Essay with Rough Draft

I. Countless people try to defend the police by saying they’re just doing their jobs, but don’t realize that what they’re doing is police brutality.

a. Rudy Salas "They locked the door behind me and there were four guys, four cops there kicking me in the head" (Smith 3)

b. “The George Floyd killing was not the first case of police misconduct to lead to social unrest, and if the nation's most fragile communities don't feel confident in their police forces, it won't be the last.” Verbruggen

c. “Historically, police brutality and discrimination against minorities has often caused riots in the United States.” (Alistair Cooke 103)

d. “Many of the worst riots or rebellions in the 20th century stemmed from allegations of police brutality. The damage from the riots in terms of loss of life and property destruction was massive..." (Jessica S. Henry 589)

II.  Police have used fear to enforce their oppression.

a. "Police jump out, guns, pull him out of the car, throw him to the floor, put a handcuff on him behind his back. All while pointing a gun at him" (Smith 215)

b. “Bracketing the tear gas and rubber bullets, the way the police have behaved toward the protesters reminds me of how they police Black communities” (Glaude)

c. “In interrogating suspects, the police would routinely beat suspects with fists, blackjacks, and rubber hoses to extract information” (Jessica S. Henry 587)

III. African Americans want to solve this issue with anger and violence and feel like it is their last resort.

a. Maxine Waters “all of this anger and despair was exacerbated by the excessive use of force by police departments, that the justice department has never ever used its power to do anything about excessive force in these cities."(Smith 169)

b. “Anger and fear make a combustible mixture. More than 140 cities have exploded since Floyd's death” (Glaude).

IV. Some citizens need to understand all the cons that the riots are causing other people.

a. Mrs. Young-Soon Han "They got their rights. By destroying innocent Korean merchants..." (Smith 247)

b. Anonymous man #2 "I don't mean I deserve to get my house burned down...it was so heartbreaking, seeing those...the devastation that went on and people reduced to burning down their own neighborhoods."(Smith 140-141)

c. “The rioting that followed will haunt the affected communities for years” (Verbruggen)

d. “It also fueled increasing public concern with racial profiling in the United States” (Alistair Cooke 106).

V. The best alternative to violence is love.

a. Rev. Tom Choi "It was just whatever love I had in my heart to share with people that proved to be good enough."(Smith 203)

b. Tom Bradley "Let us not kill that effort by reacting with violence." (Smith 86)

c. “you can see a person as a member of a particular occupational group, for instance, or any number of categories that aren't necessarily tied to this threat response that has been instilled over centuries and is now fundamental in our cultures.” (Lasana Harris, Daniel Cossins)