Chokehold

When asked how to solve the Great Depression, critically-acclaimed author Upton Sinclair responded, “The remedy is to give the workers access to the means of production, and let them produce for themselves… the American way.” Sinclair believed that only by allowing the people to play a role in their economic futures could the depression truly be eradicated, an idea whose effectiveness can be shown through a comparison of the United States, a constitutional republic under the leadership of…

Roe v Wade (1973) In January of 1973, another historic precedent was set regarding the abortion rights of women in the United States. At the time, Texas abortion laws insisted that the act of aborting a pregnancy was prohibited, lest a doctor could reasonably determine that the mother’s life was at stake if the pregnancy was continued, or if the conception was a result of rape or incestuous relations. Norma L. McCorvey, who went by the pseudonym of Jane Doe, sought to challenge this law as her…

The Bad Boy, the Troublemaker, the Rebel, the young delinquent with a heart of gold; all undoubtedly some of America’s favorite tropes. Americans have a soft spot for the Bad Boy who is really a Good Guy. Such characters are prevalent throughout America’s entertainment culture and history. From Johnny Depp’s Cry-baby Walker, to Judd Nelson as Bender in The Breakfast Club, and Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, Americans swoon at the first sight of a brooding glare, and go weak in the knees at the…

The Effects of Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter is a movement that was created in 2012 after the death of unarmed, African-American teen Trayvon Martin, who was killed at the hands of a Caucasian man. The movement aims to stop violence and the killing of African-Americans (About-Black Lives Matter). Black Lives Matter has become more well-known in recent years and the movement has led many protests, marches, and rallies. Also, the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag has become very popular on…

From 2010 to 2012 there was 1,217 deadly police shootings. Blacks, ages 15 to 19, were killed at a rate of 31.17 per million, whereas only 1.47 per million white people were killed at the hands of police officers (Wihbey and Kille). In years following September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina, cases of police brutality spiked. In the 2000s, police departments started using tasers for an alternative to other deadly forces, which caused more than 150 suspects to die after the device was used on…

The black panthers used the media to their advantage and rapidly began to grow capturing the attention of thousands of Americans. As a result of the party's growth, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan began to make their way into the federal law enforcement advocating racist and violent abuse towards people of color. The leader at the time, President Hoover began to notice the advancement of the movement and feared "the rise of the black messiah", and the white allies who united to support the…

Police Brutality Police brutality is a globally controversial matter that has swept the entire nation. According to the Daily News, the statistics of police brutality in New York was the highest and at least 179 people have been killed by NYPD in the last 15 years and only two have been indicted (N.A). It has given bad reputations to cops all around good or bad due to some of the excessive force or actions used when retaining a suspect. It’s awful how people are killed by those who job is to…

Police brutality is defined as the use of uncontrolled forces by policemen when dealing with certain individuals. Uncontrolled forces takes place when a force is imperative in order to conduct harmful situations. However, police brutality can be appear in several different instances, but the most frequent instance is physical form. Physical forms takes place when policemen utilize the use of several styles of hand guns, harmful pepper spray, mace, batons, etc. in order to terrorize or purposely…

America’s law enforcement agency has seen better days. Days’ where the way they went about police issues was not as visible as it is now. But, with news media outlets, and the publics ability to become instant news journalist by record police/civilian encounters with their smartphones, the public has been able to see a problem. Some of these questionable videos that show forms of police misconduct such as excessive force, police brutality and racial profiling, have had Americans to fight back…

Protest music is music that artist make to voice their options on world events, and protest music helps artist voice his/her opinion on a serious issue in society, protest music gives artist platforms to get lots of people to listen and learn about problems in society. The song “Hands up” by Vince Staples is a good example of protest music because this song informs people on police brutality towards innocent African Americans. Listeners can gain insight into the song “Hands up” by Vince Staples…