For that reason, an officer has the power to stop a vehicle based on reasonable suspicion/mistake of fact that a crime has been committed (Schwinn 2014). Reasonable suspicion also incorporates the ideology of a reasonable mistake of fact. Unfortunately, minorities, especially African Americans are more likely to be affected by these instances or incidents. Previous studies conclude that these attacks or incidents involving law enforcement and unarmed African-American men are possibly influenced by racial prejudice (Raasch and Perron 2014). Cases of unarmed black men are not only increasing, but they are also threatening to the public, especially the black community. As an officer, one is visualized and portrayed as an authoritarian and a protector
While advocates of stand your ground believe that it is empowering to people and is an enhancement of safety rights, critics believe that it can often be used as a racially motivated infringement on civil rights. A study of the racial and violent impacts of stand your ground at Texas A&M University found that murder increased by up to 8% in states that had adopted Stand your Ground laws. The conclusion was made that the implementation of these laws was a possible cause of increased homicide rates in these states. The increase in lethal force became seen as an inevitable effect of the stand your ground laws. Based on FBI crime statistics, it is more likely for white people’s actions to be found justifiable in the killing of a black person than it is for the case of black people killing white people.
However, research demonstrates that often times men of color are treated harshly which leads to negative perceptions of police officers. Police brutality is a crime that is has been surfacing in the news recently. Some people are just starting to realize that these injustices against the black community really occur, while others are well aware. The recent shootings, different run-ins with officers being filmed while doing such harmful actions against African American men is an example of police brutality and, that reminds us that as a society work needs to be done to improve police and community relations. A black male cannot even walk down the street on a cold night because he might be a suspect from something or he may be of danger to the people around.
People have accused officers of shooting arbitrarily, or unjustifiably, and most frequently of exhibiting racism in such situations. These accusations have been supported by numerous empirical studies showing that police officers kill African-Americans at a disproportionately higher rate than whites (Tennenbaum,
The deadly shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Wilson, unveiled numerous issues within local law enforcement, that resulted in social controversy aimed at all of law enforcement. According to the BBC news, Brown was unarmed when he was fired upon by Wilson (“Ferguson unrest”, 2015). A projection from this incident has emerged, claiming that African Americans are killed more frequently than other races when confronted by law enforcement. The statistics have revealed that African Americans who are unarmed have been victim to violence with
Police officers are more likely to stop and arrest African Americans, compared to other ethnic groups in America, and this has to do with stereotypes. Mainstream media portrays black men as violent, thugs or drug sellers which shapes the perceptions majority of Americans have towards African Americans (Hurwitz & Peffley, 2005). Therefore, these stereotypes become a method to dehumanize and make it acceptable for black people to be treated in a certain way in the criminal justice system. Also, there is a big gap when it comes to how to black people and white people view the criminal justice system because they experience it differently. Whites are significantly more likely to approve police aggression compared to their black counterparts, because they are not subjected to violence from Criminal Justice system (Hadden, Tolliver, Snowden, & Brown, 2016).
All throughout America, individuals are taught at a young age that police officers are always the “good guys.” Police officers are painted to be trustworthy, honorable, and advocates of justice. This idea is often displayed in the media through television shows, movies, and news specials. For some, this idea still holds truth, however there are many, particularly individuals of color, whom would quickly disagree. Numerous persons of color have been subjected to racial profiling by officers resulting in stops, searches, and false accusation of crimes.
In 2011, African Americans made up 25% of New York’s entire population, however, documents reveal that African Americans were the alleged suspects of 53% of all Stop-and-Frisk procedures. Similarly, Hispanics made up 29% of New York’s population, yet they were the victims of 34% of the NYPD’s Stop-and-Frisk Law. In the same year, Caucasian New Yorkers made up at least 33% of the state’s population, yet only a mere 9% were stopped and frisked by policemen (Flatow…”Ten). Prominent NYPD official, Chief Esposito, and defenders of the Stop-and-Frisk refute with the claim that “those who fit the general race, gender, and age profile of… criminal suspects… should be particularly targeted for stops”; they state that African Americans and Hispanics are rightfully and legally the targets of the Stop-and-Frisk (Flatow…”Five). This irrational behavior imparts how quick NYPD officers are to base their stops on race alone.
