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Aughenbaugh
English
22 March 2016

Police Brutality Against African Americans

Were not anti-policewere anti police-brutality (Sharpton). Police brutality is

becoming a major problem in cities, primarily in African American communities. Police
brutality is the use of any force exceeding that reasonably necessary to accomplish a lawful
police purpose. Police brutality is a growing crisis in America. Every single year, the number of
documented cases of police brutality against African Americans increases and all Americans
need to stop this problem from happening.
Recently, one case brought the issue of police brutality back into the limelight. The
shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson Missouri police officer Darren Wilson ignited a media
frenzy over this issue (McLaughlin). Rioting and protesting went on for days because Officer
Wilson was white and Michael Brown was black. Citizens believed that the police were covering
up evidence in the case to protect the white officer. According to a report on CNN, on the night
of August 9, 2014, Michael Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson were walking in the middle of
the street when a white male officer pulled up and told them to get down on sidewalk. The
young men replied that they were not but one minute away from our destination, and we would
shortly be out of the street. The officer drove forward but stopped and backed up almost hitting
the pair. We were so close, almost inches away, that when he tried to open his door
aggressively, the door ricocheted both off me and Big Mikes body and closed on the officer. Still

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in his car, the officer grabbed brown by the neck. Brown tried to pull away, but the officer kept
pulling brown toward him. Officer Wilson drew his weapon and he said (Ill shoot or Im going
to shoot) and almost instantaneously fired his weapon hitting Michael. At this time Mike turned
around with his hands up beginning to tell the officer he was unarmed and to tell him to stop
shooting. But at that time, the officer firing several more shots into Michael and he hit the
ground and died (Clark, Lett). There is video evidence that Officer Wilson used excessive force
and was not following police procedure. Michael Browns death was unnecessary. (Clark,
Rachel. Lett, Christopher).
Police have been accused of targeting African Americans and often use excessive force
when arresting them. African Americans are arrested more often than whites; They are often
targeted and followed, and treated more harshly by the police.
The Michael brown shooting brought back memories of a similar case that happened
twenty years before. The first case of police brutality caught on tape occurred early on the
morning of March 3, 1991 Rodney King with two passengers Bryant Allen and Freddie Helms
was driving a 1987 Hyundai Excel on the foothill freeway in Los Angeles. At 12:30 am officers
Tim and Melanie Singe, husband and wife members of the California Highway Patrol noticed
Kings car speeding on the freeway. Rodney King was going speeds of close to 115 miles an
hour until the cops finally pulled him over. Officer Singer ordered King and his two passengers
to exit the vehicle and to lie face down on the ground. Bryant Allen was manhandled, kicked,
stomped, taunted and threatened. Freddie Helms was hit in the head while lying on the ground.
Helms was treated for lacerations on the top of his head. King remained in the car while this was
all happening. When King finally did emerge, he was reported to have giggled, patted the
ground, and waved at the police helicopter overhead. The officers believed he was under the

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influence of PCP although Kings toxicology tested negative for the drug. King was tasered
twice and then beat several times by the officers with batons. He was reportedly hit by thirtythree blows of the baton and kicked six times. After all this, he was sent to the hospital where he
suffered a fractured facial bone a broken right ankle and multiple bruises and lacerations. He also
suffered eleven skull fractures. All of the officers involved were acquitted of any crime and riots
insued (A timeline).
The number of African Americans killed by police in the last two years is increasing. In
2014, 1297 people were killed by police. This increased to 1304 deaths in 2015. One statistic
states that every seven hours police kill another American citizen. African Americans are three
times more likely to be fatally shot by a police officer than other races. Another shocking fact is
that most of those African Americans that are shot are unarmed, meaning that the use of force
was most likely unnecessary. Officers are only criminally charged in less than one percent of
police shooting cases. (Wong),
Changes need to be made to the current procedures for the police. All police officers
should be trained in alternate ways to handle situations. Better gun training is necessary and all
police should be trained in how to apprehend a suspect without causing harm. Training on
cultural bias and discrimination is a must. Officers should treat citizens fairly no matter what
their race. (Police training officer program).
The use of technology can help combat the problem of police brutality and hold the
officers accountable for their actions. Dash cameras and body cameras record events and can be
used to show the courts what actually happened during an arrest. This holds the officers
accountable for their actions and may make them think twice before using force. The police are

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often accused of covering up evidence to protect the innocence of their officers, however, this
practice of using cameras can prove the exact events and remove doubt. (Westphal).
African Americans are more likely to be incarcerated for even minor offenses. Police
often target neighborhoods or groups, which leads to the mistrust of the police within the African
American community. African American clergy and leaders should encourage more
communication and cooperation between the police and the African American community. This
will help promote trust and safety for all members of the community. (Kerby).
Although they are supposed to serve and protect everyone, there is a growing trend of
police brutality against African Americans and the laws regarding this need to be changed. There
is a growing trend of incidents across the United States every day and that number needs to
decrease. Innocent people are dying every single day at the hands of police because of
stereotypes cause there are African Americans that get arrested because they look like the
suspect that actually did the crime. Hopefully one day this epidemic will end and innocent lives
will not be lost.

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Works Cited
A Timeline of Events in Rodney King's Life. CNN. N.p. 2012. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
Agathocleous, Alexis. "Federal Lawsuits Against Police Departments Effectively Punish Police
Brutality." Police Brutality. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Current
Controversies. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.
"A year after shooting of Michael Brown, Ferguson streets could burn again; COPYR ferguson."
London Evening Standard [London, England] 6 Aug. 2015: 22. Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2016
McLaughlin. Eliott, What We know about Michael Brown's Shooting. CNN. N.p. 2014. Web.
6 Apr. 2016
McNamara,Joseph D. Police Corruption is Widespread. Police Brutality. Ed. Helen Cothran.
San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. From Comtemporary Police
Brutality and Cops. Los Angeles Times 17 Sept. 1995: M-2. Opposing Viewpoints in Contxt.
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Cha-Jua, Sundiata Keita. "Racism Is a Factor in Police Violence." Police Brutality. Ed. Helen
Cothran. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Contemporary
Police Brutality and Misconduct: A Continuation of the Legacy of Racial Violence." (2001).
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2016
" Mangu-Ward, Katherine. "Video Cameras Help Protect the Public from Police Abuse." Are
Privacy Rights Being Violated? Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At
Issue. Rpt. from "Is Privacy Overrated?" Reason (9 Jan. 2007). Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 6 Apr. 2016
Smith, Mitch. "A Year On, Ferguson Killing Is Recalled." New York Times 9 Aug. 2015:
A19(L). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.
Emery, Richard D. "Video Cameras Curtail Police Brutality." Police Brutality. Ed. Louise I.
Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Current Controversies. Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.
"Riots in the US." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2015. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.