Police brutality, as defined by the U.S. History Encyclopedia, mainly affects minority citizens, especially during strikes in the late 1800s and early 1900s when African Americans were fighting for their rights as U.S. citizens. It involves excessive force beyond what is necessary for a lawful police objective. Police misconduct encompasses not only brutality but also false arrest, intimidation, political oppression, abuse of surveillance, sexual misconduct, and corruption within law enforcement.
Reasonable force is defined as an action that is appropriate, equitable, justifiable, moderate, or fitting based on the situation. However, there are instances where law enforcement officers surpass reasonable force when handling African American offenders, leading to a problematic scenario. Another concept related to police brutality is deadly force – deliberately causing or knowingly endangering someone’s life or inflicting severe physical harm.
The use of force continuum mandates that law enforcement officers adhere to a prescribed level of force corresponding to an individual’s actions. Nevertheless, bystanders may interpret even warranted force as excessive. Instances of police misconduct frequently originate from racial bias, as evidenced by 89% of deaths in NYPD custody between 1990 and 1994 involving African American or Hispanic individuals.
The study revealed that police stops are more frequent for minority citizens in comparison to white citizens. Nevertheless, vehicles driven by minorities do not possess a higher probability of containing drug paraphernalia compared to those driven by white individuals. The leading cause of police brutality is racial discrimination and profiling, which stands as the most widespread form of mistreatment. This approach entails stopping individuals on the basis of their skin color and represents the most common infringement upon the fourth amendment. Racial profiling primarily focuses on young Black and Latino men, often being considered an acceptable practice within law enforcement.
Racial profiling, a prevalent form of legal discrimination, occurs daily throughout the country. However, there are multiple questionable elements associated with racial profiling that are challenging to substantiate or avoid. For instance, in many instances, there is insufficient evidence to support the allegations and law enforcement officials can argue that the stop was a routine traffic violation. One illustration of this occurs when an individual of African descent is pulled over for a traffic infraction; police officers initially assess the type of vehicle and subsequently take note of their skin color. It has been observed that a majority of Blacks and Latinos drive eye-catching or vintage cars, which leads to assumptions about their ethnic background.
Harassment is a challenging issue to prove, requiring the victim and police involvement. Research has revealed that minority citizens experience more frequent police stops compared to other citizens, yet vehicles driven by minorities are not any more likely to carry drug paraphernalia than those driven by white individuals. Racial discrimination serves as the main foundation for instances of police brutality. Many victims of police abuse opt against reporting it due to their awareness that provoking the police can result in long-lasting troubles. Those who do file complaints often find that self-protection takes precedence within police departments, while the general public, who may be unsuspecting and easily influenced, tends to rally behind law enforcement.
On YouTube, there are countless instances of police brutality that can exceed one’s lifetime capacity for viewing. A quick Google search for “youtube police brutality” yields “497,000 results.” These outcomes encompass a wide range of incidents, including the shooting of a man in a wheelchair, the body slamming of an 89-year-old confused great grandmother, and the use of tasers on children and mothers with young kids. It appears that overweight police officers particularly target women, children, and senior citizens. The minority community in the United States has faced law enforcement violence for numerous decades.
Police brutality, a type of violence that often ends in deaths, illustrates the issue at hand and unfairly impacts minority communities. The case of Rodney King, an African American man, serves as a prime example. On March 31, 1991, King was pulled over by the LA Police for exceeding the speed limit. According to the police’s account, King resisted arrest and was believed to be intoxicated or under drug influence. However, a bystander managed to film officers using tasers on him and subjecting him to kicks, stomps, and baton strikes.
He endured a total of 56 blows from batons, was kicked 6 times, and suffered 11 fractures to his skull along with brain and kidney damage. The beating lasted around two minutes. Four officers were charged with excessive force and later found guilty. Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell received prison sentences of 30 months each, while Theodore Briseno and Timothy Wind were acquitted. These incidents sparked protests and riots in LA that lasted for six days, resulting in the loss of 53 lives.
In his book “Hate Crimes” (2007, p.8-80), William F. Schulz highlights various cases of discrimination, entrapment, verbal abuse, as well as beatings inflicted by police and sexual assault faced by individuals. It is important to note that King did not deserve the violent beating he underwent. Another victim who encountered racial discrimination was Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant. On August 9th, 1997, a confrontation occurred outside Club Rendez-vous in Brooklyn, New York. When Louima resisted arrest at the age of 33, the officers became enraged and made two stops on their way to the station to further attack him.
Upon their arrival, the man was forcibly taken by two officers to a bathroom. In that location, they proceeded to forcefully remove his trousers and physically assault him using the handle of a toilet plunger. This resulted in severe brutality as they inserted the plunger handle into both his rectum and mouth, causing broken teeth. Throughout this horrifying experience, Louima repeatedly cried out in agony, questioning why they were inflicting such pain upon him. Witnesses observed that there were no bruises or injuries on Louima when he was removed from the scene. However, three hours later, excessive bleeding was discovered and he was immediately rushed to the hospital. Medical examination uncovered a puncture in his small intestine and injuries to his bladder, necessitating emergency surgery.
Police brutality can take various forms, not exclusively physical. Patrick Hall, an African American male who served in the United States Army, opted to enroll at Illinois University in Macomb after retiring in 2006. During his time as a student, he also ventured into entrepreneurship by opening a tavern. As the inaugural African American entrepreneur in Macomb, he hired several of his African American acquaintances. Nevertheless, the police and other authorities disapproved of this transformation and initiated harassment against Hall (Ashutosh, 2007). Officers subjected him to humiliation and performed random searches to ascertain if any illicit activities were taking place.
The police were involved in various forms of misconduct, including intimidation and abuse of surveillance. They denied Hall’s civil rights and spread rumors about his employees. Hall’s attempt to file a complaint was immediately rejected. According to Hall, he was treated as if he were a convicted criminal (Ashutosh, 2007, n. p.). As a result, Hall was forced to close his tavern and leave Macomb City. This case highlights the verbal and emotional bullying of Patrick Hall solely based on his race as an African American.
Despite some progress made in education, training, and integrating law enforcement, incidents of racial profiling and police brutality still occur. By addressing racial injustices and moving towards justice for minorities, these abuses and punishments will decrease, leading to fewer brutalities and deaths and more social justice. If Americans can find the emotional strength to recognize the oppression they live under, they will also take to the streets.
