Police Brutality Against African Americans - 1997 Words

â€Å"What are you following me for?† â€Å"You shot me. You shot me!† â€Å"Please don’t let me die† â€Å"Officer, why do you have your guns out?† â€Å"I can’t breathe.† â€Å"I don’t have a gun. Stop Shooting.†(The Last Words). These were some of the last words from victims of police brutality against African Americans. Police brutality has been occurring ever since the police force began, but recently, the police have been targeting African Americans. In 2016, more than 250 African Americans were killed by the police. Most of the victims were unarmed and have not committed a serious offense. These frightening statistics do not have to continue. If the average American recognized the severity of the issue and raised their voice, this inequity†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"From the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, to the Pullman Strike of 1894, the Lawrence textile strike of 1912, the Ludlow massacre of 1914, the Steel strike of 1919, and the Hanapepe massacre of 1924, the police would brutally beat striking laborers.† (History 1) But ever since the civil rights movement of the mid- 1900s, the police have diverted their attention to African Americans. During the civil rights movement, the police used appalling tactics on the protesters. March 7, 1965 was a day famously known as â€Å"Bloody Sunday†. Protesters marched from Selma to Montgomery as a response to the killing of Jimmy Lee Jackson, a protester who was fatally shot by the police on February 17. He was shot in the stomach by Trooper James Fowler during a protest. Six hundred marchers, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee(SNCC), came together on March 7. They were to cross over the Edmund Pettus bridge, over the Alabama river, but they fell short of that plan. â€Å"Just short of the bridge, they found their way blocked by Alabama State troopers and local police who ordere d them to turn around. When the protesters refused, the officers shot teargas and waded into the crowd, beating the nonviolent protesters with billy clubs and ultimately hospitalizing over fifty people. â€Å" (Selma 3)â€Å"Protesters were rushed by K-9 German Shepherds and had high pressure water hoses used on them†(History). In some cases,Show MoreRelatedPolice Brutality Against African Americans1997 Words   |  8 PagesPolice Brutality against African Americans From over 300 years African Americans have struggled from being taken from their homeland to being forced into slavery. They regained their so-called ‘Freedom’ but were never quite equal with all. African Americans have been fighting for equality for years and have had multiple leaders bring attention to the issues like Martin Luther King Junior forming marches to Rosa Parks refusing to get up from her seat for a White person. In this day of age AfricanRead MorePolice Brutality Against African Americans1358 Words   |  6 PagesPolice brutality against African Americans is nothing new in today’s society. Twenty five years after the beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, and countless other unarmed African American men and women have become victims of police officers. Riots and protests in places like Ferguson, Baltimore and Cleveland have garnered the issue and unprecedented amount of attention, especially i n the media. It has also caused an outcry among the AmericanRead MorePolice Brutality Against African Americans Essay1500 Words   |  6 Pages Police brutality against African Americans was a huge impact in Los Angeles, California in 1991, and continues to be a problematic situation in America today. On March 3, 1991, a group of white LAPD beat Rodney King. After this incident occurred a lot of negative events started to transpire. A lot of African Americans were angry and demanded justice. The relationship between the LAPD and the Los Angeles community in 1991 were horrific and still continues to be awful today. Police brutality justRead MorePolice Brutality Against African Americans1972 Words   |  8 Pagesbad cops who kill for no reason. Police brutality against African Americans have been increasing over the past couple of years. Proper training of law enforcers and better education to the community will help ensure some of these incidents would not end with a life lost. à ¢â‚¬Å"Police need to learn more than logistics of policing but also the broader significance of their role in society† (Police Need Better). In this statement it is saying that yes, the job of the police to enforce the law, but also toRead MorePolice Brutality Of African Americans1405 Words   |  6 PagesIn recent years police brutality towards African Americans has increased. This violence has resulted in riots across the United States. The August 2014 death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri many Americans, some who are former Civil Rights activists, have spoken out against police brutality. Black Lives Matter states that the movement’s goal is to bring justice to the present unjust police killings of African Americans. Looking at prior cases of brutality and its connection to racial profilingRead MoreEssay On Police Brutality1478 Words   |  6 Pagesongoing, which leads to police brutality. In â€Å"Why Are So Many Black Americans Killed By Police?†, Carl Bialik, reveals racism (consciously or not) leads to police brutality of African Americans. Kia Makarechi in â€Å"What The Data Really Says About Police and Racial Bias†, shows evidence of African Americans receiving more police brutality because of racism. Clint Smith in â€Å"Racism, Stress, and Black Death†, conveys how studies show that African Americans are receiving police brutality due to day-to-day discriminationRead MorePolice Brutality And The United States1479 Words   |  6 Pages Police Brutality in the United States University of Nebraska Kearney Colton Blankenship Abstract This research paper is an overview of police brutality in the United States. The paper covers what police brutality is and the definition. The information about police brutality is expanded about what is reasonable and excessive use of force an officer can use. Information is included about the thoughts of what the citizens feel about police brutality. Among the white andRead MoreLiterature Review On Police Brutality1105 Words   |  5 PagesLiterature Review Police and community relations has always been a work in progress, some communities are more challenging than others. There are various factors that impact the relationship police have with civilians such as geographical location, race, gender, personal experience and in personal ones as well. In the last few years police and the African American community on a national level been more disconnected due to a pattern of unforeseen circumstances of unarmed black men being shot andRead MorePolice Brutality Is An Extremely Serious Offence885 Words   |  4 Pagesthe police for help,Considering their job is to protect you at all times. But, who Do you call when it s a police officer abusing his authority? Who do you call when the peacemakers are disturbing your peace and just adding to the crime rates in America? Police brutality is a crime very much present in today s society just as it was present during the civil rights movements of the 1960’s and years after that . It is a very big issue in our highly populated cities in america. Police brutality isRead MoreThe Violence Of Police Brutality907 Words   |  4 Pagesit is crucial to note that police brutality is not synonymous to racism against a particular group. However, there is a stigma that police often racially profile a specific African Americans. In February 2015, two cases of police brutality did not involve African Americans; instead the two victims were a Hispanic shot and killed in Washington State and an Indian-American severely paralyzed in Alabama. Even with this considered, of late, a majority of police brutality cases have involved minorities