Police Brutality Essay

Police brutality has become a growing issue. With shootings of unarmed African Americans as well as protests, police brutality is one of the most talked about issues in the United States. Police brutality is a term used for undue violence by members of the police force, this violence often directed at young African Americans. With growing awareness towards police brutality, there has also been a growth in questions surrounding the issue. Police brutality is the use of excessive force or verbal assault and psychological intimidation by the law enforcement members. Is police brutality really an issue? Are there solutions? The answer to both questions is yes, although some may disagree with the methods. Groups which are treated as insignificant

Race plays a major role in the issue of police brutality in today’s society. As stated by a journalist, ‘’the history of African Americans in the United States is segregation and discrimination which continues to shape the modern society’’ (Chama 203). Historically, police have been known to defend and enforce racism and segregation in both the North and the South of the United States. During the Civil Rights Movement protesters were attacked by police with extreme violence such as being beaten with batons and guns, pepper sprayed, and bitten by police dogs. Despite the fact that segregation was banned after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, African American were still mistreated. The journalist Brain Chama, also agrees with this fact. ‘’Even though the Jim Crow laws made segregation legal no longer exist, millions of African Americans continue to be

For example it is not rare to find the situation boils down to the word of the police officer against the word of the victim. A study reports ‘’The New York Civil Liberties Union, which authored the report found that since 1996, the police department disciplined police officers in only 24 percent, or 371 of the 1,543 cases of brutality and other misconduct substantiated by the Civilian Complaint Review Board" ("NY" 6). It can be easily assumed how a judge or jury might be biased into believing a police officer's claim of self defense in a questionable killing situation, especially when there's no evidence involved except for statements. "In other cases, either the department did not find the officer guilty, did not punish the officer or has yet to act on the complaint" ("NY"6). If racial prejudice is considered, it can be suspected that many African Americans face potential wrongful conviction and imprisonments, due to the brutality and discrimination of the