Police Shootings

Words: 580
Pages: 3

As the year comes to the end, we are reminded of all the highlights, both good and bad. Police brutality is something that has become increasingly constant. Whether it’s covered by your local news channel or social media, the public is no longer turning a blind eye. Every year, the number of people affected by police brutality increases. The Washington Post reported “nine hundred and fifty-two people have been shot and killed by police in 2017” (The Washington Post, “Police Shootings 2017 Database”). This is not only a problem for those affected by police brutality, but for society as well. However, it seems most police brutality cases involve minorities.
In the United States, minorities have been governed by violence at the hands of the police force for decades. Most
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These officers may plea as guilty for a more minor charge as well. However, more police officers accused of police brutality have gone scot free, “The ongoing Post project has documented twice as many shootings by the police in 2015 and 2016 as ever recorded in a single year by the FBI’s tracking of such shootings, a pattern that is emerging again in 2017. Since Brown’s killing in Ferguson, other fatal shooting by police, many captured on video have fueled protests and calls for reform. Some police chiefs have taken steps in their departments to reduce the number of fatal encounters, yet the overall numbers remain unchanged” (The Washington Post, “492 Died in Police Shootings This Year”). Michael Brown was an unarmed African American teenager that was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. His death resulted in protests throughout the city. Sadly, Darren Wilson, the Caucasian police officer who shot Brown, was found not indicted by a grand jury due to lack of evidence. This decision resulted in violent nationwide protests, where many cops where