Chaney, C., & Robertson, R. V. (2013). Racism and police brutality in America. Journal of
African American Studies, 17(4), 480-505.
Introduction
This article examines findings from the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project to show that the police are involved in racism and brutality especially towards the Blacks. From these findings, it is observable that law enforcers as agents of brutality and racial discrimination and in some cases, there are higher number of fatalities at the hands of the police. These are some of the cases of police liability that have generated contempt and suspicions from the public especially, the African-Americans.
Summary
From this article, the increasing rates of police brutality against Black communities cannot be overlooked. Historically, nothing much has changed in law enforcement. Further, the literature review provided in this article show that Blacks are experiencing racial discrimination from the police. Ironically, the mainstream society tends to give a blind eye to levels of brutality that police commit against African-Americans because they also hold the same racial biases.
Evaluation
Police brutality usually involves intimidation, using excessive force, and verbal assaults. These are cases of police liability that are improper and unjust, yet this is not a new phenomenon in the United States. The Blacks are not only unfairly targeted by the police, but they are also viewed as deserving to be treated harshly by the American justice system (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). More importantly, the emergence of negrophobia implies that black males are criminals, and this is notable in their mass incarcerations and sentencing. More so, due to enduring racism, blacks are seen as potential perpetrators and this increases the rates at which they are likely to experience acts of brutality from the police.
Conclusion and Policy Considerations
The authors conclude black communities especially males are victims of police brutality. Their findings show that black males are perceived as potential criminals and they deserve to be treated harshly by the police. However, this is not the reality; rather, it depicts how racism is prevalent in law enforcement. Therefore, the US Department of Justice should be vigilant to ensure that the law is enforced fairly and non-discriminatory.
Hall, A. V., Hall, E. V., & Perry, J. L. (2016). Black and blue: Exploring racial bias and law
enforcement in the killings of unarmed black male civilians. American Psychologist, 71(3), 175.
Introduction
This article shows that killings of unarmed blacks by the American police are one of the most notable cases of police liability. For instance, in 2014, the police killed several men from the Black community. These killings did not only depict racial discrimination against Blacks, but they although sparked debates on whether the police are protecting or persecuting Afro-Americans.
Summary
This article shows that there is a long history of contention between law enforcers and unarmed Black males. The authors have analyzed cases of police shootings from 2010 to 2012 to show that young males from Black communities were highly likely to become victims of police killings than white youths. In this case, it is clear that race has been a contributing factor towards the number of Black civilians killed by the police.
Evaluation
Notably, racism, bias, and stereotyping towards the Blacks is harmful. For instance, racial bias against Black youth influences both the public and police to assume that they more vicious and violent than white youth (Hall, Hall & Perry, 2016). This is a perception that influences the police to use greater force towards them. Interestingly, the same characterization suggests that the same type of force used to deal with Black adults can also be used on Black teenagers as seen in Tamir Rice’s case (Hall, Hall & Perry, 2016). The Police had mistaken Rice that he was aged at least 20 years, yet he was only 12-years old.
Conclusion and Policy Considerations
The authors conclude that the interconnectedness of racial bias, stereotyping, and discrimination are underlying factors why police use excessive force against Black civilians. Negative perceptions that Blacks are more likely to engage in crimes and violence has increased their cases of being victims of police brutality. For this reason, it is important to support and implement mandatory training that will enable law enforcers to embrace diversity and overcome racial bias against Blacks.