Police Violence

Last week in Denver, Colorado, a gay Latina teenager named Jessie Hernandez was fatally shot by police officers after reportedly stealing a car and using it as a weapon against the officers. Many people are questioning the legitimacy of the police report, and wondering whether this was yet another example of police violence towards minorities. While this incident did occur within the United States, police officers abusing their power is a major issue worldwide. It will probably never be known what was going through the officers ' minds when they shot Hernandez, but regardless of their thought process, it was completely unnecessary for them to use lethal force. If Hernandez was using the car to attack the officers, as reported, …show more content…
The first article is from the Denver Post and was written by Noelle Phillips and Jesse Paul. The piece is titled “Denver monitor launches investigation after police kill teen driver”. This title is biased towards Hernandez. It implies there is a need for an additional investigation because an innocent teenager was shot by villainous policemen. The other article was written by Chuck Hickey for the Channel 2 News website. It 's title is much more neutral; instead of only talking about Hernandez, it also mentions the police officer who had his leg broken by the car Hernandez was driving. It is called “Friends say police shoot, kill teen girl; one officer hurt in …show more content…
It mostly includes statements from Hernandez 's friends and relatives. The piece is quite obviously intended to appeal to people 's emotions. After a short paragraph about how the Denver monitor is planning an investigation of police policies, it launches into a paragraph about how “the teen was fatally shot multiple times by police”, and tells readers that her family “has questions”. Next, we have a quote from her father, Jose: “How can they shoot her when she doesn 't have a gun?” (Phillips and Paul). The article tells us about Hernandez 's family life, and how in her home, there is a picture of her next to Santa Claus. It details how close her family was, and about Jessie saving her money to buy puppies for herself and her sister. The article only briefly mentions that Jessie was driving a stolen car; the rest of the article is full of lines about what a good person she was. For example, “ 'It didn 't matter the situation she was going through, she would be there for you, ' said Lizbeth Palmer, a 15-year-old friend” (Phillips and Paul). It mentions the policeman whose leg was broken, but the context still manages to favor Hernandez. The line reads: " 'They can fix his leg, ' Castaneda [Hernandez 's cousin] said of the lone struck officer, who was treated for a leg injury and released. 'What are they