The Ending of Police Brutality
by Kaneesha Amethsyte
It has been difficult for this generation of young Black Americans and Canadians to witness firsthand the historical context of police brutality and racial profiling. Many Black people are uniting together to defend their rights by condemning anti-Black racism and systematic oppression. This wave of events has been poisonous to our society because they underline how racism continues to exist through discrimination, racial stereotypes, and racial inequality especially in the criminal justice system. People of colour—particularly Black people—are the demographic most subjected to police brutality. The movement to stop police brutality has brought Black people in numerous communities together to develop the strength and determination to change the criminal justice system for a better community and society.
For centuries, African Americans and African Canadians have fought hard for their children to have a greater opportunities and a successful life so they never have to experience the same discrimination and segregation as their ancestors did. Unfortunately, history has repeated itself; therefore, today`s younger generation is witnessing and experiencing firsthand what their parents, grandparents and ancestors faced. The goal of the movement in our Black community is to find a solution to end racism as well as ending police brutality. Taking the right action to help our community is absolutely necessary in order to change how the police intervene in particular situations relating to misconduct and crime. Black people are falsely accused and suspected of a crime which eventually results in an assault, harassment, false arrest or even death. The reasons behind police brutality are often unjust and it is abundantly clear that the victims of police brutality are predominantly minorities. There are several factors that prove this notion. For example, in legal situations regarding minorities, the legal system has been biased against them. The impact of police brutality has had a damaging impact on the Black community and society as a whole. Since the majority of police brutality impacts people of color more than Caucasians, it exacerbates racial tensions.
Police brutality has caused plenty of mistrust and fear amongst people which further leads to violent conflicts between citizens and the police. In many cases the offending police officers are not punished for their actions. This racial tension has created a culture of fear in certain communities, and it has become increasingly prevalent due to the lack of accountability. Following the widespread protests in Ferguson Missouri following the shooting death of 18-year old Mike Brown in 2014, the movement to end police brutality continues to grow. Members of this movement have demonstrated their frustration and anger due to the deaths of numerous African Americans at the hands of police. Overall, we can’t lose more of our brothers and sister from police brutality. If this issue is not dealt with now, it will worsen.
*A contribution to the ‘When Will I Be Free?’ Collection*