Police Brutality Paper

Words: 1308
Pages: 6

Police violence is a widespread issue in the United States, predominantly affecting African American communities. The term "police violence" is commonly known as "police brutality." Other similar issues faced by African American communities from law enforcement include racial profiling, bias, and prejudice that plague their law enforcement today. This issue, however, is not as clear-cut as it may seem. It is debated quite often, and many people claim that it is not a major issue, or that the numbers cannot prove there is any inherent bias in American law enforcement work. What this argument doesn't include are the unnoticed statistics and the current and historical stereotypes held within law enforcement. Through studies, comparisons, and historical …show more content…
Similar to these issues are the topics of profiling and bias, which relate closely, except they do not necessarily have to have violent outcomes (Police Violence). Four hours I lay there, sun at my back, my blood running across the country. Mile between the pavement and the crown of my head. Officer, no ambulance ever came" (Geter). This excerpt from the poem "Testimony (for Michael Brown, 1996–2014)" provides the slightest insight into the feelings that Michael Brown may have experienced during his final moments after being shot by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer. This excerpt is just a mere glimpse into the hate and suffrage faced by the victims of police brutality. But these very feelings aren't just felt by one person—not even a few—but by many individuals, including the victims, friends, and family who have been in some way affected by police violence. These instances of prejudice occur quite often. However, most only hear about the rare high-profile police killings, including those of such individuals as George Floyd, Eric Garner, Daunte Wright, and Breonna Taylor, just to name a few