Since the start of 2015, nearly 800 American men and women have been murdered by the people who have sworn to protect us: police officers. Unfortunately, about one fourth of those killed were unarmed at the time of their death. What’s interesting about these facts is that the number of unarmed black Americans killed this year was more than twice that of white Americans. This relationship is substantially disproportionate considering that there are five times as many whites as there are blacks in America. I find this incredibly concerning and it has definitely impacted my view of American law enforcement. Recently, I have tried to become more knowledgeable about racism and prejudice in the United States as issues such as police brutality are becoming more and more prevalent. Although there is still much more for me to learn about the complicated system of racism and white privilege, I do feel that I know enough to recognize unjust and unlawful behavior of police officers. Police brutality has a longstanding history in our country and will be very difficult to overcome. However, I think it is possible if we, as a nation, are willing to recognize the cause and attack the issue at its source. I believe that police brutality can be attributed to an immoral police force, a corrupt justice system, and, most importantly, deep-rooted and institutionalized racism.

One of the core issues behind police brutality lies within police officers themselves. Law enforcers in America continually abuse their power and take advantage of innocent civilians who don’t know their rights. When stopped by an officer, people have certain privileges. You have the right to remain silent, you may refuse to consent to a search of your property.  If you are not under arrest, technically you may leave, and you always have the right to an attorney. Every American is granted these rights by our Constitution, yet time and time again African Americans are penalized and brutalized for taking advantage of them. Police officers far too often behave unprofessionally and irrationally and then blame their actions on the victim.

Consider the case of Sandra Bland, an African American woman who was arrested under questionable allegations and then found mysteriously dead in her cell; she knew her rights and knew that she didn’t have to allow an officer to search her vehicle. The officer, Brian Encinia, claimed he did have the right to do so, and when she still denied him, he forcibly dragged her from her vehicle. The most common excuse for excessive force is that the victim was resisting arrest. However, even when other evidence reveals that the victim did comply, nothing is done and the excuse still holds. This situation has happened far too many times. Personally, I believe that it is the duty of police officers, as enforcers of the law, to be able to separate their emotions and biases from their work.

Another issue that ultimately leads to police brutality and excessive use of force is the undeniable corruption of the American justice system. When cases of police brutality are considered controversial enough to be brought to court, which they rarely are, they are almost always carried out incorrectly according to official law procedures. The epochal case of the murder of unarmed 18 year old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson was full of errors. The case proceedings are widely considered to be very questionable and there are far too many noticeable inconsistencies in Wilson’s testimony. Wilson’s physical injuries did not match his description of the altercation, many witnesses were proved to be unreliable, and of course, there is the ever present issue that we don’t get to hear Brown’s side of the story. When the American justice system doesn’t act as it should, it lets police officers know that they can get away with things they shouldn’t. It is imperative for our police officers to be checked on and kept in line by the American justice system but this just isn’t happening. The favoritism and bias shown to police officers and the racism within the institution is a combination that continually leads to cases of police brutality.

The final and perhaps most prominent source of police brutality is the racism that is ingrained in the minds of Americans and serves as the basis of many American institutions. America was inarguably built upon racism and prejudice and this continues to affect american society and the relationship between white Americans and minorities. We have made a huge amount of progress as a nation in rectifying the unimaginable injustices committed against people of color throughout American history, despite this, our work is far from over. From the time we are young, many things contribute to the racism that is instilled upon all Americans unless they make cultural awareness a priority and consistently combat racial stereotypes and prejudices. The things we see on TV, what we hear on the news, and what we read in books, all are conducive to our negative perception of minorities. Police officers are subject to this just like anyone else, however I feel that police officers are also people who need to be aware of this the most. Ignorance is no excuse for racism. When these men and women make the decision to become officers of the law I believe they are simultaneously making the decision to serve and protect people regardless of their race. It is the responsibility of the police force to educate themselves and learn to recognize their own racism, whether it be intentional or not, and be able to overcome this in order to provide the best service they can.

The issue of police brutality will not be easily overcome. In order for any progress to be made, we need a serious restructuring of the the American criminal justice system, we need to reform police officer training, and most importantly, we need people to educate themselves on racism and learn to actively challenge prejudice. This will undoubtedly be a long and difficult process, but it is not unattainable. As citizens, we must do our part to aid in putting an end to police brutality and racial profiling. However, the responsibility for overcoming this crisis truly lies with police officers themselves. It is up to them to identify their own shortcomings and prejudices, it is their task to see the fraudulence of the American justice system, and it is their duty to recognize racism and work to overcome it. If they cannot do these things than there is truly no hope for police brutality to come to end.