Police Brutality And Media Analysis

Civil rights activist Bayard Rustin once stated, “If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society.” This task seems simple enough. Nevertheless, recently numerous deaths of African Americans occurred at the hands of white police officers who, more often than not, the court ruled innocent. These cases have caused riots and uproar in several cities demanding justice. The riots often denigrate police officers nationwide, and, in response to the killings, multiple situations where African Americans murdered white police officers developed out of racial hatred. The media are …show more content…
In “The Cross Blue Line; Lexington”, an article regarding the media’s impact on police brutality, some police departments blame Obama for false accusations opposing law enforcement and a war against police. Political figures like the president have a major impact on how the American society reacts to issues. Even though Obama appears to villainize police officers, he spoke in favor of the police department when an African American man murdered Goforth, a sheriff’s deputy, while Goforth was pumping gas into his patrol car (“The Cross Blue Line”). Furthermore, the media also play a major role in the reactions of the citizens. The media regularly dramatizes reports and makes situations more personal to the viewers, and when they report white police officers murdering African Americans, the media generally present the death as a racial crime even though the officer may have only been defending themselves. On top of that, social media address these accounts as quickly as possible while there is very little evidence defending either side. For example, when officer Encinia pulled over Sarah Bland for changing lanes without signaling, the dashboard camera only caught part of the video, but Encinia guides Bland out of her car and out of the camera’s perspective, and the exact encounter that occurred remains unknown(Solomon). …show more content…
In the article “Excessive or Reasonable Force by Police?”, Wihbey and Walter Kille state, “ A 2015 report for the Justice Department... found that officers do not receive regular, consistent training on the department’s deadly force policy.” If young officers do not familiarize themselves with the department’s policy on deadly force, they will not be prepared for facing lawbreakers. Since new policemen have to figure out what works on their own, they may often resort to harsh and brutal tactics. The behavior of brash recruits can portray a negative image of all policemen and create mistrust between officers and communities. According to “Excessive or Reasonable Force by Police?”, Wihbey and Walter Kille also say, “A 2007 study in Criminal Justice and Behavior... found that officers with more experience and education may be less likely to use force, while a review of case studies suggests that specific training programs and accountability structures can lower the use of violence by police departments.” This study proves that classes on police brutality present necessary awareness on excessive force, and the education on the subject has the potential to decrease unjustifiable force. Furthermore, training programs have the ability to create smarter and safer officers, and they can improve citizens’ feeling of safety in

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