By: Allen G. Breed
The Huffington Post
In Missouri, New York, South Carolina and Ohio individuals that were all unarmed African Americans died at the hands of white policemen. "The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, for instance, track justifiable police homicides — there were 1,688 between 2010 and 2013 — but the statistics rely on voluntary reporting by local law enforcement agencies and are incomplete. Circumstances of the deaths, and other information such as age and race, also aren't required" (Breed,1). On July 17, 43-year-old Eric Garner died after officers tried to arrest him on suspicion of selling cigarettes on a New York City street. Cellphone video captured the scene as one officer wrapped his arm around Garner's neck, and the black man repeatedly pleaded, "I can't breathe." Tensions escalated on Aug. 9, when Officer Darren Wilson fatally shot unarmed, 18-year-old Michael Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. On Nov. 22, a Cleveland officer shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice after responding to reports of an armed man at a city park. Rice was only holding a pellet gun. " 'Within the African-American community, there has been an experience of disrespect, offensive language, mistreatment in terms of stops and so on,' he says. 'And there's a sense that the police are out to get them'" (Breed,1). "African-American communities are tired of being over-policed, over-prosecuted, sent to prison, having men taken away from their communities, having families broken," says Chettiar, director of the center's Justice Program. "I think there's much more than just an instinctual sense that there is something amiss in these communities. I think people are tired of 'tough on crime.'"
I recently heard about the Eric Garner case yesterday, and have to say that that was the one that affected me the most, for some reason. It was most likely due to the image I was able to form in my head of the officer ruthlessly choking Garner and him having to beg for it to end. I personally find it difficult to understand these stereotypes placed upon African Americans, but that is only my perception. I cannot claim either the officer or the victim to be "correct" because I feel I do not know enough, yet believe something should be done to discover a problem if it exists, and solve it based on humanity, not legality.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mariam, Eric Garner's case had the most influence on me and I think the world as well. Numerous NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant have been wearing warm-up shirts which say, "I Cant Breathe" in honor of Eric Garner. That man did not deserve to die, and justice should be served on the people enforcing the justice.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Brittany! In addition to the cases Mariam, Sako, and you mentioned, there is also the Ferguson case which still has not come to a conclusion until today. It is truly a shame how people are treating other people so differently simply because of their skin pigmentation. Beneath the skin, we are all the same.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the blog post, I had the same question you did. Where is the justice? Killing innocent African Americans has become a norm for police officers and this needs to STOP. It was with the help of your blog post that I was able to understand the situation more. Informative and emotional. Amazing job Britney!
ReplyDeleteVery well written Brittany. Cases such as these or the Mike Brown case truly upset me. I emotionally feel sick while reading articles or hearing things such as these; killings based off race and skin color. It honestly amazes me how ignorant someone can be if they think there should be some sort of segregation between people only due to their race or color. This case,especially,struck a cord in me. I find the actions of these police officers atrocious and pathetic...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, before I get any more riled up, GREAT JOB BRIT! (:
It is saddening to hear about these terrible happenings. It makes me sad and upset that there is this much racism in 2014. In our modern day, how could racism exist? This, I cannot believe in. It is obvious that Blacks are extremely mad and tired of these "racist policemen". We are all equal and the fact that policemen discriminate against the Blacks makes me ready to stand up and fight.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post Brittany! This is an extremely important topic. Our country is in a terrible place at the moment because for some reason racism still exists. For some reason, it is the police force that is disturbing the peace in America. The people who are here to serve and protect are instilling fear into the people instead of taking it from them. I am happy someone chose this topic because it is an extremely relevant and important topic.
ReplyDeleteBrittany, great post, first of all... Fascinating topic and amazing wording. You made it eye opening, caught the reader's attention, and made me want to read more! The subjectis obviously very upsetting but it is something happening in our lives today. It's a huge change being demanded in society. Just like how we fight for the rights we deserve, African Americans are doing the same! Thank you for adding more information to my knowledge about this subject.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the justice? That is the perfect way to introduce your topic to the reader before presenting the information. I wish that we had an answer to that simple question. I believe this topic was eye catching for every student who read your blog post. As distressing as it is, occurrences like this happen more often than we would like. One unjust case is already one too many. I thank you for selecting this topic and bringing it to the reader's attention at a time where it is so pertinent.
ReplyDeleteBrittany, your chronological listing of injustices that oppressed the aggrieved African American community within this year alone was easy to follow, adding to the flow of your post. Ofcourse, as the statistics you call to our attention show, these are not merely isolated incidents. I am most stricken by the case of the twelve-year-old boy. It seems that no African American is exempt from police brutality. This forms a deep mistrust towards authority from an earlier age within the injusticed group.
ReplyDeleteBrittany this article made me feel gloomy and depressed. I find it hard to believe that violence such as this is taking place, and the perpetrators are the police this time. I pray that this viciousness against the African American people will soon be brought to an end so that no more people have to die.
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