Outline

POLICE BRUTALITY 6

Police Brutality

Jamisha Riddick

Running head: POLICE BRUTALITY 1

Walden University

Abstract

In this paper, I will discuss police brutality and the excessive amount of force that continues against minorities, particularly African American males. Correlations will be made between present social concerns and historic events. I will review the historic conduct of the African American Population in the U.S. This paper will also show the contentious interaction of African American males, who are regularly viewed as aggressive and intimidating by police officers. Police brutality is the purposeful exercise unnecessary force, often physical but possibly in the form of emotional intimidation and verbal assault. Following the Civil Rights era, through American history, African Americans have been viewed as the most undervalued race in society and perceived as nuisances to societal order. Furthermore, law enforcement officers are normally assigned to localities that they have not lived in or are have no understanding of the cultural activities and how these ethics groups function. The police may respond to African Americans with predetermined deleterious thoughts. This paper will discuss how police officers use force, increased assertiveness and are unfamiliar with social concepts and fear African American males due to the environment they live in. I will discuss how other Americans in predominately Caucasian communities rarely deal with police brutality. Finally, I will provide data that correlates death within African American males due to police brutality. These men face serious health ordeals that are directing related to the impact of force used against them because of the color of their skin. The police forces are slowing killing African Americans by way of brutality beating them.

Keywords: African American, police brutality, historic events, unnecessary force, intimidation, race, culture

Police Brutality Peer Review Articles

Angus, J., & Crichlow, V. (2018). A Race and Power Perspective on Police Brutality in America. Retrieved from https://journals.flvc.org/faurj/article/view/106404/101916

Police officers in America kill innocent people more than any other first world country in the world. A nationwide police violence mapping of 2015 showed that police officers killed five times more unarmed black people compared to unarmed Caucasian citizens. Police violence in America targeting African Americans has been taken away lives at a rate of 31.17 per million, equated to the lives of 1.47 per million white males. In 2015 1 out of 3 people who died in America were killed by police, and they were unarmed. The data translated to a minimum of 102 unarmed black people being killed at least twice a week. This data shows how fetal police violence or brutality is on African Americans.

Chaney, C., & Robertson, R. V. (2013). Racism and police brutality in America. Journal of African American Studies, 17(4), 480-505.

Police brutality has been categorized as an issue directly linked to racial matters as it is directed only towards African Americans as the native Caucasian citizens never go through the same level of brutality as the blacks. According to Chaney & Robertson (2013), the data to the data collected from the cases of police brutality only black people have been most casualties. Police brutality is common in residential areas where African Americans are found while they are rare in the regions where the predominately Caucasian communities. Due to this, police brutality is racially biased and targets a specific group of people.

Gray, A. C., & Parker, K. F. (2020). Race and police killings: examining the links between racial threat and police shootings of Black Americans. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 1-26. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15377938.2020.1774952

Due to the environment that the minority African American groups live in and they kind of lifestyle, they are related to makes police officers approach them with preconceived thoughts, attitudes, and perspective of them being a threat. Gray et al. (2020) mention that the police's preconceived view of black people results in them using excessive force on anyone who is black without considering if they are a threat. The preconceived attitude of police has resulted in the killings of multiple innocent black males whom police thought of as being a threat due to their attitude towards the black community. This perspective has created fear between the police officers and the black community, which is unhealthy as it has resulted in police brutality and death.

Graham, A., Haner, M., Sloan, M. M., Cullen, F. T., Kulig, T. C., & Jonson, C. L. (2020). Race and Worrying About Police Brutality: The Hidden Injuries of Minority Status in America. Victims & Offenders, 1-25. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15564886.2020.1767252

Racism and racial segregation in America have been a significant issue since time immemorial, which has created a massive rift between the two groups that make up society. Graham et al. (2020) state that racial segregation has created inequalities in the community, which has resulted in African Americans' conducting themselves differently than the natives to prevent them from getting into problems with the authorities. The inequalities brought about by race have created a tense relationship between the African Americans and the police officers. The historical conduct of African Americans in the population has been one that avoids any contact or involvement of police due to fear of brutality and injustice. African American parents bring up their children with instruction on how to conduct themselves when the police approach them, question or ask them to surrender to prevent them from being killed even when they are innocent.

King, S. (2011). “Ready to Shoot and Do Shoot” Black Working-Class Self-Defense and Community Politics in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s. Journal of urban history, 37(5), 757-774.

According to King (2011), police brutality is not a new thing in America as it has been there since time immemorial, even before the formation of the civil rights movement. Police violence and use of excessive power on citizens by the police has been rampant in America, especially on the black community members. The issue of racism in America has been severe, especially when it involves the police force. Racial profiling, intimidation, and brutality on the black community members have created a tense relationship between the community and the police. It is absurd that an individual's skin color in America is used as a factor that determines how one should be treated. Those that are vested with the power of serving and protecting citizens are intimidating and hurting them.

Marier, C. J., & Fridell, L. A. (2020). Demonstrations, demoralization, and de‐policing. Criminology & Public Policy. https://www.christopherjmarier.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Demonstrations-Demoralization-and-Depolicing-2.pdf

Police brutality and the use of lethal force on the minorities have had dire implications on the country and the relationship between them and the citizens. According to Marier & Fridell (2020), most of the time, when the police people kill an innocent person tend to demonstrate and protest, which destroys peace order, lives, and properties. This can be evidenced in the latest demonstrations that happened nationwide due to the brutal murder of George Floyd, which affected the peace and order of America. The other implication is that police brutality affects the relationship that police have with the citizens creating a tense relationship that lacks trust. Police Brutality has fetal effects on those who fall, victim, affecting their physical and mental wellbeing, and it should be stopped.

Robinson, T. R. (2018). Examining the Trauma-Related Health Effects of Police Behavior on Black Communities. The Slu Mcnair Research, 42. https://www.slu.edu/pre-college-access-trio/trio-program/mcnair-scholars-program/pdfs/mspjournal2018_compressed.pdf#page=42

Police brutality and use of excessive force in African Americans most of the time result in the death of the citizens and those that survive to go through serious health ordeals that affect them physically and psychologically. Police brutality is a combination of intimidation, threats, verbal and physical abuse, which affects one's state of mind and might cause physical injuries. Police brutality has caused significant injuries among those who fall victim to injuries, such as fractures, body cuts, and mishandling of their private parts. Police brutality also affects one's psychology as verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, and the physical abuse that one goes through affects their state of mind. The horrific experience that one goes through makes them view the police differently enhances anxiety, stress, and paranoia, which is unhealthy for their mental health.

Walker, A. (2010). Racial Profiling-Separate and Unequal Keeping the Minorities in Line-The Role of Law Enforcement in America. Thomas L. Rev., 23, 576.

Walker (2010) says that racism has been a crucial issue in America, especially in terms of how police treat and serve citizens. In America, the minority black community has been subjected to racial profiling, brutality from the police, and unfairness and inequality when it comes to acquiring services of justice from the police force. Police officers claim that black people are dangerous and radical, and that is why they approach them with excessive force as their environment has made them that way. The living condition of the minority African American group in America, which is full of poverty, crime, and drugs, makes them unruly, dangerous, and not easy to deal with, making it necessary to use excessive force.