Police Brutality Of The United States - 998 Words

Even though America is thought to be the land of the free, we still don’t feel as though freedom is ringing throughout the U.S. We often don’t feel safe because of the several examples of police brutality throughout the years. â€Å"Police brutality is a daily occurrence across the USA, most of it inflicted in the form of a few extra blows, punches, or kicks during arrests† (Angola, 2013). Police brutality consist of police officers that simply abuse their authority. The American law enforcement has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past few decades. Police officers have more powers than the average citizen; they have the power to arrest, seize property, and use deadly force. You would think that there would be some type of extreme†¦show more content†¦We must acknowledge that people of color are still thought of as a different. There are still people in the world that believe being racist is right, but there are also some who believe that eve ryone is equal. But often what we hear about is the racial profiling within the American walls that we all live in. â€Å"Nationwide, driving while black has been criminalized, racial profiling used for traffic stops and searches for suspected drugs or other reasons, the practice especially common in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Texas† (Rodriguez, 2012). â€Å"Los Angeles has settled many lawsuits arising out of more than 50 deaths related to lethal police choke holds, and many other cities are paying out large sums to settle instances of police misconduct† (Angola, 2013). Due to the demands for services, the police presence is generally situated in poorer communities as the crime rates and calls for service are statistically higher in these areas. As a result of greater police presence, those who reside in poorer neighborhoods have developed a perception that police use excessive f orce frequently (Weitzer, 1999). This information is understandable that police are called to poorer communities but this does not make an excuse for what has been headlined on the news for the past couple of weeks. â€Å"Hands Up, Don’t Shoot† has