As we know everything is not written in black or white. We would like to think that our criminal justice system is perfect and that everything that our law enforcement officials do is strictly by the book. This way there will be no questions of whether or not the actions of a law enforcement are justifiable. Unfortunately this is not the case. We do not live in a world where everything is written in black or white. In an instant we can find ourselves lost in one of those gray areas, looking for an answer, praying for a way out, hoping for change. This is exactly where the shooting of Michael Brown left us, with more questions regarding the future of policing in America than answers.
On August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri Michael Brown and …show more content…
The protest raised alarming questions about the relationship between law enforcement and its treatment of African Americans. The first set of protest began almost immediately after the shooting. While some protested peacefully others began looting business, vandalizing property and even setting various structures of fire. The police began outfitting a number of their officers in riot gear, tear gassing and shooting rubber bullets, these decisions would be highly criticized. That criticism resulted in Missouri Governor Jay Nixon assigning the Missouri State Patrol to police the city of Ferguson. The second wave of protest began after a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson. The Governor anticipated a response similar to the first and declared a state of emergency. The civil unrest eventually subsided, leaving some communities in the city in …show more content…
The availability of cell phone videos have put more pressure on police officers because they forced to be held more accountable for their actions because they are recorded. This phenomena of policing has not been confined to the city of Ferguson and for that reason some political scientists have linked the rise in violent crime is various cities in the United States to police behavior. Peter Moskos, a former Baltimore police officer who is now a professor of Criminal Justice told Time magazine that “Cops are saying, ‘If we’re going to get in trouble for well-intentioned mistakes, then [forget] it, I’m not working.’” (Jonsson, 2015). This statement is yet another theory regarding this new outlook on policing but what can be confirmed is the sudden rise in violent crime. For example “murders in New York are up by 20 percent, and St Louis, where…civil unrest began last August, has seen shootings spike by 39 percent and homicides by 25 percent” (Jonsson, 2015). FBI director James Comey even stated that the Ferguson effect can be attributed to police officers being less aggressive when patrolling the streets which has caused an increase in violent crimes is some
On August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri Michael Brown and …show more content…
The protest raised alarming questions about the relationship between law enforcement and its treatment of African Americans. The first set of protest began almost immediately after the shooting. While some protested peacefully others began looting business, vandalizing property and even setting various structures of fire. The police began outfitting a number of their officers in riot gear, tear gassing and shooting rubber bullets, these decisions would be highly criticized. That criticism resulted in Missouri Governor Jay Nixon assigning the Missouri State Patrol to police the city of Ferguson. The second wave of protest began after a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson. The Governor anticipated a response similar to the first and declared a state of emergency. The civil unrest eventually subsided, leaving some communities in the city in …show more content…
The availability of cell phone videos have put more pressure on police officers because they forced to be held more accountable for their actions because they are recorded. This phenomena of policing has not been confined to the city of Ferguson and for that reason some political scientists have linked the rise in violent crime is various cities in the United States to police behavior. Peter Moskos, a former Baltimore police officer who is now a professor of Criminal Justice told Time magazine that “Cops are saying, ‘If we’re going to get in trouble for well-intentioned mistakes, then [forget] it, I’m not working.’” (Jonsson, 2015). This statement is yet another theory regarding this new outlook on policing but what can be confirmed is the sudden rise in violent crime. For example “murders in New York are up by 20 percent, and St Louis, where…civil unrest began last August, has seen shootings spike by 39 percent and homicides by 25 percent” (Jonsson, 2015). FBI director James Comey even stated that the Ferguson effect can be attributed to police officers being less aggressive when patrolling the streets which has caused an increase in violent crimes is some