Police Brutality Against Africa Americans
Introduction
Police brutality against African Americans is a long-standing problem that has taken aeons to resolve. The rampant police shootings and callous murders of unarmed black individuals particularly over the decade have elicited protests and raised concern over police use of excessive force against African Americans and other minorities (Amza, 2020).
The motivation for the project
The drive for assessing the issue of police brutality against African Americans is informed by the need to highlight the plight of this vulnerable group. The topic portrays an entrenched culture of police abuse against a minority group, and the reluctance of the American government to acknowledge the problem’s existence. Unless such studies are undertaken and their findings made public, the issue will never be resolved, seeing that it has been pervasive for decades without any approach to amending the situation ever being advanced. Through such studies, the global public will understand the rampant cases of abuse against African Americans by the police and help quash any underlying stereotypes they might about African Americans.
Stakeholders
The Black Lives Matter Movement and associated advocacy groups: These groups are helping to highlight that police brutality on Black Americans are historically entrenched in the American criminal justice system. The groups are helping to show that this is not a recent problem and that even the country’s social and political institutions are also culpable. Through these groups, it becomes clear why mistrust exists between the police and Black Americans and hence, it is easier to determine the training and policy that would help address the issue.
Media: American Media has often portrayed black men as dangerous, as advanced by Rutgers University (2018). The resulting negative public perception of African Americans has contributed significantly to the inhumane treatment of blacks by the police. Media has inclined the public to validate the deadly treatment imputed on blacks by the police. Hence, the media not only influences the public about African Americans being dangerous but also the police.
Citizens: American citizens are currently up in arms over the recent killing of George Floyd, an African American, by a white police officer. The sensitization generated by the Black Lives Matter movement and other advocacy groups has illumined the skewed perception of the American government and law enforcement against the black community. Thus, citizens are pressuring for better [police reforms to eradicate police brutality against Black Americans.
The government: The American government must obey the country’s constitution and respect the rights and freedoms of African Americans as American citizens. The government must realize that African Americans are also entitled to living their lives without harassment and intimidation. Moreover, the government should respect that African Americans have a right to be heard by the country’s law enforcement institutions.
Solutions
The Black Lives Matter movement and pertinent advocacy groups must continue piling pressure on the police force, criminal justice system, media, and the U.S government. The pressure will help the concerned stakeholders to realize the depth of this issue to help them understand their individual roles and obligations to change the situation.
Secondly, Media must adopt a more receptive approach when portraying African Americans by avoiding depicting them as criminals and law breakers. Whenever a black person protests unfair treatment, media should avoid portraying such protests as a violent altercation that necessitates use of deadly police force to quell the black person. Thirdly, citizens should continue using all available platforms to advocate for the recognition of African Americans as equal American citizens that deserve fair treatment, especially by the police and criminal justice system.
Lastly, African Americans in all positions of power in the American government must join hands to highlight the need for adopting new changes regarding the treatment of African Americans, particularly by the police. They must honor their pledge to protect the rights of all citizens by actively calling out all forms of ill treatment of Blacks by the police and criminal justice system.
Reflection
This topic is crucial because the country is now in a volatile situation that is primarily caused by recent gruesome revelations of sustained violence and brutality meted on African Americans by the police. For decades, the public has been skeptical about this issue, most preferring to adopt the perspective advanced by the Media regarding the criminal-minded nature of African Americans. However, with the increased exposure of police brutality enabled by social media and advocacy groups such as the Black Lives Matter movement, it is now becoming clearer that police have always been biased against African Americans. The recent videos showing the inhumane killings of George Floyd and other African Americans by the police and the accompanying civil unrest are a step forward in addressing the problem. Hence, more research must be put out to help spread the message and undo the damage done by media and government in depicting African Americans as criminals deserving brutal police force.
References
Amza, A. (2020). Why are African Americans subject to more police violence?
https://www.trtworld.com/americas/why-are-african-americans-subject-to-more-police-violence-37031
Rutgers University. (2018). Media portrayals of black men contribute to police violence, Rutgers study says. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/ru-mpo112118.php