Tales of Racial Discrimination
Thesis:
The definition of police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. “Excessive use of force” describes a force well beyond what would be necessary in order to handle a situation, for example, firing 24 shots at an unarmed suspect who is running away from an officer. In the Declaration of Independence, our country states that all men are created equal, yet there are still people getting arrested or killed just because of the color of their skin. When it comes to the issue of police brutality, I believe that all law enforcement officials, especially police officers, should be required to wear body-cams when on-duty. This way, there are fewer opportunities for cops to get away with wrongfully injuring or murdering suspects or individuals they encounter.
Evidence:
Look at people like Donald Trump or the KKK, they are real human beings who still think that one race is inferior to another. The 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act was a couple years ago and although people say we have come far, to me it feels like we are traveling back in the wrong direction. This country isn't going to last for very much longer if this ideology is still present. The number of people who feel like this is only growing with each Trump rally, or KKK meeting. This matters to me on a personal level because I am half black and half white. I have witnessed racism first-hand and I have seen the damage it can do. The US advocates for every person of every race to be free, but when citizens try to change that, our local and state government doesn't seem to do much to stop them. It is a proven fact that “A black man is three times more likely to be searched at a traffic stop, and six times more likely to go jail than a white person” (Jeff Nesbit, USNews). Racism in any form needs to be stopped. To go into further detail about this topic, police violence against black Americans has become a nation-wide problem.
The line between black and white is so thick that children are getting exposed to it the minute they are born, and in ways that are punitive. For example, “Black preschoolers are far more likely to be suspended than white children. Black children make up 18 percent of the pre-school population, but represent almost half of all out-of-school suspensions,” (Jeff Nesbit, USNews). In murder cases like Laquan McDonald, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, and many others, these young people’s lives were cut short by a policeman for no reason. The dash cams that are currently found on police cars are terrible quality and can be tampered with, as appears to have occurred in the McDonald murder in Chicago. Evidence can be deleted and changed, which is why most of these cops don’t end up being charged with murder. Body cams would help give a better insight about the actual incident so no one can get away with murder. In the McDonald case, “A police dashcam video from last October clearly showed the African-American teenager walking away from police when Officer Jason Van Dyke unloaded his gun, striking Laquan 16 times.” (Marilyn Rhames, Huffington Post). It was completely unnecessary to shoot this teen 16 times; a friendly reminder that the mayor didn’t release the video for over a year after the killing happened (ABC 7). The people that we hire to keep us safe need to be checked out to make sure that we are putting the right people in charge of protecting our country.
Antithesis:
The opposition believes that although police killing innocent people is a terrible problem in today’s society, body cams are not going to change that. Some crime officials state that “body cameras are seen as an invasion of privacy, as they provide state-owned footage. When police cameras are on, they will capture everyday civilian and police behavior that does not necessarily need to be recorded. Do all defendants want their arrests recorded? Do all bystanders want to be in those videos when shown in court?” (Eric Baum, Newsmax).
Evidence:
The opposition says that this will not solve anything because these cameras can still be tampered with which would keep us stuck in the place we are at right now with this problem. In the case of Rodney King, an African American man who was beaten to death by white police officers in Los Angeles in 1991, a witness named George Holliday recorded the incident which was then broadcasted around the country. The officers claimed that King was resisting arrest but it was clear in the video that the police officers were in fact beating him harder than what was needed. The police on trial said that King was on PCP at the time of the killing. In court that was proven to be mistaken, but the cops were still acquitted. Although body cams might be helpful in some cases, it is not reasonable to equip the entire police force with them; this technology is expensive. The country does not have enough money to pay for these. It just isn’t plausible. The opposition might also feel that trying to attack racism in this way is futile, claiming that black people are going to continue to get oppressed no matter what we do to stop it. Police need to be watched, but not with body cams. Racism is clearly still going to happen no matter what, but we as citizens of the USA should try to promote fairness and equality in our society.
Synthesis:
Both sides can agree that the violence that has been going on is a problem. People are getting killed for no reason and that needs to be stopped, and racism as a whole should be stopped. Both sides can also agree that police need to be watched and checked to make sure our country is putting the right people in charge.
