How Race and Ethnicity Affect Police Brutality Term Paper

Tags: discrimination police brutality law culture racism respect latino minorities law enforcement prejudice war media behavior prison race violence police

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While no one is immune from police brutality, statistics show that African-Americans are far more likely to be the victims of police brutality than are whites. As Lopez notes, “Black people accounted for 31 percent of police killing victims in 2012, even though they made up just 13 percent of the US population.” Moreover, of the people killed by police who were not attacking, 39% were black (Lopez). These statistics have not improved over time. Between 2015 and 2016, there were 1,146 victims of police violence and nearly 40% of those victims were either African-American or Hispanic, according Bui, Coates and Matthay. The tragedy is, of course, that according to the U.S. Census Bureau, African-Americans and Hispanics only account for a quarter of the U.S. population. So how is it that roughly half of all victims of police brutality are minorities who altogether make up only a quarter of the population served by police? The problem has not gone unnoticed by researchers. James, for example, has pointed out that “research on police officers has found that they tend to associate African Americans with threat” (30). In other words, there is an inherent bias or prejudice in many police officers when it comes to judging blacks.  This is something that has been verified by Hehman, Flake and Calanchini who found that police violence against blacks is disproportionately found in some regions of the U.S. and is a sign of significant bias against African-Americans.

However, not everyone reports the same statistics—or at least reports them in the same way. Lemoine reported that “last year, according to the Washington Post’s tally, just 16 unarmed black men, out of a population of more than 20 million, were killed by the police. The year before, the number was 36. These figures are likely close to the number of black men struck by lightning in a given year.” Lemoine makes it look as though police brutality against blacks is over-exaggerated and over-emphasized. By reporting actual figures like this one, it is hard not to argue. When reporting percentages, the proportion of blacks who are brutalized or killed by police does seem to be a bit harder to accept. Lemoine’s statistics make it seem much more palatable. The problem is this: should society be willing to accept any percentage or any numbers with respect to police brutality? Should it not be the case that whether the victims are white or black, police brutality itself should not be occurring?

And certainly it can be said that police brutality towards blacks is out of proportion to the actual population as a whole.

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The number is made worse when one considers the incarceration statistics for black men in America. 33% of the prison population is African-American—more than whites, who only make up 30% of the prison population, accord to…

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…does not get nearly as much air play, however, because it is not construed as a racially motivated phenomenon. Anytime that white officers use unnecessary force against black persons, it is quickly labeled racial. The fact is, however, that not all brutality against blacks is racial, just like not all police officers are racist. Sometimes officers simply lack the restraint they need to de-escalate a situation and keep it from spiraling out of control.

The problem in America is that racism does exist and has existed fiercely in the past. Therefore, people who want to stop the spread of racism are very mindful of it anytime it appears it could be showing signs of life again. So they are quick to take action against officers who may be engaging in police brutality against African-Americans. As a society, however, the U.S. should be actively engaged in stopping police brutality altogether—not just against blacks but also against whites. In spite of the disproportionate percentage of blacks killed by police compared to whites, it still remains that more whites are killed by police each year. These are just the statistical facts. The important takeaway is that no matter how one looks it, police brutality should be looked upon as a plague that is negatively affecting the country, and regardless of whether one is white or black, one should not tolerate police brutality. Whether it is race or….....

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Works Cited

Bui, Anthony L., Matthew M. Coates, and Ellicott C. Matthay. "Years of life lost due to encounters with law enforcement in the USA, 2015–2016." J Epidemiol Community Health 72.8 (2018): 715-718.

Hehman, Eric, Jessica K. Flake, and Jimmy Calanchini. "Disproportionate use of lethal force in policing is associated with regional racial biases of residents." Social psychological and personality science 9.4 (2018): 393-401.

James, Lois. "The stability of implicit racial bias in police officers." Police Quarterly  21.1 (2018): 30-52.

Lemoine, Philippe. Police Violence against Black Men Is Rare. National Review, 2017. https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/09/police-violence-against-black-men-rare-heres-what-data-actually-say/

Lopez, German. There are huge racial disparities in how US police use force. Vox, 2018. https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/8/13/17938186/police-shootings-killings-racism-racial-disparities

Pew Research. The gap between the number of blacks and whites in prison is shrinking.

Pew Research Center, 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/12/shrinking-gap-between-number-of-blacks-and-whites-in-prison/

U.S. Census Bureau. Population of the United States by Race and Hispanic/Latino Origin, Census 2000 and 2010. https://www.infoplease.com/us/race-population/population-united-states-race-and-hispaniclatino-origin-census-2000-and-2010

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