Police brutality is not a new thing. In fact, it has been around for decades. Police brutality is not neutral to any country; it exists in most. However, with the skyrocketing rates of police brutality cases here, one can legitimately wonder how big of a problem it is in the United States. It is becoming something of a trend.
Every few months, if not more often, we tend to hear of new cases of police brutality, usually involving young black males. If there has ever been a time black parents were fearful for their children’s lives, it is now.
This trend of police brutality has gotten too high. Shockingly, there is no official database which keeps records of fatalities at the hands of law enforcement, but according to a citizen-run website, killedbypolice.net, approximately 1,100 police involved homicides occurred in 2014.
To make matters worse, it is a consistent trend of white policemen killing and maiming unarmed black men. Why is it seemingly impossible for arrests to be made without shedding blood? Why are they pulling the trigger as a first response? The recent arrest of the University of Virginia honors student Martese Johnson—for the alleged possession of a fake ID and being barred entry from a club—has reinforced the discomfort and dissatisfaction with the way our society seems to be functioning. Too often are we hearing of these cases and little to no justice is being served.
The American judicial system has shown us all that it is acceptable for white policemen to injure and/or kill black males with little to no accountability. They may not have stated this but the way they handle these cases shows us all that it is becoming the norm. A norm that is morally questionable. How often can they justify their actions by claiming they feared for their lives? At what point do we stop accepting that as the truth?
Unjustly killing another human is illegal and is punishable by imprisonment; are policemen not aware of this? Or are they being exempt from this? Since the incident involving Martese Johnson, it is clear that more and more black males are aware that they are not as safe as would be ideal. No one appears to be immune to police brutality, not even honors students. Each day, more and more families are experiencing something they only previously saw on the news. Something they thought would never affect their communities or themselves.
The very people tasked with protection are the ones causing pain. The irony of that is saddening.