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Essay On Police Brutality

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The second most significant case of police brutality occurred during the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. There were three marches and the aim of the marches was to make evident the black American’s need for a constitutional right to vote. Amongst the marchers were prominent civil rights activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Thomas Fitzpatrick Jones. The first march took place on Sunday, March 7, 1965, and was stopped by state troopers who violently attacked the peaceful demonstrators in an attempt to stop the march for voting rights. The first march became known as Bloody Sunday because the police terrorized the peaceful protestors. Watson stated in his article that one of the protesters, Lewis, was clobbered across …show more content…

The most significant contemporary methods that are used to combat police brutality are independent civilian review boards, body cameras, and cell phones. To begin with, one these safeguards was an independent review board which was implemented by the mayor of Newark, New Jersey and it established the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) to monitor the Newark Police Department (NPD) (McGregor 2015:141). The most important aspect of independent civilian review boards is that they are not sworn police officers. It is important that independent civilian review boards are not sworn police officers because civilians do not abide by the blue code of silence. The blue code of silence is a phenomenon that exists among police officers. The blue code of silence consists of numerous unwritten rules, one of which is not to report on a colleague's errors, misconducts, or crimes, including police brutality. Skolnick stated in his article that the code has obstructed inquiry into police corruption and excessive use of force numerous times (2002:7). In addition, the function of an independent civilian review board is to monitor and sort the complaints that are made against the police; as well as, make a case against the offending police officers when there is a credible complaint. The Newark CCRB is not the only one of its kind, there are many independent civilian review boards in the United States. However, the Newark CCRB is unique as opposed to other civilian review boards because they have the power to subpoena offending police officers to a formal hearing; as a result of these enhanced powers, the Newark Police Union was planning to sue on the basis that too much power was granted to the CCRB (McGregor 2015:142). The police have resisted the implementation of independent civilian review boards mainly because they do not want an outsider

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Policing has seen much progress. Some reforms do work, and some types of abuse have been reduced. Today, among both police officials and rank and file officers, it is widely recognized that police brutality hinders good law enforcement. Whenever a new case of police brutality comes to light, people in the community must respond politically to ensure justice for the victim. These actions must be timely to be truly effective.

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Annotated Bibliography Books Dudley, William, et al., editors. Police Brutality. D.L. Bender, 1991. • Police Brutality gives information on how police brutality is a widespread issue in the United States and explains different controversies and cases that relate to police brutality. • The editors of this book include activists and nonfiction authors who provide reliable information on what happened during different incidences of police brutality and the viewpoints and controversies that come with it.

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One common opinion is that officers should not use more force than is necessary or reasonable, and even then, that force should be used only as a last resort. “Police use force to affect civilians’ conduct. On a day-to-day basis, they do so most often by employing the least degree of force available to them, their mere presence. Cops wear uniforms and drive distinctly marked cars so that, without saying a word, they may have an effect on citizens’ behavior” (Fyfe, 38). When an officer’s presence fails to fulfill the desired conduct, the next course of action for said officer would be verbalization.

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306 Words | 2 Pages

"Bloody Sunday,” occurred when a guy name John Lewis and a lady named Hosea Williams attempted to lead more than 500 civil rights marchers east out of Selma on U.S. Route 80. They made it only to the Edmund Pettus Bridge six blocks away from where they started, where they met state and local policemen. The police men attacked the blacks with Billy clubs and tear gas. Bloody Sunday took place due to the fact that one protester by the name of Jimmy Lee Jackson was shot down by an Alabama state trooper on February 26, 1965. Bloody Sunday displayed a huge impact in the civil rights movement.

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1491 Words | 6 Pages

Synthesis Research Paper Everyday growing up as a young black male we have a target on our back. Society was set out for black males not to succeed in life. I would always hear my dad talk about how police in his younger days would roam around the town looking for people to arrest or get into an altercation with. As a young boy growing up I couldn’t believe some of the things he said was happening. However as I got older I would frequently hear about someone getting killed by the police force.

