Police brutality is a problem that has stemmed from a long history of racism and dicrimmination. This instills fear in minorities (specifically African Americans and Latinos) who experience this, and has countless other harmful effects. Law enforcement has not only failed to provide safety to everyone, but has also added to the violence. 

Many don’t feel safe because 63% of African Americans are fearful of police violence happening to either themselves or a family member (Frankovic). This fear stems from not only present day actions, but also the long history of police using their authority for racial control and to intensify racism. There has been no real change to improve this. Now, the racist actions of police are swept under the rug as only 31% of African Americans, and 70% of whites think officers are held accountable for their wrongdoings on the job (Morin). Even though there is a difference between these numbers, people of color are the ones experiencing this first hand. Even then, there are still 30% of white people who also see what is kept hidden. But what is going unnoticed? 

Four hundred and forty six minorities have been shot and killed so far in 2019. One hundred and forty three of these people were African Americans, and 21 of those people were either unarmed, had a toy weapon/other, or it is unknown if they did or not (Tate). This gives insight into the fact the police act on their own assumptions that minorities are a threat to them and their safety. People would argue that it is hard to make split second decisions, and that they are worrying about their own safety too. But, police are supposed to have the proper training needed to know when force is necessary. Also, this argument doesn’t excuse the fact that people of color are being killed by police more than white people. There are other ways to stop a dangerous (and unarmed) person if they were a genuine threat to the police officer. The evidence backing up this bias is eye opening. Over 60% percent of unarmed people killed by police were minorities (Lopez). This is a clear indicator that stereotypes about minorities are in place. Young black men are 21 times more likely to be shot and killed by police than young white men (Hannah-Jones). Police thinking that minorities are more violent than white people is unfair, and puts them in an unsafe position.

Gun violence isn’t the only problem that African Americans are facing. In general, police are 3 times more likely to use force on African Americans than on white people (Williams). But, it’s not just violence that is occuring. African Americans are more likely to be arrested for drugs even though they aren’t more likely to use or sell them (Lopez). There could be no other logical cause for this other than racism and stereotyping. White people are not experiencing this bias because police are able to tell the difference between “petty crimes” and serious threats in white communities (Hannah-Jones). But, this is not happening in other communities. People of color are not more of a threat and shouldn’t be targeted due to discrimination from police. They are also more likely to experience everyday disrespect and belittlement from police. When 30 Puerto Rican and Dominican young adults were questioned, there were common themes in their responses. Overall, it was said that police have better relationships with white communities, and that racial profiling and overall disrespect is the norm (Delgado). The evidence clearly shows the racism and stereotyping embedded in our law enforcement. The police brutality that people of color are experiencing is due to police assuming that they are more of a threat, or more likely to break the law. This explains why police use more force, belittlement, and arrest them more. What effect does this have on the people and the community? 

The individuals and the communities experiencing this are greatly impacted. Boston University’s school of health and the University of Pennsylvania released a study that found that the high rate of unarmed African Americans being killed by police has caused more cases of depression, stress, and other mental health issues among black people. When Darren Nichols (black reporter in Detroit) shares fears about police after Antwon Rose Jr. (17) was shot in the back while fleeing a car that was stopped by the police; he says, “See, Rose was 17. Yet I’m sure we shared the same panic and the adrenaline rush when you see those red and blue lights flashing behind you. It never subsides.” A look into someone's personal feelings/experiences can open peoples eyes to the fear that law enforcement can cause. It shows the real life thought process that goes through Nichols head, and how these feelings are shared through communities. This explains why a whole community is hurt when people are mistreated or killed by police.

In a study done by, Carmen Solis, Edwardo L. Portillos, and Rod K. Brunson, 30 Latino/a youth were interviewed. They said that racial profiling and disrespectful treatment is common during interactions with the police, and that uncertainty about immigration status influences police’s treatment towards Latino/a youth (Delgado). This puts a strain on these communities because they are more prone to mistreatment from the police. This mistreatment causes distrust between police and the communities they are supposed to protect. Researcher Nikki Jones did a three year study on the routine encounters of African American and police. It was revealed that common body searches caused the young boys to behave like “professional suspects” by their late teens. Jones says that this gives a sense that Black male bodies are “state property”. Experiencing and witnessing this causes shame, degradation, and also seen in previous communities, ruins the community’s trust in law enforcement. Overall, results from the interviews reveal themes of powerlessness, identity shift, and health impacts (Delgado). This shows how greatly police’s action influence the mental health of people along with the communities. 

Knowing the effects of police brutality, it is clear that this problem should be fixed. Even though there is no overnight solution, there are steps that can be taken to help improve the situation. Body Cams could be used to prove unfair treatment and help the victims get justice. Out of the 143 African Americans that got shot and killed so far in 2019, only 22 of the police had a body cam. The number of people shot and killed could be lower if these encounters were being recorded. Having footage of what really went on could make officers more aware of their actions and less quick to make split decisions. Proper training and protocol is also very important for officers to have. It is normal for there to be no protocol when dealing with force, so there is a gray area of what should be allowed. There is very little training when it comes to using force along with dealing with youth. Authority figures trigger a fight-flight response in traumatized youth whether they are innocent or not (Thurau). More training on how to deal with this can help officers deal with these situations better. Some might say that this is attacking the police, but this is not the case. Police are needed and do good, but there are still problems that need to be fixed. This criticism is needed to cause improvement.  

Overall, police brutality is a serious problem that needs more awareness and action. There needs to be more conversations about how often mistreatment and violence from the police occur. Although it will be hard to change actions that have happened for so long, the aforementioned steps need to be taken to prevent this frequent violence in the future. Hopefully overtime, African Americans and Latinos can start to gain trust, peace, and safety within their communities. 

Works Cited

Tate, Julie, et al. “Fatal Force: 2019 Police Shootings Database.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 2 Jan. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/police-shootings-2019/.

Lopez, German. “There Are Huge Racial Disparities in How US Police Use Force.” Vox, Vox, 14 Nov. 2018, www.vox.com/identities/2016/8/13/17938186/police-shootings-killings-racism-racial-disparities.

Hannah-Jones, Nikole. “Taking Freedom: Yes, Black America Fears the Police. Here's Why.” Pacific Standard, 10 Apr. 2018, psmag.com/social-justice/why-black-america-fears-the-police.

Frankovic, Kathy. “More African-Americans Fear Victimization by Police than Fear Violent Crime.” YouGov, 15 Mar. 2019, today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/03/15/black-americans-police. 

Williams, Timothy. “Study Supports Suspicion That Police Are More Likely to Use Force on Blacks.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 July 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/us/study-supports-suspicion-that-police-use-of-force-is-more-likely-for-blacks.html.

Morin, Rich, and Renee Stepler. “The Racial Confidence Gap in Police Performance.” Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project, 29 Sept. 2016, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/09/29/the-racial-confidence-gap-in-police-performance/.

Thurau, Lisa H., and Johanna Wald. “Police Killings, Brutality Damaging Mental Health of Black Community.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 2018, www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/spotlight/2018/09/14/police-brutality-damaging-black-communitys-mental-health/1218566002/.

Delgado, Angelica, "Police Brutality: Impacts on Latino and African American Lives and Communities" (2016). Matt Meier Award. 1. scholarcommons.scu.edu/meier_award/1