Roy King Riots Case Study

Author Barbara Smith addresses the events that evolved in the city of Los Angeles on March 3, 1991, regarding police brutality towards a black man Rodney King, before handcuffing King after a high-speed chase. Across the nation resonated a shock wave of unbelieve as the police officers involved were acquitted which sparked a violent movement in the local community (39). Barbara Smith took the opportunity to provide a rhetorical response in her book titled, “The Truth That Never Hurts” (42). Barbara Smith’s writings in an excerpt from her book describe similar factual events of violence and oppression through history, in our nation, that has left a residue of incivility, her response is verbal as she speaks through her written text. A myriad

The suspicion caused Officer Connor to pull over Graham and his friend for an investigative stop. Police respondents handcuffed Graham and ignored his plea for them to stop, resulting in injuries. Issue: Did the alleged excessive force

On August 9, 2014, an 18 year old named Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. From this event sprang countless protests, all stemming from the fact that Michael Brown was African American and that he was killed by a police officer (Sokhi-Bulley). As the protests progressed, the demonstrations were met by increasing police resistance, bringing a growing sense of rage and conflict against the law enforcement of the town as well as the country. Overall, the community of Ferguson, Missouri, has a major problem of police brutality, likely originating from a sense of deep seeded racism within the force as well as the nation’s society. While this may appear to be a straightforward issue, there are many different angles and opinions on the Ferguson debate coming from a wide variety of sources.

According to the Declaration of Independence signed on July 4,1776 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of Independence says that all men are equal; all men are equal means that every man’s life has the same value. Police brutality has been an ongoing problem since the beginning of time. The conflict of the police versus the people has become a mass media problem as well as a personal problem. Back 1992, Rodney Glen King was the first African American to go viral for being the first victim of police brutality.

Rodney King Riots Protest Movement Paper On April 29, 1992, A week of non stop urban violence and mayhem erupted in the streets and cities of Los Angeles, the riots were commenced by the unjust trial that let the four white police officers set free of any charges. All four officers were captured on videotape beating on a black motorist named, Rodney King after a traffic stop gone wild. The Rodney King riots impacted society greatly by presenting the nations people with an understanding of how racism was still present in america. A reminder that "justice for all" was still a long way off being set in stone and to followed by most people.

People rebel when no justice being served. It is understandable why people act a certain way. Have you ever loved someone more than yourself? A person is your biggest pride and joy to be safe? Can you imagine how it feels to no longer have your pride and joy with in a split second, due to the way they look?

The Police brutality is the wanton use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer. ("Police brutality") while there are many cases and incidents that show police brutality, I write abut this specific incident in Rhode Island, because as martin Luther King, Jr. argues "injustice is here" (978). The incident took place on September 2nd, 2012 when a police officer (Edward Krawetz) kicked a handcuffed woman in the face while she was sitting on the ground. This incident was video recorded only was not available to public until recently. The officer was probably only convicted because there was a video recording of the incident.

Police Brutality and Race Police brutality is not a new problem in the United States. It has occurred throughout history and has affected all genders, ethnicities, and races. Recently, however, police brutality towards African Americans has become a controversial topic in the news media, and has prompted heated discussions and angry public outcry about race relations and civil rights throughout all sections of the country. Ever since the Michael Brown shooting in 2014, which was caught on camera and viewed widely on national television and on social media, the police have been under scrutiny by both the news media and the general population to stop their use of physical force and unnecessary violence when apprehending and confronting criminals.

Ethics plays a huge issue in Police conduct and how officers treat citizens of the community. Police brutality is an issue that exists all over the country. Police brutality is the excessive use of force by police to any victims. This can be physical and verbal attacks as well as psychological intimidation. One of the most famous incidents was the Rodney King beating.

Throughout African American history , the police force has been accountable for numerous detrimental deaths in the African American community due to racial discrimination. In 1960s, African American protesters were targeted by the police force because of the their desire to be be deemed as equal. Likewise, in today’s society African Americans are still experiencing active racial discrimination and injustices from the police force. African Americans have expressed their level of frustration with the inhumane actions of the police force. Police brutality of African American protesters has been rebirthed into 21st century by ongoing racial injustices through Henry Louis Gates Jr. and victims of the detrimental equality marches , evidence is presented.

With the flawed response to the 1992 Los Angeles Riots there were many decisions that were made by the top brass of the police department and city. The first ethical issue that helped cause the riots in the first place, was the use of force that was excessive in nature. The decision of the sergeant at the scene of the Rodney King to not stop the excessive force used by the officers that day was an ethical violation within itself. The use of power and discretion in the event causing the riots was most certainly unethical in nature. That night the officers had a duty to arrest King, but the discretion that was used to repeatedly beat King was poor.

However, in spite of the fact that the Rodney King verdict catalyzed these riots in 1992, there were other contributing factors to the riots. One such contributing factor was the rampant escalation of police presence in response to the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The games, while they were incredibly profitable, on the other hand, were also responsible for the militarization the Los Angeles Police Department. The 1984 games served as a spectacle of American prosperity and success; an image which was threatened by the rising gang violence and drug crimes in nearby South Central. The local law enforcement.

While the other book used is useful for providing an account of what happened at the beginning of the decade, this book is able to look at police brutality throughout the 1990s and how the earlier events impacted the later ones. Journal Articles Matheson, Victor A., and Robert A. Baade. “Race and Riots: A Note on the Economic Impact of the Rodney King Riots.” Urban Studies, vol. 41, no. 13, 2004, pp. 2691–2696, Academic Search Premier, doi:10.1080/0042098042000294628.

Police officer’s reputations are reduced and they lose the public’s trust as protectors. Specifically, society talks about the act of a white police officer savagely attacking a black citizen. The black population was enraged by this act and formed activist movements to prevent any police brutality brought upon them. As the controversy rise, society starts picking a side to defend. In this case, the nation is split into two sides.

[ Imagine this scenario: you are complying with the police that are screaming at you, guns pointed at you, screaming “please don 't shoot” and trying your best to do what the police are asking. Daniel Shaver was an unarmed man fatally shot for no good reason. He was complying with the police officers orders and was begging for his life, screaming “please don’t shoot,” before he was fatally shot 5 times. Unfortunately, this is just one example of police brutality, an instance when police use unnecessary force when either they are unarmed or are complying with orders. Today I want to tell you of the injustice of police brutality, the people it affects, and how just asking the right questions could make sure that police are punished for their crimes.