In the except from “Police Brutality; A National Debate”, Jerry Bornstein explores how the Rodney King case did create a national debate. The book was published a year after the actual case and the Los Angeles riots that were dated April 29 – May 4, 1992. The purpose of the book was for Bornstein to try to find the definition of police brutality, what causes police brutality and how extensive the problem is.During the trial many people questioned the justice system and believed they were not doing their job of protecting the public. At the end of the trial all four officers were acquitted leaving the world in shock. Eventually the verdict caused many riots in LA which left the world in shock. This source is very value to researching the …show more content…
Free slaves were often arrested and harassed by police officer because of the color of their skin and that they once were slaves. Policing the police hasn't been dealt with until the civil rights movement. Historians argue police brutality has been a national debate ever since the 1960s during the civil war. During peaceful protests, African Americans were hosed down by firefighters and beaten to the ground by police officers instead of allow them to practice their First Amendment Rights. The United States government ignored the correlation between the tension of police authorities and the unlawful arrest, torture, and inhumane treatment especially towards people of color. Historian Sarah Siff published an article to Ohio State University where she proved that there was a major issue in the United States against police officers. During the civil rights movement Blacks weren't protect while protesting their rights which should've been guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Instead Jim Crow laws were created to protect the police officer and gave them the right to regulate how Blacks lived their life. Shortly after the Rodney King incident, the Compton rap group N.W.A. created a billboard records song “F*** the Police” which became the anthem to many in Southern California who were constantly belittled and treated horribly by the corrupt police department and nothing was being done about it, until the actual Rodney King trail. Unlike, Sarah’s claims that civil rights movement was what led to police brutality finally being a headline, it was the Rodney King case that changed the police policies throughout the country and prevented police brutality. Evidences such as the Holliday’s video tape that was sold to CNN, the LA riots leading up to the trail, and the national press coverage after the policemen