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Police Brutality In To Kill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee

1121 Words5 Pages

The justice system is essential in order for any society to obtain fairness and equality. It is tasked with enforcing the law, protecting citizens from harm, and ensuring that justice will be served. Despite this purpose, the justice system is not immune to criticism, and its flaws have become increasingly apparent in recent years. The system is supposed to treat all people equally, regardless of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. However, the system has been letting the citizens down by doing the opposite of what it promised. In spite of its purpose and promise to uphold fairness and equality, the justice system is inherently unjust as it disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, perpetuates systemic biases and discrimination, …show more content…

Police brutality is an ongoing concern within the United States, with hundreds of people of color murdered because of the color of their skin. A targeted group is black people, given 27% of 1,055 people shot by police in 2021 while only making up 13% of the overall population within the U.S. (Bunn “Report: Black people are still killed by police at a higher rate than other groups”). This problem has been occurring for centuries, from slavery to Jim Crow, and up to now, even being included in a variety of media. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it is illustrated that vigilante actions such as unjustly lynching killed black defendants in America is an accurate representation of its past as he was accused of raping a white woman. An additional piece of media that discusses societal issues like police brutality is the satirical animated television series, South Park. The series is known for its criticism of issues using satirical comedy to spread awareness. In one episode, the creators parody the case of cop George Zimmerman who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, while getting off scot-free. In the episode, Zimmerman is shown shooting and killing a zombie, symbolizing black people, and then being praised for being a hero because they’re no longer a threat to society (Trey Parker 00:00-23:40). The episode demonstrates racial profiling and police brutality, mainly when unarmed black people are targeted and killed by law enforcement. It shows that if a comedic show built upon satire repeatedly points out the issues in the justice system over the years, then it's overdue for

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