Although African Americans are the ethnic group that feels most of the police brutality they are not the only ones that have been on the receiving end of the deadly force used by police officers.
Police brutality has been around for as long as there have been formed police departments. Police brutality is defined as “the unwarranted or excessive and often illegal use of force against civilians by police officers. Forms of police brutality include but are not limited to: assault, battery, torture, false arrest, intimidation, verbal abuse, rape and even murder ( www.britannica.com/topic/Police-Brutality-in-the-United-States-2064580, Moore,2016).”
Recently it seems that every month there is a story of police brutality, and that someone recorded the event. Why? Why is it so prominent for the police to brutalize people? Is it just black people or are other races brutalized as well? To try and understand this, we must first
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Most white people, including the prominently white police departments, were not used to the presence of that many black people and reacted with fear and hostility. Police departments are made up of people with deeply ingrained racism. The police departments thought black men possessed a tendency for criminal behavior, required constant surveillance and their movements needed to be restricted: in the best interest of white safety of course. It was during this time that police brutality started replacing lynching’s to controlling the blacks. The KKK, the White Citizens’ Council, white supremacists as well as elected officials turned a blind eye to this behavior. Police departments stress group solidarity, loyalty and a “show of force” approach to anything that is perceived as a challenge to their authority. One of the most prominent examples of police brutality is the case regarding Rodney