By: Tess Lampe
Because my English class has started to read the book All American Boys, I thought it fitting to review the controversial topic of police brutality, being that it is very present in the book (written by Jason Reynolds and Brenden Kiely). Police brutality is defined as “a civil rights violation that occurs when a police officer acts with excessive force by using an amount of force with regards to a civilian that is more than necessary.” Essentially, it is when a police officer is unnecessarily and excessively brutal or physical with a civilian.
Police brutality has come in many forms, those being general violence, torture, and even murder. Minority or discriminated-against groups like African-Americans, Native Americans, religious minorities, the mentally ill, the disabled, those of the LGBTQ+ community, and the poor are most affected by police brutality, according to SIRS. Some have come to believe that more accountability, oversight, and training would help prevent police brutality. Others oppose by stating that police have the right to use “reasonable” force in self-defense and should not be treated as a criminal for making “split-second decisions.”
These arguments frequently beg the question “Do you think the police are ever justified in using excessive force?” The answer for some is yes when it comes to self-defense and if the one the police officer is apprehending is fighting or resisting. However, for others, they want to protect themselves and their children at all costs, especially if they are apart of any minority groups. Do police unfairly target racial, ethnic, religious, or other minorities? Definitely, but that usually applies to the ones who hold discriminatory beliefs. While it is true that some police are racist, homophobic, etc., that does not apply to every police officer, which is why police brutality is controversial in the eyes of many. Some only blame the ones deserving and some believe that all or most police officers will abuse their power or put their own beliefs in front of their duty.
Addressing why police brutality was brought up in the first place, many people have died or have been seriously injured due to excessive & unnecessary force from police officers. More specifically, black men at age 15-34 are 16 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than any other. Additionally, police killed 1,164 people in 2018 alone. Further, even though black people are only about 13% of the population in the U.S., 25% of the 1,164 people killed were black. Despite this, 99% of officers involved in a police brutality crime were not convicted.
Police brutality has always depended on many things, including your race and where you live.
Not only are black people 3X more likely to be killed than white people (even though police brutality is most common with black, hispanic, & white), but they are also 6X more likely to be killed by police in Oklahoma than Georgia.
Conclusively, police brutality is not something to be treated lightly and when it happens by its definition, there is no excuse for it. It does not line up with other crime rates in the U.S., and there has been close to no accountability taken for it. Rest in peace to those like Keith Childress, Bettie Jones, Kevin Matthews, Michael Noel, Leroy Browning, and others who were treated so horribly.
https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2257695952?searchid=1579807228&accountid=65642
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/05/the-57375-years-of-life-lost-to-police-violence/559835/
https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed-2015/fuvbm3dyqdjiquus4et3t3q4n32vdc
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