In the United States, African Americans have been racially persecuted since the start of this nation. In the documentary by Al Jazeera English, Fault Lines- Ferguson: Race and Justice in the U.S, the truth about police brutality against African Americans was precisely shown through live footage of the Ferguson riots protesting the unjustified death of Mike Brown, as well as African American members of the community speaking on their experiences concerning the practices of the St. Louis police department. In this film, it argued that there are serious systemic issues that need to be resolved regarding the African American community. One of the main concepts in this film was the questionable use of excessive force displayed by police towards
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In the film, it was stated that blacks are often unreasonably searched and stopped for minor traffic violations, which was confirmed by various members from the African American community. Statistics also show that in Hazelwood, a suburb in the St. Louis area, over half of traffic stops conducted by police were African American, while they only make up 50 percent of the city’s population. This also ties into the last concept in the film which is systemized poverty in the black community. Because a large number of traffic violations are issued to African Americans, considering many of which live in poverty, many simply cannot afford to pay the tickets. This leaves numerous African Americans with no choice but to drive illegally, which puts them at an even higher risk for a police brutality related incident, or having a record which can prevent them from getting a job later down the line as well. According to the data in this video, “the unemployment rate for black males age 16-24 is nearly 50 percent in Ferguson” (11:22). This continuous cycle of poverty results in African Americans living in these conditions without …show more content…
Louis police department are aberrant. Police officers in this city, as well as other cities in the U.S tend to abuse their powers and exert extreme force in situations where it is evidently inappropriate A reason why many police officers do not fear the consequences of their unjust actions is because they are usually cleared of any crime, and even if a police officer were to be charged, it’s very difficult for them to be convicted. The overall corruption of the police force has led to a major distrust with minority communities and will only continue to get worse if initiative to make change doesn’t happen soon. A quote from a New York Times post relating to the police killings of blacks stated: “We should eliminate police prejudice because it is wrong and because it undermines our democracy. It blights – and all too often destroys – lives.” Given these points, injustice towards African Americans is not just a police problem, but is a societal problem that has stemmed from decades of hardship, but has become exasperated in recent police brutality incidents. It is an obstacle that must be surpassed for the preservation of human lives, as well as this
In the film, it was stated that blacks are often unreasonably searched and stopped for minor traffic violations, which was confirmed by various members from the African American community. Statistics also show that in Hazelwood, a suburb in the St. Louis area, over half of traffic stops conducted by police were African American, while they only make up 50 percent of the city’s population. This also ties into the last concept in the film which is systemized poverty in the black community. Because a large number of traffic violations are issued to African Americans, considering many of which live in poverty, many simply cannot afford to pay the tickets. This leaves numerous African Americans with no choice but to drive illegally, which puts them at an even higher risk for a police brutality related incident, or having a record which can prevent them from getting a job later down the line as well. According to the data in this video, “the unemployment rate for black males age 16-24 is nearly 50 percent in Ferguson” (11:22). This continuous cycle of poverty results in African Americans living in these conditions without …show more content…
Louis police department are aberrant. Police officers in this city, as well as other cities in the U.S tend to abuse their powers and exert extreme force in situations where it is evidently inappropriate A reason why many police officers do not fear the consequences of their unjust actions is because they are usually cleared of any crime, and even if a police officer were to be charged, it’s very difficult for them to be convicted. The overall corruption of the police force has led to a major distrust with minority communities and will only continue to get worse if initiative to make change doesn’t happen soon. A quote from a New York Times post relating to the police killings of blacks stated: “We should eliminate police prejudice because it is wrong and because it undermines our democracy. It blights – and all too often destroys – lives.” Given these points, injustice towards African Americans is not just a police problem, but is a societal problem that has stemmed from decades of hardship, but has become exasperated in recent police brutality incidents. It is an obstacle that must be surpassed for the preservation of human lives, as well as this