Criminal Acts and the Violation of Human Rights - Case Study Example

Police Brutality in America Task Police Brutality in America Introduction In the daily lives of the Americans, police have brutally treated the American citizens with no mercy. There are many incidents where citizens who are killed in cold blood by the police officers in the streets. These citizens do not show any sign of resistance during arrest, neither are they armed. Police officers decide to throw them down and make them face the ground and after that they are shot at the back. There is a case in the year 2000 where a police officer shot a citizen after throwing him on the ground. The citizen was not having any weapon neither was he resisting arrest but the police officer shot him in cold blood. When the officer was being tried for killing, the jury was told to consider the following verdicts: second degree or involuntary manslaughter. The juror decided to charge him with involuntary manslaughter even after substantial evidence was provided. This kind of judgments also contributes a lot to police officers become brutal to their citizens. Even after congress had passed Violent Control and Law Enforcement Act, they have neglected their responsibility to continuously provide the necessary funds for its enactment. There is no need for the police to keep and criminal records since the legislations can handle this matter. It is quite unfortunate that the legislation department does not hold police officers responsible for their criminal acts and the violation of human rights. When police officers murder innocent citizens in America, they are most of the time charged with involuntary manslaughter. The definition of this term in legal terms is the unlawful killing of person that was done unintentionally (Alexander, 2005). May states in the world do not even have the proper definition of this term, thus many people go unpunished for the criminal act they have committed. Many people who are brutally murdered by the police officers rarely get justice. Even after a police officer is found guilty, his sentence is reduced. Some police officers are even released on parole when current fracas reduces and people have forgotten about the incident. When the court does not hold police officers accountable of his actions after committing a crime, citizens start demonstrating. The same police officers mishandle the citizens by arresting them in large numbers even if they are holding peaceful demonstrations. The citizens are disconnected to the police officers because of being handled heavily and brutally (Alexander, 2005). Families that are not served with justice after one of them is murdered are mainly the Latino and black Americans. This group of citizens is tortured, beaten and murdered in cold blood by police but no justice is served to them. Systemic Police Brutality There is much video footage that is recorded while police officers are brutally handling citizens. There is an incident where a student is tortured with electrical voltage of 5000 because of questioning the results of the voting processes. An old man was severally beaten on the head by police officers because of the crime of intoxication and a sheriff was set free from the crime of manslaughter. Police officers have used riffles, teargas and dogs to disperse a crowd (Alexander, 2005). A man who had severe injuries and was in shock was ordered by policemen to lie on the streets and later he was shot. Police officers have got away with many crimes such as beating people and murdering people in cold blood. The group that suffers is the Latinos, black Americans and Muslims because of their faith AI On America Police Brutality The AI has raised many campaigns against the brutal violence used in America by police officers. There is the excessive use of force and murder in cold blood. The black Americans are victimized while driving and they are stopped for inspection (Alexander, 2005). They are mostly suspected for drug trafficking even if they are innocent. Many traffic stops have been put in various cities in America for inspecting vehicles that belong to the black Americans. Racial and Ethnic Profiling There is a lot of racial profiling against the black Americans and Latinos. Any crime that is committed is implicated to these two ethnic groups. This has extended to children that the black American children are always victimized because of their color. The war on terrorism is subjected to people in Muslim religion because of their faith (Cao, 2002). There is a lot of ethnicity and activism that is subjected to this minority groups. It is evident that the racial minority groups are victimized at their places of work, home and places of worship violently. Police officers do not comply with conventions of eliminating any form racial profiling that should be used by all levels of government. Police Misconducts Many police have been conducting themselves unprofessionally in their line of duty. A sheriff was spotted in camera violating a 15 year old girl when she was in jail. The sheriff has been taken to trial twice yet he has not been convicted. The public prosecutor refused a third trial even with the substantial evidence that has been produced. This means that the sheriff will be reinstated back to work even if he is facing disciplinary actions (Cao, 2002). The sheriff will continue with his behavior of assaulting young girls off camera so as not to be charged. When any police officer is found in some disciplinary actions, the files are mostly omitted and they are not taken to court. The police superior prefer making the officer undergo some disciplinary action rather than taking the matter to court. Various misconducts involve excessive use of force, shooting civilians in cold manner, using torture to get information from the suspects and violation of official policies. Police officers are involved in sexual crimes such as rape, sexual assault and sexual battery. These officers are many at times involved in organizing robbery crimes, bribery and shoplifting. Other forms of misconduct are committing perjury in court. Many are the times when police officers lie in court. They give false testimony for them to get out of the hook. The police officers conduct themselves unprofessionally during raids. Some even raid the wrong address when they have not being given warranty by a judge. The police officers are feared more than the terrorist as they have become the public’s enemy. This is because of their excessive use of force while they are raiding the homes of the public. There is a current incidence where a citizen was killed by a SWAT team at his home in front of his family yet he was an innocent individual. This made the victims family to undergo huge trauma because of the loss of their bread winner (Cao, 2002). Many are the times when SWAT team confuse and raid the wrong house during their operations. At one time the SWAT team