Police brutality in the US

1. 𝙰𝚋𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝
The purpose of this study is to find out if police brutality in the U.S can
cause a “new” wave of racial controversies. This paper presents a historical
background description of where police brutality came from as well as a
comparison between how the controversy looked in the ‘90s versus now. The
findings showed that there is no new racial controversy. The systematic
oppression of African Americans is the product of a history permeated with
slavery, captivity, and dehumanization.
 2. 𝙰𝚋𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝
Introduction 4

1.1 Background 4

1.2 Aim 4

2. Material and method 5

2.1 Terminology 6

3.Results 7

3.1 History of police brutality 7

3.2 Police brutality and the reaction of citizens in 1900 7

3.2.1 The Black Panthers 1966-1980 7

3.2.2 Rodney King 8

3.3 Police brutality and the reaction of citizens today 9

3.3.1 Trayvon Martin and Black Lives Matter 9

4. Conclusion and discussion 11

5. References 12

5.1 Electronic 12

5.2 Images 12
1. Introduction

1.1 Background
United States racial issues have been in the public eye ever since the colonial era. The topic
has often been the treatment of African-Americans. Historically they have been the victims of
slavery, humiliation, and systematic injustice. While the situation has changed drastically
there is still a very active discussion amongst civilians, politicians, and news outlets about
whether or not they are the victims of police brutality and if so, is it because of their racial
backgrounds?
The definition of police brutality is; the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by
police when dealing with civilians (S. Danilina, The Law Dictionary). Although the concept
might seem new it has been present for a very long time in the US. One of the most
memorable events occurred during The Civil Rights movement era when numerous activists
became the victims of police brutality.
However there are two opposing parties when it comes to this topic, one of them
believes
that law enforcement lacks in skill or is corrupt, while the other party does not recognize
the actual existence of police brutality. While the topic may be perceived as a regular
social issue is undeniably something that has shaken the nation to its core.

1.2 Aim
The aim of this study is to analyze if police brutality has caused any ”new” waves of racial
controversies.
2. Material and method

In order to carry out this research paper, I have chosen to compare the coverage and the
reaction of historical events such as The Black Panther movement 1966-1980 and, the
Rodney King incident 1991-1992, to more modern controversial events that include Trayvon
Martin 2013, and the Black Lives Matter movement 2013.
The method I will be using to conduct my comparisons is to read about each incident
in depth. I will use several sources to obtain information, most of the information is taken
from reports and news articles and is gathered from the internet.
One of the sources used to conduct this research paper is Smithsonian Magazine. The
Smithsonian Institute was founded in 1846 by Congress to spread knowledge amongst
civilians. Smithsonian Magazine discusses and provides an in-depth analysis of a variety of
topics. The article used in this research paper is written by Katie Nojdimbadem. She has a
bachelorette degree in science in journalism and is known for writing about topics that
include segregation, minorities, and issues regarding the African American race. The source
is relevant to this topic because it provides a thorough description of the history of police
brutality in America.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a public service broadcaster. As a
source, it is often viewed as very reliable. While the source tends to have a left-of-center bias,
it also has a very high factual rating. Each article is written and published by a team of
journalists, which guarantees the readers that there has been extensive research done on each
subject before the actual publishing. In this research paper, the source is used to explain the
Rodney King incident and how it changed the 1992 riots changed the police department in
Los Angeles.
The Washington Post is an American daily newspaper that provides information
regarding national politics and the federal government. While the factual rating is high they
are often favored by liberal readers because of their slight to moderate lean towards the left.
In this case, the source is used to explain the conflict between the Black Lives Matter
movement and the All Lives Matter movement.
USA Today is an American newspaper that generally has a centrist audience, mostly
because the editorial does not take a political stance in presidential elections. The newspaper
itself is not known for breaking any groundbreaking stories, but since it is written in an
“everyday language” it is easy for the average person to understand more complex topics.