Harris article “The stories, the statistics, and the law: Why "driving while black" matters” correlates with Wilkins and Williams article in the essence that it’s addressing the reason police departments need to understand the underlying issues that stand in the way of learning and changing. In this study, Harris (2009) found that “racially biased pretextual traffic stops have a strong and immediate impact on the individual African-American drivers involved” (pg. 288). The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and requires specifies guidelines to be met to procure a warrant for a search (Harris, 2009). The amendment does not suggest whose rights would be vindicated by addressing these police practices. The great majority of black people experiencing this type of abuse and humiliation, only crime they committed was being black.
A news report released by CNN on April 10, 2015 displayed three examples of use of force abuse by on duty officers. Of these three incidents the results were a man dying in police custody after a dog allegedly mauled him, a mentally ill man being was shot dead after his family called police asking for help, and an officer who shooting into a vehicle after a car chase, killing a man who was initially suspected of drunk driving. Of all three incidents the deceased happened to all be Black men. Incidents like so have led to the formation of groups like Black Lives Matter. Instances such as these open up debate about if police are using excessive force based upon the suspect’s race.
All questions are self asked when a police officer stops you and can 't think of the reason. Though many people worry about being stopped by the police, the African-American community will worry the most. Though the African-American community isn 't the only crowd to pick on, this community will worry the most compared to any other community. Asian, Hispanic/ Latino and the white community will also worry, those within the Hispanic/ Latino community would be able to comprehend on how the African-American community may feel if one of their brother(s) or sister(s) has been injured or killed due to an innocent
According to some charts mainly African American, latino and other minority races are the most common to be stopped by officers because of stereotypes. The Constitution, through the fourth amendment, protects people from unreasonable search and seizure by the
Since I 'm not ready to be a police officers I decided to join the police auxiliary program, it 's a way to give back to the community and try to help the community and the police department build better relations. On YouTube there 's a study done by a group of young people showing how police officers view African American differently because of theirs race, the video shows two examples. The first example was one white man walking around with an AR-15 (AR 15 is an assault weapon) in a state that people are allowed to carry as long they have a license for it. A few minutes pass an officer walked up to the guy and asked him is there a reason for him to be walking around with his weapon and he simply said he have a license and it 's his Constitutional right and the officers checked the license and went about his
Throughout history, disputes and tensions between law enforcement officials and communities of minorities have endured hostility and violence between each other. Racial profiling has become a “hot topic” for researchers as well as for politicians and by now it is likely that most citizens are at least aware of the common accusations of racial bias pitted against law enforcement (Cochran & Warren, 2013). Communities of color are being discriminated against and racially profiled by white police officers for any suspicion of criminal activities. It has been widely assumed by policy makers and citizens alike that allegations of racial profiling are mostly associated with the policing practices of white officers and their treatment of racial and ethnic minorities (Cochran & Warren, 2013). Also, individuals of minority descent will certainly recognize that they are being racially profiled during a stop that is being conducted by a white police officer.
Racial profiling has had great effects on African American communities all over the US. Victims of racial profiling incidents and people who have witnessed have begun to fear and hate the police when they should be trusting that they are there to keep them safe. Many incidents have occured in the US where unarmed black individuals have been brutally killed by the hands of white police or have been pulled over when driving because they have commited the crime of “driving while black”, which in today's world has become something that African Americans have to fear because of the likeliness of them being pulled over by police, because of their racial bias towards them. “Driving while black” is something that black families tell their kids to be careful of at a young age because of their own experiences with police. In between 2007-2010, people of colored skin accounted for 75 percent of the people stopped by Boston police and 65 percent of them were black in a city whose population was made up of 25 percent African Americans at that time.
Police officers would often have to make quick and objective judgements to minimize casualties and losses. In 2015, more than a thousand young black men were killed by the U.S. police force--11 of which were unarmed(alternet.org). The flaw with the system is how limited the word “reasonable” means as it is always the one(police) who has power that defines the word. In most academy, police goes through trainings with regards to handling those dilemmas, but the final decision would always lies among the officer’s experiences and/or knowledges with similar cases, showing evidence of