refers to the act or behaviour that someone supposedly committed but wasn’t. You criminalize someone’s conduct when it is legal. Officers who make a criminalization of civilians believe they have the right to respond when provoked. That can later lead people to be brutalized. Some police academies don’t properly train officers to distinguish between violent and non-violent situations. If they are unable to distinguish between them, they will respond in an inappropriate manner with violence to situations that were not violent. Police are less likely not to resort to violence if they don’t have this training. (Kristian and Bonnie.
According to Business Insider, _______. Racial profiling is one the main causes of police brutality. This issue is a long-standing one. It is linked to racist bias opinions towards people. This leads to assumptions that minorities are more likely than others to commit a crime. The police are three times more likely in killing African Americans than to kill whites. (Mapping police violence.) These are just a few of the many reasons that police brutality is so prevalent today. Not only does police brutality have a visible impact on the communities and towns they are in, but it also has a significant psychological impact on those involved. Reports are often made about an incident, there are riots, protests, injuries, deaths and other negative effects. Residents of the affected areas may not be able to find out where they are. Antwon Rose Jr. (17 years old) was shot in the back by Officer Michael Rosfeld after he tried to flee a stopped car. Officer Michael Rosfeld, who was hired one month previously and had only formally sworn hours before he shot the teenager in the back, killed him. The death of the teenager sparked a series protests and riots. Protestors were armed with signs proclaiming “Black Lives Matter.” A study published by Woodland Hills Intermediate Schools in Swissvale found that blacks are more likely to experience stress, depression and other mental health issues due to “the high number of unarmed African Americans being murdered at the hand of police.” (USA Today. Even though these incidents are not common, many suffer a devastating effect on their mental health and the well-being of their communities, as well as their own mental health. How can we reduce the chances of police brutality, if it is not eliminated entirely? There are many ways to reduce the likelihood of police brutality, but this seems to be the best. Recruiting more female officers and minorities is one of the most effective. A black person won’t perceive another black person in such a situation as a threat. It would be less likely that there would be racial profiling-related anger if more minorities were officers. According to Neha Thirani, Bagri, female police officers are less likely to resort forceful use, but are more willing to do so. Quartz.) A report from New York in 2015 indicated that out of the 55 police officers who used their weapons during a hostile encounter, only 4% were female and 96% were male, even though women make up 17% of the department’s officers while men make up 83%. According to Neha Thirani, a smaller number of civilian complaints are filed against female police officers.” Quartz.) These facts and reports show that diversity in police departments is a solution to the problem. Police brutality, or excessive force used by police officers, has been a problem for centuries. It is wrong to violate the rights and force more force on someone who was not required. The reports, protests and riots against those involved will continue until the solutions are found. However, until then victims and civilians will continue to suffer from psychological problems and distrust within their communities. It is possible to create a more accepting environment for minorities by involving more women within our police departments.
