Potential Topics:

Police Brutality and Race
Police Violence and African Americans

When Does the Use of Force Become Police Brutality?

Police Brutality and the Black Lives Matter Movement

Police Brutality and the Blue Lives Matter Movement

Alternate Titles:

The Use of Violence: Is there a Limit to the Amount of Force Police Officers Should Use on a Suspect?

Why Just Comply Is Not the Answer to Police Brutality

Are Minorities the Victims of Higher Rates of Police Violence?

Police Brutality: Is there a War on Cops or a War by Cops?

Outline:

I. Introduction - Definition

II. Body
A. Definition
B. Racial Disparity in American Criminal Justice
C. The Black Lives Matter Movement
D. Subsequent Killings
E. Delrawn Small on July 4, 2016
F. Alton Sterling on July 5, 2016
G. Philando Castile on July 6, 2016
H. Blue Lives Matter
I. Police Brutality and Attacks on the Police are Separate Issues
III. Conclusion - Proposed Solution

Abstract

This essayexamines the topic of police brutality through the lens of disproportionate violence against unarmed African Americans. The paperfocuses on the development of the Black Lives Matter movement, including the movements goals, as well as the public response to the movement. It also focuses on the Blue Live Matter movement, and the violent attacks on police officers, which have been in apparent retaliation against police violence. The paper begins by defining police brutality. Next, it discusses how racial discrimination in the criminal justice system results in African Americans being disproportionately targeted for police brutality. It goes on to discuss the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement. Then, it discusses the ambush-style killings of police officers at a Black Lives Matter movement rally in Dallas, Texas. Finally, the author discusses whether the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements are in conflict, or whether that conflict is a myth perpetuated by those who want to encourage continued ill will between the African American community and the police.

Police Brutality:Is there a War on Cops or a War by Cops

 

Introduction

Police brutality is a difficult concept to define because police officers hold a very unique position in American society. Police officers are the only individuals in the United States authorized to use reasonable force against United States citizen civilians in the routine exercise of their duties. No other people in the United States, including non-police members of the armed forces have the right. Police officers may legally physically use reasonable force to stop and apprehend criminal suspects, and are given broad discretion in determining what force is reasonable. Police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians (Danilina, 2016).

While the legal definition of police brutality seems as if it should be clear, is has proven far more difficult to eliminate the connotations that surround the term and impact how it is applied. Those who are against what they see as a militarization of modern policing may suggest that any heavy-handed approach by the police is an act of police brutality, even if the action does not include excessive or unnecessary force. On the other hand, those who suggest that police are at an increased risk of victimization by violent criminals are often reluctant to label even overtly violent or aggressive acts by officers as examples of...
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From a public policy perspective, it seems clear that the pro-policing advocates are having more success with their position: officers who use violence against unarmed and non-violent suspects are rarely charged with and even less frequently convicted of underlying criminal offenses.

Thesis Statement

While people claim there is a war on cops, the facts do not support this claim; not only are there already enhanced punishments for offenders who assault or kill police officers, but also police officers who use violence against unarmed and non-violent suspects rarely face criminal punishment for their actions.

Racial Disparity in American Criminal Justice

While racial disparity in the American criminal justice system is not the same issue as police brutality, it is a closely related issue. African Americans are far more likely than non-blacks to have interactions with police officers. For example, although blacks and whites self-report using drugs at approximately the same rights, blacks are approximately three times as likely to be arrested for marijuana usage than whites (American Civil Liberties Union, 2016). These disparities exist at all levels of the criminal justice system; African Americans are more likely to be investigated by police, arrested, charged, convicted, and receive longer sentences than non-black offenders (Nellis et al., 2008). While evidence of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system does not, on its own, suggest that African Americans are also disproportionately victims of police brutality, it does suggest that, through more frequent contact with the police than non-blacks, African Americans are at greater risk of being targets of police brutality.

While police brutality has plagued law enforcement since its inception, it has often been hidden and ignored. However, the prevalence of cell phones cameras and the ease with which citizens can record such actions has made it much more difficult to ignore police brutality. In fact, the modern debate over police brutality was prompted by footage of the killing of an unarmed African American teenager, Mike Brown, in Ferguson Missouri.

[caption id="attachment_1265" align="alignnone" width="544"] "Police Brutality Rally" Source: https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3797/9275115968_8602ec9b58_b.jpg[/caption]

The Black Lives Matter Movement

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, was shot repeatedly by a white police officer, Darrell Wilson (Clarke and Lett, 2014). While witnesses disagreed about whether Brown or Wilson was the primary aggressor, cell phone video footage showed Brown running from Wilson. In addition, Wilson did not observe Brown breaking any laws that would have authorized an arrest, though Brown was jaywalking when the altercation began. No immediate action was taken against Wilson and the city of Ferguson responded initially with peaceful protests. However, rioters began to flock to the scene, and the city of Ferguson responded by using military-style weapons on the crowds and by repeatedly violating the First Amendment rights of protestors and the press who had gathered to document the protests. On Aug. 13, 2014, police in Ferguson, Missouri, assaulted and arrested two journalists for allegedly failing to exit a McDonalds quickly enough while on a break from covering the protests (Sandvik, 2014). Although the prosecutor presented the case to the grand jury,…