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Systemic Racism and Police Brutality Unmasking Injustice and Demanding Change
Injustices Unveiled: Tragedies and Activism
On January 1st, 2009, 22-year-old Oscar Grant was in a subway station along with others as a report to the police of a fight was reported. Ten minutes later, Oscar Grant and a few others were handcuffed by Officer Johannes Mehserle and instructed to lie down on the ground. Five minutes later, Oscar is still lying face down, handcuffed. Only seconds later, he was shot dead in the back while being faced down and posing no threat. Oscar Grant was unarmed. Oscar Grant had a family.
The sad truth is that discrimination and hate-based actions still exist in this day and age and continue to be disregarded by the general public. It is a serious societal flaw. Recently, this problem has gained prominence due to the numerous killings of innocent young black people. This has sparked various movements, such as “Black Lives Matter.” However, the most detrimental part of this all is that these cruel actions go unaccounted for and, in most cases, have been excused by unethical laws protecting law enforcement. The position of power in which the police force is allows otherwise reckless actions to be excused by so many, which should not be the case.
The African American community still faces discrimination and abuse despite years of societal reform and fights for equality. Police brutality problem is an ongoing problem and continues to affect a large amount of our population and has failed to disappear. It is because of the failure of the American government to eradicate the inequality of human lives.
Bias and unequal treatment of citizens by those who are supposed to protect us is unacceptable in a country such as ours—a country that wants to set an example for others internationally and claims to be the land of opportunity. According to statistics from the Chicago Tribune, in 2016, four out of five killings by police were against young black males. This incredibly high rate highlights the greater risks that African Americans in our society face regularly.
Philando Castile was a 32-year-old African American who was pulled over while driving in Minnesota with his girlfriend and four-year-old daughter. He was shot multiple times and died in the front seat of his car as his daughter, his most cherished supporter, watched. The incident was filmed by Philandros girlfriend and, after his death, circulated and grew to attract media attention on multiple platforms.
Legal Failures and Racial Bias: Undermining Trust
When it comes to the law for these actions, you would think such a crime would be accounted for and equal treatment and proceedings would be assured. However, in the case of Castile vs. Officer Jeronimo Yanez, Yanez was declared not guilty. This was a moment in time when the people realized the seriousness of this issue in our country, as thousands gathered outside of the Minnesota State Capitol in disgust, protesting.
It is not uncommon for a situation to come down to the word of a police officer against the word of a civilian. It is easy to assume how a jury might be biased into believing a police officer’s claim of ¨ self-defense ¨ in a homicide situation due to the positive connotations typically associated with the men and women that are supposed to fight for the members of the public’s lives. If the possibility of racial prejudice is taken into account, it is also easy to assume that many more black people may face potential wrongful imprisonment.
Another theory of why this brutality exists specifically against African-Americans is America’s history of slavery, racism, and segregation for the large part of its development and existence as a nation. Due to the racial tensions that existed in our country, many police officers adopted the approach of willfully and knowingly discriminating against black people when in pursuit of criminal offenders.
As seen in other cases, individuals are given the advantage of exploiting their socially responsible position as police officers in order to carry out racially motivated hate crimes that can later be easily justified in a court of law. Self-defense has been a popular statement of defense by the police on trial for these past murders, and they are able to use this advantage because there is no opposing evidence able to be presented. Allowing officers to be ruled ¨ non-guilty ¨, especially for acts based on racial prejudice, are not only illegal but shows our country in a hateful and dark light that was supposed to be dimmed long ago.
Do you truly think that the ability to take another life is something not bred from hate and power? Humans who hold power in our society should not be exploiting and murdering their brothers and sisters. Every American should be concerned about the evident oppression, regardless of their own background. Currently, there are inadequate report statistics of police brutality incidents. This is because there is no requirement that states that any of the law enforcement agencies must report them or become public knowledge. Consequently, all the data that is presented is based on the ones reported voluntarily, which cannot even account for a fraction of the cases of police brutality that have occurred across our nation.
From Tragedy to Empowerment: Demanding Change
The innocent victims of these crimes were robbed of life, their dreams stolen away, and their families ripped apart like losing a game of Tug of War. From the words of Malcolm X to the actions of Rosa Parks during the period of harsh racism years ago, you can see how one person is able to battle such an issue and stand up against problems in our society when an issue is presented. We need to make changes to ensure people are no longer being discriminated against and dying at the hands of the police.
With this change, people and civilians can feel more connected and not afraid to be around people in the police force. If it is not changed or modified, discrimination will be continued, and more innocent people will be killed. Our communities and people must be aware of this perpetration from positions of power, and a change needs to be made. Oscar deserved to live. Philando was innocent. Oppression exists. Change is necessary.
References:
- Chicago Tribune. (2016). Homicides by Police. Retrieved from https://www.chicagotribune.com/data/ct-shooting-victims-map-charts-htmlstory.html
- The New York Times. (2017). Officer Who Killed Philando Castile Said He Reacted to Gun, Not Race.
- 3.History.com Editors. (2009). Segregation. History.
- Abernathy, S. M., & Banks, K. H. (2018). Policing Race and Place in Indian Country. Annual Review of Criminology, 1(1), 131-150.
- Krieger, L. H. (2013). The content of our categories: A cognitive bias approach to discrimination and equal employment opportunity. Harvard Law Review, 128(5), 1344-1479.
- Brown, J. (2019). No justice, no peace: Race and police brutality in the United States. Social Justice, 46(2), 22-40.
- Alexander, M. (2012). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The New Press.
- Tarrow, S. (2011). Power in movement: Social movements and contentious politics. Cambridge University Press.
- Campaign Zero. (n.d.). Solutions: Reporting.
- Greene, H. T. (2018). People Are Hurting: African Americans’ Traumatic Experiences with Police Brutality and Racial Profiling. Journal of Black Studies, 49(3), 239-257.
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