As defined by Merriam Webster, the definition of “Justice” is the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments,” (Merriam-Webster, 2018). From a distance the United States Judicial system may look as if it’s functioning properly, administering fair, impartial judgment on wrong doers and rewarding the do-gooders. However, when we dive into the subject to take a closer look, things aren’t as cut and dry as they seem. When slavery was abolished in 1865, the state of the nation didn’t change overnight. Frankly, the state of the nation still has some changing to do. About 233 African-American were shot by police in 2016 alone, which accounts for 24% of fatal shootings by police, (Nodjimbadem, 2017). Aside from this alarming statistic, there are countless other terrifying accounts that African Americans have suffered. Police prejudice against African Americans is such an explosive, dense, and disturbing issue in America today, and society’s reactions to it are just as explosive.
According to the Washington Post, African Americans are two and a half times more likely to wind up shot by the police than white Americans, (Lowery, 2016). This statistic is alarming for multiple reasons. At face value, we understand that two and a half times more likely to get shot is a terrifying increase, however it only gets worse. When we account that there are 160 million more white folk in America than there are black folk. African Americans make up just 13% of the American population, and yet they account for 24% of fatal police shootings, (Lowery, 2016). These statistics alone are unsettling, and yet a large portion of America seems unbothered by them. White America is unaffected by the prejudice that police exert on minorities, so why should they fret? It is this troubling mentality that diminishes the efforts of minority equality movements. However, it seems that this doesn’t dissuade African American organizations from rising up and expressing their opinions. In fact, it only seems to fuel their fight.
The front-runner of Black organizations and easily the most familiar to most people is the Black Lives Matter organization. A chapter-based and member led organization, the Black Lives Matter program’s mission is to “build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes,” (Blacklivesmatter.com). Organizations like Black Lives Matter give power to a group of people who typically aren’t given the same opportunities in America. These organizations act as a pedestal where an individual can gain confidence, meaning, and an understanding that they aren’t alone. Through rallying with like-minded people who want to fight for African American equality, an individual’s influence on society grows. They find themselves apart of a team that fights for the same cause, which can lead to them being more vocal about their beliefs. This, in turn, can lead to their message influencing more individuals causing the organization to grow, leading to a better tomorrow. Black Lives Matter along with other pro equality groups are tasked with fighting the good fight for just, impartial treatment from police. However, they have numerous social mentalities to overcome. One prominent issue is the issue of racial profiling.
Racial profiling is defined as “the use of race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense,” (ACLU, 2018). An ever-present issue in American society, it serves as a prominent and reoccurring battle that African Americans, along with other minorities, must face every day. This terrible social occurrence, which happens almost inherently, has caused police to act without thinking, leading to some of the most controversial police lawsuits in American history. Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, Eric Garner in New York City, NY, Tamir Tice in Cleveland, and Freddie Gray in Baltimore, are all victims who paid the ultimate price due to racial profiling and police brutality. These controversial killings have brought an overwhelming amount of attention to the issue revolving around racism, prejudice, and the unfair treatment of minorities. This attention has led society to push back against law enforcement, leading to some improvements such as body cams on police officers, more intensive training in regards to police firing their weapons, and even how they conduct arrests. While these may be steps in the right direction, there is still a long way to go in the fight against police prejudice.
Another social factor that leads to an increase in police brutality and prejudice is gentrification. Gentrification is when the government improves a neighborhood or an area of town so that it conforms to a more middle class that hold high standards. In the process of gentrification, those who cannot afford the transition are often tossed aside. This procedure often leads to lower class families being pushed out of their home neighborhoods, and forced to relocate to another, many times, lower class or “ghetto” area. When that mass exodus occurs, it leaves an over populated low-class neighborhood. This, in turn, causes issues with jobs, resources, and overall neighborhood morale. According to a Scholars’ article, “In many of America’s cities, civic leaders have pinned hopes for urban revitalization on gentrification and efforts to attract immigrants. But facts on the ground show that they need to weight the probability that these forms of urban change can further isolate poor blacks and Latinos and – contrary to media claims – actually increase racial segregation and inequality,” (Hwang, 2014). This brings us to a conclusion that when disadvantaged people are stuck in a rut, they will turn to any way to survive. By isolating minorities in an overpopulated area with little resources, some will revert to crime. When crime rates increase, police presence in those neighborhoods also increase. Reputation of crime and violence can cause society’s perception of the neighborhood to change for the worse. Increasing negative perception of a neighborhood puts people, including police, on edge when they have to be present in these disadvantaged areas. It is these negative connotations that can lead to intensifying police brutality against the minority members of the community. Police officers feel more threatened by people because those in the community haven’t been given the same opportunity for success as others in different, possible better off, communities. Due to increased crime rates and an increase in the unease of officers, police sometimes over react which leads to an increase in police violence against African Americans and all minorities. This is by definition police prejudice.
Along with the issue of police discrimination and prejudice on African Americans, society suffers from the same thing. The media has shown many instances where police officers mishandle a situation, or use excessive force when apprehending a minority. These instances when televised add tension to white people in their communities. White people start to develop negative images of minorities even though they may have no criminal background. When the members of the community develop these mental images and connotations of African Americans, they tend to reach out to authorities more frequently. These occurrences continually diminish and demean the reputation of upstanding minority citizens. For example, in April of 2018, two African American males were arrested in a Starbucks in Philadelphia. The reason police were called was because they hadn’t ordered anything, and therefore were “trespassing.” The two said they were waiting for a friend, who arrived while police officers applied handcuffs to each man. This is clearly an act of social prejudice, and in turn police prejudice, for actually arresting two clearly innocent African American men.
Police prejudice against the African American community is a wildly clear issue in the social climate of the United States. As lower income neighborhoods are being gentrified, more and more minorities are being pushed out of their homes and forced to relocate. This intrusion leaves many with no other choice but to resort to crime in order to make ends meet. This raises social concern in both civilian and authoritative figures’ eyes. The results are ugly, raised pressure against African Americans, hate groups sprouting against minority rights, increased inappropriate altercations with police discriminating innocent minorities. The list of victims seems only to grow larger as the days wear on. However, there is a positive in light of all this negativity. While these social issues are brought to the public eye through the media, like-minded people who are fighting the good fight are banding together. Groups such as Black Lives Matter are forming across the nation to spread awareness and formulate ways to end racism and discrimination. Through the ideas that these groups share, we can eliminate police and social prejudice from our country and live in harmony.
