Ethical Issues Concerning the Treatment African American Community
Abstract
The current wave of protests against police brutality of African America has been triggered by the killing of African Americans in the hands of police. These ongoing protests are not isolated in history; however, the recent ones have been a particularly diverse crowd of protesters. Police killings have been recorded on video; hence the awareness that this is a crime against humanity, and a violation of human rights has triggered a global response. There has been negative interactions and escalation of violence between police and African Americans with racial and cultural bias either playing a role. Random police checks have turned violent and led to death because of the hostilities and aggression between law enforcement and African Americans.
Key Words: slavery, racism, police brutality, African American, peaceful protest
Ethical Issues in Relation to the Treatment of the African American Community
Introduction
The death of George Floyd, an unarmed middle-aged African American man at the knee of an arresting officer, sparked a nation-wide outrage and protest against police brutality. The death was not an isolated incident in history or during the COVID crisis as many more African Americans have died in police shoot-outs and even in custody. Police homicides that led to the protests shine the floodlights on the contentious relationship between African Americans and law enforcement. The street protests are not a new phenomenon; however, the most recent incident may have informed large segment of society of the unfair treatment of African Americans, which led to culturally-diverse protestors flocking the streets and subsequent support from people who never before understood their struggle for social justice
The context of all the aggression has a place in America’s history of slavery, which was driven by racial bias and mistreatment of African Americans. This historical context created a subculture of individuals who feel continuously targeted by police which has fueled fear and mistrust of authority. African Americans have indeed been treated differently than their white counterparts before and after slavery in all aspects of life especially law enforcement.
Implications of protests on the economy, sports, and policing sector
The protests against police brutality could have caused civil disorder, but they also happened in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The social lockdown and an economy in recession due to COVID-19 meant that many Americans were on edge. The crisis within a crisis aggravated the social-economic fallouts of COVID-19 and the protests the health crisis and economic insecurities. The loss of jobs and businesses in the COVID crisis disproportionately affects the African American community, who has also been hit hard by deaths from COVID-19. The path to economic recovery would also be slower in African American businesses due to their small business stature, and many of whom have been employed in sectors worst hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore the economic delays due to protests would keep many people in low-income groups further away from their next paycheck.
The positive economic impact of the protests is the overwhelming commitments by large corporations to promote equal opportunities and support of businesses owned by African Americans. Corporations like Reddit have changed their boards to be more inclusive and diverse. Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and PNC Bank have all pledged over 1 billion dollars towards helping African American businesses and social responsibility towards their communities. The corporate cultural shift against discrimination comes as brands with historical connotations of racism acknowledging and changing their outlook to allow inclusivity rather than racial bias.
Previous protests that began in the sports league with gestures such as kneeling during the national anthem have gone a notch higher with the recent protests. Many African American sportspeople have continuously highlighted the treatment of their communities by the police. Sports heroes have a cultural influence and tend to use their platforms to highlights social injustice. Most of them have found support by their federations such as NASCAR, the basketball, football and baseball leagues. Most sports have banned racially insensitive merchandise and have voiced their opposition to police brutality. The long-term effects of these protests will have to be weighed in against radical cultural change and the outcomes of commitments by corporations.
The policing sector of government has had a great deal of morale dampened by the protests with many police going on a slow down and calling sick during the protests. The police have dealt with the COVID crisis bravely as first responders but have been castigated for their cruelty which has slowed down their morale in their call of duty. Many policemen want to see their rogue colleagues held accountable for their actions to rid off law enforcement a bad name.
Arguments for and against peaceful protesting by African Americans
People in support of the protests have alluded to the shock of police brutality in the 21st Century which parallels the lynching of African Americans in slavery. The protection of alienable rights of all citizens like the right to life is the responsibility of those constitutionally in authority. People in support of the protestors believe the police is unfairly targeting African Americans and do not treat other subcultures the same way (Richardson & Goff, 2013). People want to see equality justice, and police protection rather than aggression on the streets.
The peaceful protests have been infiltrated by looters and violent extremists who have desecrated public monuments and burned down private businesses. There has also been a campaign to dismantle law enforcement, and their replacement has not been stipulated. This level of spontaneity has made many anxious of their security in matters that involve the police as first responders. They have argued that the large percentage in the police force are law-abiding and do not need to be painted with the same brush as the rogue police.
The protests have become breeding grounds for COVID-19 with an escalation of cases in different states because some protesters didn’t wear masks without social distancing. The demonstrations have aroused divergent views from fighting for human rights to being hijacked by violent extremists, radical groups and political undertones. The cavalier attitudes and actions of these groups heightened the racial and political divisions in America. The protests attracted a lot of support across the divide, but the negative aftermath of these protests has caused the support for them to wane continually. There is evidence that these protests have turned criminal especially where police precincts have been run over by protestors because the ‘state of nature’ and lawlessness has taken over.
Reforms on the current laws and their effects on policing
Unconstitutional policing that is culturally biased does not defend the human rights equally for all citizens as stipulated in the constitution as a social contract. While American police are very advanced, their cultural bias against African American continues to hinder their effectiveness. However, it is not wise to defund the police, since there is no replacement, because gangs and vigilantes would likely fill that void. Therefore, reforms are part of what must be done to make policing better and make them accountable to the law and the communities they serve. Indiscriminate policing that end up in shoot-out situations means that the concept of crime tends to be exaggerated in many instances involving African Americans. The treatment of African Americans by the criminal justice system begins with the police at the point of arrest, which then escalates to sentencing. Many African Americans feel that their initial contact with police means life in prison, and the police maliciously target them to keep them off the streets and behind bars. The current model of policing has not stopped an increase in crime rates; neither has it stopped mass incarceration of African Americans (Poe-Yamagata & Jones, 2007).
There is a need for legal and policy intervention with a structural change in police employment and reform the law enforcement relationship with civilians. The police and civilians must obey the law since the society should be built on trust and respect since the social contract that gives police authority to enforce laws must be lawfully implemented without bias or dehumanization of some groups in society. Cultural change in policing keeps them accountable and does not shield them from responsibility, which will make the African American community to appreciate their role as protectors. Militarized police training should be abolished, as it makes them perceive the civilian population as combat enemy targets rather fellow citizens hence the need for community policing.
References
Poe-Yamagata, E., & Jones, M. (2007). And Justice for Some: Differential Treatment of youth of color in the Justice System. Oakland: National Council on Crime and Deliquency.
Richardson, S., & Goff, P. (2013). Implicit Racial Bias in Public Defender Triage. The Yale Law Journal, 122(8), 2626-2549.