Do We Need Police Brutality?

The ones who serve as the protectors of our country are being targeted by Americans each and every day, but for what reason? Is it because some people are trying to avenge the death of their loved ones, is it out of pure violence or terror, or out of protection for themselves? Regardless of the reason it is a recurring thing that needs to be discussed. There is a reason why people are beginning to lose faith and trust in the people governing this country, and the main reason is so many young men and women (African-American most) are losing their lives to police related incidents every day. I’m here to offer an overview of the situation regarding retaliation against police, explaining why it’s occurring, what factors come into play, such as
the media, racial groups, police brutality, etc.
Police brutality is one of the leading causes of retaliation against police because people use this as a reason to fight back, to get revenge for the ones they’ve lost.
The definition of police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. “Excessive use of force” means a force beyond what is necessary to control a potentially docile situation. An example of police brutality would be the Rodney king situation which occurred in 1992. Rodney king, an African-American man, resisted arrest resulting in the tazing of Rodney and then the repeated kicking after he lay on the ground. This was all captured on video and released to the community resulting in a riot for Rodney king. Police brutality, whether it be on one person or many, is viewed as an attack on an entire race causing obvious repercussions. Recently there have been multiple examples of police brutality, which have resulted in riots which have negatively harmed both the rioters and the police involved in controlling the situations. These riots usually serve as an attempt to get justice for a loved one who was killed by police, then escalates into something much worse such as acts of retaliation and violence. After these riots occur these cops feel scared for their own life, causing them to act more hostile and defensive which causes more accidental shootings resulting in more riots in retribution, it’s an unjust cycle that must come to an end. These acts of police
brutality result in movements and racial groups whose purpose is to get justice for ones lost, an example of such group would be the group known as “black lives matter.”
Racial groups cause a large majority of these retaliations against police, whether it be probable or not is not our decision to make.
When I say racial groups I am referring to groups such as, all lives matter, black lives matter, blue lives matter, etc. on the black live matter official website it states, “Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.” This means it is a group founded in retribution for black lives which are being targeted by cops, its main aim is to get justice for those being targeted and killed. This group acts as a call to equality for black men and women everywhere. It serves as a call for justice for the African-American people and stands for unity. This call for unity is one that is easily misconstrued, causing acts of violence towards police officers, rather than peaceful protests. When a black man or woman is injured or hurt by police without probable reason the result shouldn’t be to get payback by injuring or killing a police officer and many times this is exactly what happens. In July 2016 a Black Lives Matter riot in retribution for the two African-American men killed by police officers, resulted in the death of five officers and the injury of seven more. An editor at cnn.com reported at the time of the riot, “The deadly gunfire erupted in Dallas after videos showing two African-American men shot by police in Louisiana and Minnesota spurred
protests and debate over police use of force across the country.” This is just one example of uncalled for and unjust retaliation against police after an example of police brutality towards a black man. On the other hand, there are groups who stand to protect the lives of those who attempt to keep the people of the country safe, an example of such group would be blue lives matter. The black lives matter group was founded in 2014 after a police officer who shot and killed Michael brown after he robbed a local convenience store, which resulted in many riots because the media spread lies that this was an example of police brutality. This was a prime example of the role media plays in this ordeal, had the community known the truth, that the police officer was simply doing his job which was stopping an armed black man who was in the wrong, maybe riots wouldn’t have begun and maybe innocent white citizens wouldn’t have been victimized by the people who support the black lives matter group. This is where the distinction between a police officer doing his job which entails potential use of force to stop someone doing wrong, and police brutality is most important. The “blue lives matter” official website states the purpose of the group is to “honor and recognize the actions of law enforcement to strengthen the public support.” Both of these groups play crucial roles in this ordeal as does the media and the way it portrays things to the community relevant to police brutality.
The definition of media is, “the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet, that reach or influence people widely.” The media is something men and women across the world rely on to obtain information about everyday issues and important need to know aspects of society. The media aims to make the public aware of issues and conflicts. The media plays a large role in today’s society and in this entire ordeal relevant to police and retaliations against police. The media serves as a way of obtaining information and if this information becomes twisted or biased, repercussions can occur. I say this because had the media not been biased and assuming in the Michael brown ordeal, riots potentially wouldn’t have occurred and unaffiliated citizens of Missouri wouldn’t have become victimized by the men and women rioting. Media plays an important role and force in today’s society, (Kallen)” Sociologists refer to this as a mediated culture where media “reflects and creates the culture.” However, the media is not always biased and is very crucial at times in spreading the truth and informing those of the very real cases of police brutality. For example, the death of Eric Garner, who was killed after an NYPD officer wrongly arrested Eric by putting him in a chokehold for too long which caused him to die from lack of oxygen, which was all caught on camera and spread on media across the world. After his death, the video lived on and was widespread, showing and informing others across the country that this type of behavior from police officers is still occurring and needs to be stopped. (Cassandra) “People marched through the streets filled with anger, in hopes of informing others about the brutal incidents involving police brutality and what it is doing to this society, while believing that “the law” has done wrong.” Had the video not been released across social medias across the world, many would’ve been uninformed, left guessing on whether this was an example of police brutality, or whether Eric’s death was because of probable cause. Another prime example of the media being used as a sword of democracy for protestors was the death of Rodney king in 1991 which caused riots to ensue in the months following. Rodney was tazed, arrested, then wrongfully beaten and kicked several times after a speedy 8 mile chase. This was a prime example of police brutality, but potentially would not have been had the video not been recorded and shared all over media sites and newspapers after the arrest. As you can see, if media was not used to the extent it in being used now, many men and women would have no idea about what it is occurring across the united states. Therefore, they would be left guessing and assuming as to whether there was probable reason.
In conclusion, there are several reasons about why police are being retaliated upon by mean and women across the united states, whether or not this probable, is not my call to make. Society is quickly changing and this is a very important subject to discuss and check, if not then this social warfare will continue causing the war between the people of our country, and the people governing it will continue causing more and more deaths.