Edwin

Police vs Us

Research

Police brutality has occurred for so long in the United States. Its occurrence ranges from as late as the 19th century to the 20th century. Police brutality is the illegal use of force against civilians by any police officer. There are different types of police brutality, it can range from verbal to physical abuse. All races, ages and genders have faced police brutality. This country has had many devastating deaths and injuries because of the conflicts between a civilian and a police officer who used excessive force on them. 

Police Brutality Statistics:

• On average, a police officer takes the life of a civilian every 7 hours.
• 1,037 people had lost their lives in 2015 due to police brutality.
• 61% of police officers stated that they do not always report serious abuse that has been directly observed by fellow officers.
• 84% of police officers have stated that they have seen police officers use more force than required on a person.

Cases:

• On July 17, 2014 a black man named Eric Garner passed away on Staten Island, N.Y after a police officer put him in an illegal choke hold while being on the ground. Since then, no police officer has been charged with the murder of Eric Garder since then.

• On July 6,2016, African-American Philando Castile was pulled over at 9:00p.m  by police officer Jeromino Yanez. When the officer pulled over to greet Philando, Philando stated that he had a weapon in the vehicle and that it was all legal. At the time of the stop, Philando Castile was with his girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter. When Philando let the officer know that he had a weapon in the car the officer told him to not reach when Philando stated that he wasn’t reaching for the gun but for his wallet. That is when the officer Jeronimo Yanez shot Philando Castile 7 times and killed him. 

Personal Impact:

Living in East Los Angeles, there has always been a strong surveillance in the area. With strong servalenace there has been a lot of times where I would see police officers harassing people who looked to be affiliated with gangs. I have seen young teens who are stopped and slammed to the ground with no resistance coming from their end just because of the area they are in and because of how they are dressed. It is a sad thing to see that as children grow up in the community they tend to be afraid of the police because of the abuse that police officers do.  

Resources:

Chief, Editor in. “42 Shocking Police Brutality Statistics.” Vittana.org, https://vittana.org/42-shocking-police-brutality-statistics.

Gross, Terry. “'I Can't Breathe' Examines Modern Policing And The Life And Death Of Eric Garner.” NPR, NPR, 23 Oct. 2017, https://www.npr.org/2017/10/23/559498678/i-can-t-breathe-explores-life-and-death-at-the-hands-of-police.

Moore, Leonard. “Police Brutality in the United States.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Police-Brutality-in-the-United-States-2064580.

“Shooting of Philando Castile.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Oct. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Philando_Castile.