Sean Bell, Daniel Shaver, Walter Scott, John Crawford, Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Raupheal Thomas, Tamir Rice, Nicholas Thomas; all these men have something in common: they were unarmed, shot and killed by police. All these officers have been let off due to typical excuses such as self-defense, raised suspicion, or probable cause, without a single form of punishment. Law Enforcement, more specifically police officers, have to be responsible and take full accountability and receive reasonable punishment for their misbehavior and wrongdoings. These men and women hold such authority and responsibility that should not have to experience these brutal consequences whatsoever. These men and women are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the …show more content…
Despite our superiority, America still has a plethora of problems from within, one of them is a corrupted system of law enforcement. Our own law enforcement is one of the factors contributing to America’s downfall. What people think is keeping them safe is really just hurting them behind their backs. A publicist by the name of Shaun King has taken note that so far as of July 17, 2017, 660 people have been killed by police or some type of law enforcement. That would make this year alone to be one of the deadliest years since people had begun tracking this statistic back in 2013. King also mentions that no one in this country will care about police brutality until the police start killing white families, which clearly brings us to the assumption that almost all of the 660 victims have been criminalized and racially profiled (King para 1 & 2). This piled on top of the excuse of a government is an important factor to our existential …show more content…
He had been pulled over, with his girlfriend in the car, for a routine stop. Officer Jeronimo Yanez had pulled Castile to inform him of a faulty tail light. As procedure follows, Yanez asks Castile to present his proof of insurance. During this exchange, before Yanez searches the vehicle any further, Castile admits to possessing a firearm. You can see where Yanez may be coming from at this point, but what comes next is a little too disturbing to be an act of self defense. Castile reaches towards his pocket to pull his wallet out to retrieve his driver’s license, consequently, Yanez mistakes this move as an opportunity for Castile to grab his firearm. Yanez’s first response is “don’t pull it out,” and Castile answers back ensuring the officer that he won’t pull out his firearm. But Castile continues to reach for his wallet. At that moment, officer Yanez draws his pistol and discharges seven shots from point-blank range into Castile, killing him instantly (Forde). There is a lot that is morally wrong here. Yanez clearly misread the situation. He chose to draw his firearm and shoot immediately at Castile from less than a foot away. A much safer alternative would have been for Yanez to reach out and restrain Castile since they were already in close quarters. Consequently, because Yanez chose extremely harsh measures, Castile is now dead, and Philando’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, is now widowed and