Police Brutality Essay

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Register to read the introduction… Throughout history, African Americans, as a group, endure various forms of brutality. Long ago in the United States, entire towns would capture innocent African Americans and kill them in mobs. This horrendous act is known as lynching. Now, while African American brutality exists on a smaller scale than it used to, it still occurs in exorbitant amounts. One of the most infamous cases of police brutality against a black person was that of Rodney King. He was driving home drunk with two of his friends, when an LAPD squad car pulled him over. Allegedly, he refused to be arrested, so the four LAPD officers began to beat, tase, and kick him multiple times. A video of the incident surfaced and sparked outrage in the African American community, who believed that the police officers had used excessive force and that Rodney King had not even provoked them in any way. When the officers responsible for the case got away, destructive riots took place, which soon led to a retrial, where only one of the officers was convicted. Jimmel Cannon, another African American, was only thirteen years old when police officers shot him eight times, believing he had a BB gun. After Abher Louima was arrested, he was taken to a bathroom by an officer and taken advantage of. Officer Justin Volpe not only beat Louima but he also stripped him and touched his private places. He later sodomized him using a broomstick, until some of his organs became severely damaged. Police brutality is almost a daily occurrence for the black community, who often find themselves defenseless due to their lack of lawyers and inability to get the men responsible convicted. African Americans are clearly the ones that suffer the most police …show more content…
"A History Of Extreme Police Brutality." Complex Magazine, 8 Jan. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Dantes, Edmond. "Police Brutality Statistics." COPBLOCK Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights. N.p., 13 Apr. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Goodman, Amy, and Denis Moynihan. "Police Brutality, Mental Illness and ‘The Memphis Model’." Florida Weekly [Naples] 31 Oct. 2013, Naples ed.: n. pag. EBSCO. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Lynch, Tim. "The Cato Institute's National Police Misconduct Reporting Project." Cato Insitute. Cato Institute, 21 Mar. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
Ostrovskii, Mikhail. Police Abuse of Power Have You Ever Been a Victim? Police Abuse of Power Have You Ever Been a Victim? N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Phakathi, Bekezela. "Calls for Action after Video Shows Apparent Cape Police Brutality." Business Day 7 Mar. 2014, South Africa ed.: n. pag. EBSCO. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Roberts, Paul Craig. "Police Are More Dangerous To The Public Than Are Criminals." IPE Paul Craig Roberts Institute for Political Economy. Paul Craig Roberts, 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Rucke, Katie. "US Police Have Killed Over 5,000 Civilians Since 9/11." Information Clearing House. World News Daily, 10 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Mar.

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