Analysis Of I Can T Breathe By Matt Taibbi

I can’t breathe by Matt Taibbi is an account of the arrest and death of Eric Garner on a New York side walk in July of 2014. His death at the hands of all white policemen has galvanized his community and has called into question why so black men may have been killed at the hands of the police. 1In Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 Michael Brown likewise was killed by police in an arrest attempt. 2 Unfortunately the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown are not new. Black men born in 2001 have a one in three probabilities of being imprisoned while white men only one in seventeen. In this paper I intend to synthesize the articles by Marc Maure, Kimberly Kahn and the book by Matt Taibbi to show that racial stereotypes in police departments leads to …show more content…
3 (96) Although automobile drivers who are pulled over by the police are racially equal, black motorists are 2.5 times more likely to be searched than white drivers. 3(p91) Black neighborhoods and communities are disproportionately affected by police behavior. As a result, they have a more negative impression of police. The high number of residents cycling in and out of prison influences police/community relations. 4(p96) As black suspects are stopped and searched at a higher rate than white suspects, they are placed at a greater risk of the situation escalating. 2(p10) Black communities must become more protective of their citizens. Mayor de Blasio of New York went so far to warn his own biracial son, Date, about the dangers of his own police department. He stated that black families across New York would have to teach their children to take special care in any police encounter. 1 (p188) The president’s task force on 21st century placing high lighted the necessity to improve police trust with racial minorities as one of its central findings to improve community relations. …show more content…
The officers involved in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner were acquitted. Donald Trump appointed Jeff Sessions as attorney general who made one of his first acts a decision to weaken the federal civil rights investigations of corrupt local police departments. 1(p304) Those who forget the past are destined to repeat it. Mauer in his article suggested leveling the playing field to try and make sentencing guidelines fair for all races. Provide more help for disadvantaged defendants and help them get an education and rethink the war on drugs. 3 (p97) The Initial police encounter with the suspect is very important. This is where the suspect enters the criminal justice system. Police training and policy must be improved to remove racial stereotypes.