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Police brutality isn't a recent phenomenon.

According to Lepore (2020), "Policing was invented in 1838 when the Massachusetts legislature authorized the hiring of police officers in Boston." (para. 12).

However, since the late 1800s, police have been abusing their powers.

This was especially apparent during the Industrial Revolution and the Civil Rights Era.

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250,000 annual injuries that are caused by law enforcement officers are civilians.

600 of those injuries result in death.

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The majority of these deaths are Black Americans.
Statistics show that they are two times more likely to die from police brutality than White Americans (Police brutality statistics: What the Data says about police violence in America 2023).

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Harmful stereotypes and assumptions are killing Black Americans.

Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Atatiana Jefferson, Andre Hill, Stephon Clark, Daunte Wright, Tyre Nichols, and many others are just a few of the names of black people killed by police within the past five years.

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Police Brutality: Impacts on Black Americans

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BLM: How it led to Coverage on Brutality

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BLM: How it led to Coverage on Brutality

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With the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement also came controversy. With thousands of hashtags, tweets, posts, and marches, they were finally making a point... or were they?

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Defunding the police became an uplifting and common idea associated with BLM.

Although this would be ideal, defunding the police will never work because of crime rates and our government:

Londoño (2023) states, "As police ranks thinned out, violent crime soared. Gang violence, once a modest problem in Minneapolis, became such a huge challenge..." (para. 23).

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While BLM had a lasting impact on the black community and bringing them together, it has ultimately done little to stop police behavior towards minorities.

Judgments and violence are still being brought out on people (black or white) who refuse to comply with police.

What can be done to stop power-hungry police?

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The Police Misconduct Provision law makes it unlawful for State or local law enforcement officers to partake in patterns or practices of conduct that deprive individuals of rights protected by the Constitution of U.S. laws (Addressing police misconduct laws enforced by the Department of Justice 2020).

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 & OJP Program Statute also prohibits police officers from discriminating based on race, gender, sex, and religion.

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Although there are laws that prevent police from committing violence or discriminating based on skin tone, it still happens.

No matter how good or how bad the person, being in a position of power gives you the ability to abuse.

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Advocating, protesting, changing laws, speaking up, and holding law enforcement accountable is what we as a society can do.

Police officers should be there to protect, not harm. Although this is still a very apparent and real issue today, I hope for a future where police brutality isn't a common topic on the news.

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Addressing police misconduct laws enforced by the Department of Justice. Civil Rights Division. (2020, October 13). https://www.justice.gov/crt/addressing-police-misconduct-laws-enforced-department-justice

Lepore, J. (2020, July 13). The invention of the police. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/20/the-invention-of-the-police#:~:text=It%20is%20also%20often%20said,of%20police%20officers%20in%20Boston.

Londoño, E. (2023, June 16). How “defund the police” failed. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/16/us/defund-police-minneapolis.html

Police brutality statistics: What the Data says about police violence in America. Police Brutality Center. (2023, September 8). https://policebrutalitycenter.org/police-brutality/statistics/#:~:text=In%20other%20words%2C%20Black%20Americans,by%20police%20than%20other%20races.