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690 Words | 3 Pages

One historic example of racial bias in the police force is Dr.King 's march from Selma. In Marion, Alabama on February 18, a group of peaceful demonstrators were attacked by white segregationists. During this attack one of the younger demonstrators, Jimmie Lee Jackson, was killed by a state trooper. In response, Dr Martin Luther King led a 54 mile march early in 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama from Selma that lasted five days to the capital where many oppressed black citizens had been campaigning for voting rights including, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). On Sunday, March 7, 1965 protesters got ready to go to Montgomery but Alabama state police officers with weapons

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282 Words | 2 Pages

Law Enforcement- Friend or foe? Mary Frances Berry addresses the issue of injustices in Power to the People: Why We Need Civilian Police Review Boards. She alludes to Police brutality and the Mainstream Media's downplaying of the message behind protests in several cities including Ferguson, Missouri. Ms. Berry lists reasons for such judicial wrongdoings, most notably the alleged ties to hate groups within the ranks of the Ferguson Police department as well as a sort of "close-knit" relationship that many departments share with their respective District Attorneys. She discusses the history of the idea of the boards themself, which dates back to the early 20th century.

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It’s time to #TakeAKnee “We never get rid of hate by meeting hate with hate; we get rid of an enemy, by getting rid of enmity. By its very nature hate destroys and tears down.” Dr. Martin Luther King stated that the purpose of non-violent protest was not to get revenge but to change the heart of the enemy. Over the past couple of years America has begun to acknowledge police brutality as a serious problem. While state-sanctioned violence towards individuals of varying races of color is not new, the documentation through dash-cams and civilian cellphone footage has brought the brutality to light.

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1111 Words | 5 Pages

This report is showing light to the communities’ response to police brutality particularly in the black communities and also their encounters with police officers. Police brutality is physical violence and great cruelty demonstrated by a police officer. Police brutality and misconduct have existed for many decades and it even has been broadcasted in news stories over America, but nothing has changed. It has happened predominantly to African Americans in lower-income states. Police officers are given slaps on the wrist for taking a life or injuring an innocent person.

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704 Words | 3 Pages

Xialea Mclean Police force is sufficient or should use more Police officers are only supposed to use the amount of force necessary to prevent any accidents. According to the National Institute of Justice ,"the use of force by law enforcement officers becomes necessary and is permitted under specific circumstances, such as in self-defense or in defense of another individual or group. " The law enforcement are allowed to use lethal, non-lethal force, physical, and verbal restraints. The amount of force used by the law can be depended by the situation they are currently in. While on duty, a officers are trained to judge when the situation requires a use of force.

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282 Words | 2 Pages

Police brutality remains a common yet controversial topic around the world. Police brutality is “the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians” (thelawdictionary.org). It’s a topic that segregates communities and makes each other their enemy. Specifically, a white officer has been the enemy of the black community. Unfortunately, the tension between police and blacks grew over the past few decades.

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775 Words | 4 Pages

Law enforcement is ensuring an act of obedience to the law. Police officers often take advantage of enforcing the law and end up using violence when it 's not necessary. According to the Washington post ( 2015 ) every 28 hours an unarmed colored person is killed by a police officer. I think it is time for these and other victims who were treated unjustly by police officers to get justice. These deadly law enforcement incidents must come to an end.

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892 Words | 4 Pages

Police Brutality is an ongoing problem and existent concern in the United States and should be resolved immediately. Law enforcement must function as an element that consists of organized and civilized officers. The presence of police brutality is becoming more of an issue as society grows. The problem posed by the illegal exercise of police power is an ongoing reality for individuals of a disfavored race, class, or sexual orientation. Police brutality must be stopped so that police do not forget who they are serving – not themselves, but the public.

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941 Words | 4 Pages

Civilians have options to reduce police violence such as building a coalition, monitoring police through use of film and auditory methods, and educating communities. These methods can help accomplish their goal without using violence and jeopardizing more police and civilian lives. The civilians are also allowed to record video footage of police interactions while staying in bounds of legality. The video footage can be used as evidence for either side to assure justice is served. It can be agreed upon that civilians would like to see a decline in coercion and the “inappropriate use of police force” (Harmon).

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1030 Words | 5 Pages

[ Imagine this scenario: you are complying with the police that are screaming at you, guns pointed at you, screaming “please don 't shoot” and trying your best to do what the police are asking. Daniel Shaver was an unarmed man fatally shot for no good reason. He was complying with the police officers orders and was begging for his life, screaming “please don’t shoot,” before he was fatally shot 5 times. Unfortunately, this is just one example of police brutality, an instance when police use unnecessary force when either they are unarmed or are complying with orders. Today I want to tell you of the injustice of police brutality, the people it affects, and how just asking the right questions could make sure that police are punished for their crimes.

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