“...Much of the recent crime increase threatens the vitality of America’s cities–and thousands of lives–it is not, in itself, the greatest danger in today’s war on cops. The greatest danger lies, rather, in the delegitimation of law and order itself’ (Mac Donald). In the book “The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe,” published in the year of 2016, author Heather Mac Donald provides credible evidence to expand on her viewpoint of our country’s current criminal crisis. In addition to “The War on Cops, Mac Donald has written two other books. Her works “Are Cops Racist?”
I. The Army Comes to Annapolis The day after the Baltimore riots, Saturday, April 20th, the Massachusetts Eighth Infantry, led by General Butler arrived at Perryville, Maryland, on the north shore of the Susquehanna River. There was no bridge across the Susquehanna River so the railroad had a large ferry steamer, Maryland, stationed in Perryville to ferry the trains and their passengers across the river. The ferry had railroad tracks on its deck so the cars could be rolled onto the ferry for its trip across the river.
The LA riots of 1992 were preceded by the LAPD Trial of the officers in the Rodney King Case. On April 29 1992, a jury made up “10 whites, one Hispanic, and one Filipino” acquitted the charges of the police officers involved in the beating (History Channel 1992:1). “After hearing seven weeks of detailed testimony and studying the 81-second amateur videotape of the beating, the jury concluded that the policemen, all of whom were white, had not broken any laws when they clubbed and kicked the mostly prone motorist, Rodney G. King” (Mydans 1992:1). This shows how the riots occurred as a reaction to how unjust the law was in keeping its officers in check. Analysis of the riots through a Marxian perspective will show how the riots signified the uprising of the proletariat against the bourgeois.
The administration in the story is dishonest and unconcerned with the concerns of the underprivileged areas. The police are violent and utilize force to maintain public order. This serves as a sharp reminder of the current instances of police brutality and excessive use of force against individuals of color. Black individuals continue to be disproportionately impacted by police brutality and are more likely to become its victims. The connection of racism, classism, and sexism is also explored in the book.
This led to Florida debates about the role of race in the criminal justice system and the impact of policies like the “broken windows theory.” “The case sparked protests and ignited national debates about racial profiling and self-defense laws” (Editors 2023). This case was not directly related to the broken windows theory but it shows how cracking down on lower-level offenses can lead to unnecessary confrontations between police and members of those communities. His death also raised concerns about this theory because experts believe that it can lead to suspicion and aggression toward people who are perceived as different or out of place in certain neighborhoods. Due to this many advocates want to lean towards more community-oriented policing models that prioritize collaboration and problem-solving over punitive measures.
America has a long history with riots, both in urban and rural settings. However, urban riots, and especially urban riots in Cincinnati, have covered the same subject matter for the past 200 years: race. As such, Cincinnati acts as a great representative of the average American city, Los Angeles and New York being the exceptions. Cincinnati’s racially charged past largely lies in place because of its location. Cincinnati’s placement on the border between the north and south means an influx of escaped slaves and later emancipated into a city that once contained and white majority.
The focus of this study is on the 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma race riot. Although there was a major impact on the entire community, this paper will only focus on the riot’s impact on the “black” community and the local government’s actions in response to the impact. I will evaluate the extent of which the local government’s response to the race riot of 1921 increased the negative effects on the black community. I will compare the records the Red Cross, the National Guard, and other groups to find consistency between the recorded death tolls and other relevant information. Then, I will compare an interview with Olivia Hooker, a survivor of the riot, to online sources to better understand the social climate which the local government was operating
Assurance in equal justice remains as an overwhelming political principle of American culture. Yet withstanding unbelief exists among numerous racial and ethnic minorities. Their doubt comes as no surprise, given a past filled with differential treatment in the arrangement of criminal equity, an issue particularly clear in police misconduct. Researchers have investigated police responses to racial and ethnic minorities for quite some time, offering sufficient confirmation of minority burden on account of police. These examinations raise doubt about different police techniques of coercive control, maybe none more so than police brutality.
People rebel when no justice being served. It is understandable why people act a certain way. Have you ever loved someone more than yourself? A person is your biggest pride and joy to be safe? Can you imagine how it feels to no longer have your pride and joy with in a split second, due to the way they look?
Drag has a rich history in society, and it was not always pleasant history. Before the 1960s, drag was essentially used for theater purposes back in the Shakespearian age, because women were not allowed to act in productions, so men dressed as women. In the 1960s however, there were around 500 drag queens actively working in the United States. Drag at that point was completely underground and taboo, as most of LGBT community was. The turning point of the LGBT rights movement was the Stonewall Riots in 1966 at the Stonewall Inn in New York.
One of the main issues surrounding the American society today is the clash of thoughts between law enforcement officials and citizens. This situation stems from the often seen unreasonable force used by the police. Movements such as Black Lives Matter, are trying to make the police accountable for their actions to use lethal force. This use of force, however, has been present in the American law enforcement for a long time. Stemming from the days of Jim Crow laws, police has used excessive force to keep African Americans from protesting and sharing their views on the government.
This paper focuses on why police brutality is a major issue in our society today, as it affects African Americans. Throughout this paper, police brutality as it is directed toward African Americans will be thoroughly explained and the main factors associated with it. It will also show the relationship that links police brutality and African Americans. The portion of my paper entitled “Reaction” will then discuss how the narrative has raised my insights in regard to my own comfort zone, triggers and learning edge as defined by Miller and Garran.
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.
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.
An occurrence observed by the population of Los Angeles, California conveys the existence of racism and police brutality. According to The Polls-Trends: Racial Differences in Attitudes Toward the Police, “…three quarters of blacks, but only 38 percent of whites, continued to view police brutality as a common occurrence” (Tuch and Weitzer