confused the town’s mayor to be a drug addict. They raided his home and even the shop the house dog which was their pet. The mayor and his family were held at gun point by the SWAT team which affected their emotional status. Many brutality cases of the police officers are hidden from the public as they do not want them to make the news. Many people who are abused by the police officers do not complain because they fear making enemies with the police officers. The few who complain do not get the required support because the public sides with the police officers (Cao, 2002). It is very unfortunate that the police department protect all the bad things they and they are over protective of their department. The major cases witnessed of brutality include the battering of old women until they die. Young children are assaulted by the police officers and nothing is done to this officers. An old man in a wheel chair was killed by the police officers in cold blood by being shot several times at the chest. The problem of police brutality continue occurring because year after year because there are no measures taken to stop the police officers. Research revealed that most of the assaults are committed by the police officers rather than the criminals. Police officers many are the times they push or grab citizens by their arms. This is part of assault because individuals should be handled with care regardless of what they have done. The public suffer a great deal of traumatic and emotional disturbance when they are assaulted by police officers than when assaulted by the criminals. This is because the public expect the police officers to protect them rather than assaulting them (Jewell, 2003). When a citizens is assaulted by a criminal, they will take it to be their mistake because may be they passed the wrong wrote. When they are assaulted by the police officers they feel very offended because they expect the police officers to protect them. Why Police Are Aggressive Many police officers become aggressive toward the public because they have to deal with bullies and psychopaths. This makes the police officers become very proud of their authority and they commit brutal actions to the public. The police officers are not accountable for their mistakes and many are the times when the assault the public without being held responsible (Jewell, 2003). The government has militarized the police officers, thus making them to become brutal. They are equipped with weapons and they are trained to see the public as their enemy. The American government has made every American to be a suspect of terror. The citizens are not given any privacy as they considered as Muslim terrorist. This is a form of racial discrimination to the Muslims because of their faith. Every Muslim is suspected to be a terrorist (Jewell, 2003). They are denied their privacy in every situation; this has been observed at the airports where they are thoroughly checked again and again. At the bus travelling terminals they are considered ad suspects of terror thus their privacy is denied. There is no terrorist incidence that can be used to justify why the police officers are intruding and messing with the public’s privacy. There is no single terrorist attack that has been caught, but the TSA continue harassing innocent Americans for terrorist involvement. This is because the TSA is dying to use the authority they are given, thus they end up harassing innocent Americans. There is a major incidence where a woman was travelling with her elderly mother for treatment. The woman had to carry special food for her mother because of the treat as she had to take specialized treatment. She even asked for permission from the traveling authority and she was given permission. When she came along with the special food, the security took away her mother’s food. She tried to demonstrate so as to be given back her mother’s food, but instead she was taken away by the security. She left her elderly mother on her will chair watching desperately with no one to help her. This kind of action coming from the police officers is very brutal and hurting. Many individuals are arrested when they carry guns in a bag or suitcase with the intention of taking them to a gun club. Others have been arrested of carrying rifles when they are going hunting in the forest and they forgot to remove all the ammunition and gun powder is detected. Many boy scouts have been arrested after they forget to remove their pocket knives at their back pack after returning from camping. Mothers who are lactating are forced to give up breast milk which they should give to their babies while on the trip. The TSA claim to protect the American people from this situations yet they are oppressing the citizens. It is quite unfortunate that the citizens find it to be a measure of protection and yet they are being harassed by the TSA. The government wants the public to submit to things they have not done. Any citizen who tries to fights for his rights is held as a suspect. The citizen is put to indefinite detention without trial by the government with no crimes held against him. The US police department has allied with other police stated over the world. The US government does not try to protect democracy in these states but instead it tries to reduce this democracy. The US government has manipulated the elections of other states so that to ensure they can manipulate the person who is in power. There are raising incidences of police brutality in many states of the USA by the police officers. This brutality raise every year and there is nothing done to reduce them. Even with concrete evidence showing that a person is innocent and that the police officers have violated his rights, the police officer is not held accountable for his actions. The government has given the police officers excessive power, thus they feel they have the authority to abuse the citizens. The police officers have committed much misconduct, starting with sexual assault of young girls and even raping elderly women. Even after committing such violations to the public, the officers are not charged with anything. Instead they are subjected to disciplinary actions and they are taken to court to answer for their crimes. After the fracas has cooled down from the public, some of the police officers are reinstated back to their jobs. This is why the culture of brutality by police officers will continue because no action is taken against them. References Alexander, R. (2005). Racism, African Americans, and Social Justice. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Cao, L. (2002). Cubing Police Brutality: What Works? A Reanalysis of Citizen Complaints at the Organizational Level, Final Report. Retrieved On 16 February 2012 From, Jewell, K. (2003). Survival Of The African American Family: The Institutional Impact Of U.S. Social Policy. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group. Read More