This source was used to explain the popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement
on social media platforms.
(MediaBiasFactCheck.com)

2.1 Terminology
African-American
According to (Merriam-Webster) the term ”African-American” strands for; an American of
African and especially of black African descent. I have chosen to use “African-American”
instead of “black” because it is more politically correct.
3. Results

3.1 History of police brutality

Traces of police brutality dates back to the mid-1800. It was in the 1830s and the ’40s that
modern policing evolved into an organized institution. In 1838 the first police department was
established in Boston. During this time it the Europeans was the ones facing police brutality,
but when African Americans decided to flee the South and go up to the north the Europeans
were not the main target anymore. Illinois Association for Criminal Justice conducted and
published a survey (Illinois crime survey) analyzing causes of high crime rates in mainly
Chicago and Cook County. The survey revealed that although African Americans make up 5
percent of the population they are counted for 30 percent of victims killed by police.
(Nodjimbadem, Katie, Smithsonianmag.com, 2017-07-27 )

3.2 Police brutality and the reaction of citizens in 1900

3.2.1 The Black Panthers 1966-1980

In the wake of the assassination of Malcolm X, an African American nationalist, and after
police shot and killed an unarmed African-American teenager Matthew Johnson, The Black
Panthers were instituted, in Oakland California in October 1966. The founders were two
young African Americans, Huey Newton, and Bobby Seale. The organization did everything
in its power to establish social, economic, and political equality that did not discriminate
against African-Americans. However, their primary idea was to confront police violence
against the African-American communities by patrolling the streets, armed with weapons.
A month later after they were founded, the party goes into action and marches on the
California state capitol to protest the state's pursuit to outlaw carrying loaded weapons in
public. During the march, Bobby Seale makes a statement of protest. Consequently, Seale
and his 30 fellow armed panthers get arrested. This political act of repression adds fuel to the
flames and the resistance movement spreads widely. The small movement that was once
known to California had now members and supporters all across the US.
While the general public might have viewed them as revolutionaries, the FBI did not
display any form of acceptance. the FBI establishes a program called COINTELPRO
(counterintelligence program) to disband the revolutionary groups that had begun to form.
These revolutionary groups used The Panthers as their main source of inspiration which
ultimately landed The Panthers on the FBI's priority list.

3.2.2 Rodney King

Many Americans got to see the reality of police brutality in connection to the Rodney King
incident. Rodney Glen King was an African-American man who was beaten by four law
enforcement officers, in Los Angeles, 1991. The event was videotaped by a bystander and it
showed the officers kicking King repeatedly and beating him with batons for around 15
minutes. The abuse resulted in broken teeth and bones, skull fractures, and permanent brain
damage. With the technological development on a rise, the videotape was shortly after
broadcasted worldwide for everyone to see, and it flared up the conversation about racial
inequality. (ABC News, 1991-07-03 )
Initially, all four police officers were charged with assault, and three of the four
officers were charged with excessive use of force and the. However, a year later, a jury
found the officers not guilty. As soon as the verdict reached the public, a six-day riot
began. (Pao, Maureen, and Bates, Karen, National Public Radio, 2017-04-26)
In total, 63 people were killed during the riots, including nine killed by police law
enforcement and one killed by guards. About 2, 300 people were reportedly injured. The
uproar also included 3,600 fires being set which consequently resulted in 1,100 buildings
being destroyed. It is estimated that the material loss varies between $ 800 million and $ 1
billion.
In an interview with Connie Rice, a civil rights lawyer, conducted by BBC he states
that; “With the Rodney King beating and the riots, that was the beginning of the end of the
old imperial LAPD” (Morris, Regan, BBC, 2012-04-29).
3.3 Police brutality and the reaction of citizens today

