Arrest: The Graham Vs. Connor Case

In 1989, the supreme court ruled in Graham vs Connor, a case in which the court held that excessive force claims, in an investigatory stop or arrest, should be analyzed under the Fourth Amendment. The case began when Dethorne Graham, a diabetic black man, filed a case in the District Court under 42 U.S.C. 1983 against respondents in which excessive use of force was used on him and violated his Fourth Amendment right. Graham went to a quick run to the store for insulin when he sensed an onset of one of his diabetic episodes. Graham, along with his friend Berry, went in to purchase some orange juice, however, he saw a long line ahead of him and decided to leave in hope to find another store. As they left, Graham noticed a police car parked

A few moments later, Graham and Berry were stopped by Officer Connor in order to perform an investigative search on them. While Connor returned to his patrol car in order to call for backup, Graham got out of Berry’s car, ran around it twice, and passed out while he sat down on the curb. When backup came, one of the officers cuffed Graham while Berry pleaded officers to consider his health. The officers ignored the situation about his health and continued to use force on Graham as they shoved him into the police car. Berry tried to hand Graham some orange juice but the officers refused to let him have it. Eventually, the officers received a report that both men did nothing wrong and let Graham and Berry go home. In result of this situation, Graham received a broken foot, cuts, bruises on his forehead, and an injured shoulder. In Graham’s case, “The District Court granted the respondent's motion for a directed verdict at the close of Graham's evidence, applying a four-factor test for determining when excessive use of force gives rise to a 1983 cause of action” (“Graham vs. Connor.”), which inquires whether the force was applied in a good applied manner to

It protects people from unlawful searches and seizures, which indicates that the police can't search you or your property without a warrant or probable cause. Graham vs. Connor, along with the Fourth Amendment, might’ve set an idea of how much force a police officer can use on a suspect, but as time has passed and views have changed does this idea still exist? Do Officers still keep in mind of the Fourth Amendment? Or are recent cases, such as Michael Brown, Philando Castel, or Trayvon Martin, exaggerated by the media and their