History and Cases of Police Brutality
Blast from the pastDocumentation of police brutality can be traced back to the 1920's. As many of you know from history class, these were times of segregation and discrimination. So what does this mean? It means that police brutality was prominent and part of many African American's daily lives. Why did they get away with it? Because certain laws were in effect (i.e. Jim Crow Laws), it made it legal for police to get away with such horrendous crimes.
As said by Author Robin D.G.Kelley in the book Police Brutality: An Anthology, "...according to one study conducted by the sociologist Arthur Raper, during the 1920's approximately half of all Black people who died at the hands of Whites were murdered by police". How can people possibly trust the police if there is no one to call because they're responsible for the murders. Unfortunately due to the lack of technology and reporting done, there wasn't much documentation until later in the 1960's. |
The 1960's-90's
1963- Five women; Fannie Lou Hamer, Euvester Simpson. Rosemary Freeman, June Johnson, and Annelle Ponder were arrested. While in a county jail, Hamer, Ponder, and Johnson were viciously beaten by officers and inmates (under command of the officers), stripped naked and sexually assaulted. No charges were pressed against the officers.
1967- Steve Biko was tortured for 22 hours in interrogation at the hands of police who in turn received no punishment. 1968-70- "The Greater Kent State Era". Unarmed students, Delano Middleton, Henry Smith, and Sammuel Hammond Jr. were shot and killed by police. 10 days later, James Earl Green and Philip L. Gibbs were killed in an unprovoked incident with cops. Author of the article, The Greater Kent State Era, 1968-70, Darlene Hine, writes, “Students at the University of California Berkeley and Columbia University, New York, had dissented, rallied, trespassed and transgressed for years but no state police dared shoot the sons and daughters of the white elite.” 1991- the notorious beating of Rodney King was caught on camera. 1991- Frederico Pereira was choked to death by police as he lay face down with his hands tied behind his back. 1997- Abner Louima was attcked by NYPD officer, Justin Volpe. Louima was also sodomized with a broken broomstick. Volpe only got leave time for his crime. |
early 2000's-present day
2000's- death of three Black women, Alyana Stanely-Jones, Yvette Smith, and Rekia Boyd, went unnoticed by the media.
2004- 26 year-old, Frank Jude was beaten by several off-duty officers. Punishment for the officers? none.
2005- Robert Davis, a retired elementary school teacher was attacked after being accused of public intoxication. The individual with the Associated Press who caught it on camera was attacked later that night.
2006- NYPD detectives fired 50 rounds into a car killing Sean Bell. They were under the assumption that the men in the car had a gun.
2011- Kenneth Chamberlain a 68 year--old Marine veteran was tasered and fatally shot by officers who went to his home when his medical pendant went off accidentally. The device recorded them mocking his military past.
2012- 17 year-old Trayvon Martin was shot after an altercation with an officer who had been following him even when commanded not to. Also in 2012, mentally ill, Milton Hall was shot at 46 times by 8 cops and hit by 14 bullets ultimately killing him.
2014- Eric Garner's death
2014- 12 year-old Tamir Rice was shot by officers when they got a call about him waving a toy gun.
2014- 18 year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by officers after him saying "don't shoot" with his hands raised up in surrender
David A. Love writes in his article, Police misconduct is still a problem, “According to a report by the Center for Constitutional Rights, in recent years, the New York Police Department made 150,000 unjustified or unconstitutional stops”.
2004- 26 year-old, Frank Jude was beaten by several off-duty officers. Punishment for the officers? none.
2005- Robert Davis, a retired elementary school teacher was attacked after being accused of public intoxication. The individual with the Associated Press who caught it on camera was attacked later that night.
2006- NYPD detectives fired 50 rounds into a car killing Sean Bell. They were under the assumption that the men in the car had a gun.
2011- Kenneth Chamberlain a 68 year--old Marine veteran was tasered and fatally shot by officers who went to his home when his medical pendant went off accidentally. The device recorded them mocking his military past.
2012- 17 year-old Trayvon Martin was shot after an altercation with an officer who had been following him even when commanded not to. Also in 2012, mentally ill, Milton Hall was shot at 46 times by 8 cops and hit by 14 bullets ultimately killing him.
2014- Eric Garner's death
2014- 12 year-old Tamir Rice was shot by officers when they got a call about him waving a toy gun.
2014- 18 year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by officers after him saying "don't shoot" with his hands raised up in surrender
David A. Love writes in his article, Police misconduct is still a problem, “According to a report by the Center for Constitutional Rights, in recent years, the New York Police Department made 150,000 unjustified or unconstitutional stops”.
Sources:
- Nelson, Jill. Police Brutality: An Anthology. New York: W.W. Norton, 2000. Print.
- Hine, Darlene Clark. “The Greater Kent State Era, 1968-70.” Peace & Change 21.2 (1996): 157.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Mar. 2015
- Love, David A. "Police misconduct is still a problem." Charleston Gazette (West Virginia).
(April 29, 2012, Sunday ): 477 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2015/03/12.