3.3.1 Trayvon Martin and Black Lives Matter

Although decades have passed since the groundbreaking events, police brutality has still been
present in American communities.
The shooting of a 17- year-old African-American male, Trayvon Martin ignited a fire
throughout America. On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, George
Zimmerman was coordinating the Neighbourhood Watch, at this time Martin was visiting
some relatives in the area. Zimmerman spotted the young man and made a call to the
Sandford Police department claiming that Martin was acting suspiciously. The dispatcher told
Zimmerman to await police backup before he approached Martin. Instead, an altercation
broke out between the two, which ultimately resulted in Martin getting fatally shot. Reports
show that during the months leading up to this event, Zimmerman called the police
department numerous times to report people who acted “suspicious”. On each call, he offered
a description of the race of the individual and his reports show that all of them were
African-American males. While the shooting itself was perceived as outrageous it was the
fact that Zimmerman was found not guilty and was acquitted of all charges in court, was the
last straw amongst minority groups, especially African-Americans.
Shortly after, an activist movement called Black Lives Matter was established to protest the
systematic racism in the U.S and police brutality. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was
circulating all over social media to spread awareness. Between 2014-2018 the movement
had organized 2,593 protests all over the nation. (Elephrame, 2018-09-25). However, at the
same time countermovements such as “All Lives Matter” were formed. Republicans have
tended to be stronger proponents of All Lives Matter and they generally criticize The Black
Lives Matter movement. President Donald Trump once stated that "a lot of people think it's
inherently racist" about "Black Lives Matter", he also stated that All Lives Matter is “... a
very divisive term, because of all lives matter. It’s a very, very divisive term.” (Weigel,
David, The Washington Post, 2016-07-12) While the purpose of the All Lives Matter
movement is to be inclusive however President Barack Obama made a statement addressing
why the phrase “All Lives Matter” is problematic; “I know that there’s some who have
 criticized even the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter as if the notion is as if other lives don’t
matter. We get ‘All Lives Matter’ or ‘Blue Lives Matter.’ I understand the point they’re
trying to make. I think it’s also important for us to understand that the phrase ‘Black Lives
Matter simply refers to the notion that there’s a specific vulnerability for African-Americans
that needs to be addressed [...]”
USA Today writes in the article “How social media has shaped Black Lives Matter,
five years late; “According to a newly released Pew study, the hashtag has been used nearly
30 million times on Twitter – an average of 17,003 times per day.” The use of the hashtag on
just one social media platform shows how the movement's influence is not consistent but also
powerful. (Simon, Caroline, USA Today, 2018-07-15)
4. Conclusion and discussion
As presented in the results police brutality is not a phenomenon amongst African Americans.
While American societies have come a long way since the ’80s and the ’90s, a lot of the
racial problems remain the same.
In the Rodney King case, the four police officers were acquitted and had the charges
dismissed, even though there is videotaped evidence of their excessive use of force. Whilst
the trial was advancing, the whole nation was infatuated with the case. Much like in the death
of Trayvon Martin. Both cases undeniably caused tension and uproar, and one of the leading
factors was the fact that the officers involved in both cases were found not guilty. One
consistent pattern that is displayed amongst civilians after a tragic incident, is the demand for
justice.
For example, The Black Panther movement was active between 1966-1980, but we still
see the same or similar fights being taken on by The Black Lives Matter movement and the
controversy remains the same after decades. The fight to end systematic oppression and
police brutality inflicted upon African Americans never really ended. Decades later the topic
is still just stuck in an endless cycle of political debates, hashtags, and reports.
However, there is a change in circumstance. With technology and social media, the way
we communicate has changed dramatically. As presented, The Black Lives Matter movement
used primarily social media to spread awareness. This means that authorities constantly live
under a microscope.
In conclusion, the root of the problem is the systematic oppression of minorities, which
puts them in vulnerable positions. As long as there is no trust established between civilians
and law enforcement, change will never come. Therefore the controversy itself is not a new
topic, it just has not been resolved yet.
5. References
5.1 Electronic
ABC News, 1991-07-03, Video of Rodney King Beaten by Police Released.
https://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/march-1991-rodney-king-videotape-9758031

Morris, Regan, BBC, 2012-04-29

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-17878180

Elephrame, 2018-09-25
https://elephrame.com/textbook/BLM

Media Bias Fact Check

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/

Pao, Maureen and Bates, Karen,National Public Radio, 2017-04-26

https://www.npr.org/2017/04/26/524744989/when-la-erupted-in-anger-a-look-back-at-the-rod
ney-king-riots?t=1549011530585

Simon, Caroline, USA Today, 2018-07-15

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/07/12/black-lives-matter-movement-and-social-med
ia-after-five-years/778779002/

Nodjimbadem, Katie, Smithsonianmag.com, 2017-07-27

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/long-painful-history-police-brutalit
y-in-the-us-180964098/

S. Danilina, The Law Dictionary

https://thelawdictionary.org/article/what-is-police-brutality/

Weigel, David, The Washington Post, 2016-07-125

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/three-words-that-republicans-wrestle-with-black-li
ves-matter/2016/07/12/f5a9dfdc-4878-11e6-90a8-fb84201e0645_story.html?noredirect=on&
utm_term=.a0f1a027b3ea

Merriam-Webster
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/African%20American

5.2 Images
Idiotfreezone, Image 3.
https://www.idiotfreezone.com/politics-publisher/474-negrophobia-v-the-killing-game-part-2