The synthesis for these two arguments would allow mandatory background checks on police. There would also be a better quality dash cam that will record everything and make sure cops can’t get away with murder. I do agree with the opposition that body cams may not a plausible solution. If that is the case, then citizens should be able to record police if they witness a case of brutality and upload their video evidence directly to a non-biased police review board. Also, racism in schools and jobs needs to be lessened. There should be equal opportunities for everyone. The color of your skin should not determine how much money you make. If a white person and a black person are doing the same job, they should be paid equally. The opposition agrees that racism could be stopped for good in America. If these changes were implemented, it would allow for a more fair and just country.
Questions for the Opposition:
1. Why are innocent black lives not as important as other races?
2. Where is all of the money that could be used for these cameras going?
3. Should it be legal for people to record police?
Questions the Opposition Might Have for me:
1. Why should police who are truthful and trustworthy be forced to wear body cams?
2. Why should civilians’ privacy be invaded by body cams?
3. Since body cams also be tampered with, wouldn’t we remain where we are now?
Look at people like Donald Trump or the KKK, they are real human beings who still think that one race is inferior to another. The 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act was a couple years ago and although people say we have come far, to me it feels like we are traveling back in the wrong direction. This country isn't going to last for very much longer if this ideology is still present. The number of people who feel like this is only growing with each Trump rally, or KKK meeting. This matters to me on a personal level because I am half black and half white. I have witnessed racism first-hand and I have seen the damage it can do. The US advocates for every person of every race to be free, but when citizens try to change that, our local and state government doesn't seem to do much to stop them. It is a proven fact that “A black man is three times more likely to be searched at a traffic stop, and six times more likely to go jail than a white person” (Jeff Nesbit, USNews). Racism in any form needs to be stopped. To go into further detail about this topic, police violence against black Americans has become a nation-wide problem.
The line between black and white is so thick that children are getting exposed to it the minute they are born, and in ways that are punitive. For example, “Black preschoolers are far more likely to be suspended than white children. Black children make up 18 percent of the pre-school population, but represent almost half of all out-of-school suspensions,” (Jeff Nesbit, USNews). In murder cases like Laquan McDonald, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, and many others, these young people’s lives were cut short by a policeman for no reason. The dash cams that are currently found on police cars are terrible quality and can be tampered with, as appears to have occurred in the McDonald murder in Chicago. Evidence can be deleted and changed, which is why most of these cops don’t end up being charged with murder. Body cams would help give a better insight about the actual incident so no one can get away with murder. In the McDonald case, “A police dashcam video from last October clearly showed the African-American teenager walking away from police when Officer Jason Van Dyke unloaded his gun, striking Laquan 16 times.” (Marilyn Rhames, Huffington Post). It was completely unnecessary to shoot this teen 16 times; a friendly reminder that the mayor didn’t release the video for over a year after the killing happened (ABC 7). The people that we hire to keep us safe need to be checked out to make sure that we are putting the right people in charge of protecting our country.
Antithesis:
The opposition believes that although police killing innocent people is a terrible problem in today’s society, body cams are not going to change that. Some crime officials state that “body cameras are seen as an invasion of privacy, as they provide state-owned footage. When police cameras are on, they will capture everyday civilian and police behavior that does not necessarily need to be recorded. Do all defendants want their arrests recorded? Do all bystanders want to be in those videos when shown in court?” (Eric Baum, Newsmax).
Evidence:
The opposition says that this will not solve anything because these cameras can still be tampered with which would keep us stuck in the place we are at right now with this problem. In the case of Rodney King, an African American man who was beaten to death by white police officers in Los Angeles in 1991, a witness named George Holliday recorded the incident which was then broadcasted around the country. The officers claimed that King was resisting arrest but it was clear in the video that the police officers were in fact beating him harder than what was needed. The police on trial said that King was on PCP at the time of the killing. In court that was proven to be mistaken, but the cops were still acquitted. Although body cams might be helpful in some cases, it is not reasonable to equip the entire police force with them; this technology is expensive. The country does not have enough money to pay for these. It just isn’t plausible. The opposition might also feel that trying to attack racism in this way is futile, claiming that black people are going to continue to get oppressed no matter what we do to stop it. Police need to be watched, but not with body cams. Racism is clearly still going to happen no matter what, but we as citizens of the USA should try to promote fairness and equality in our society.
Synthesis:
Both sides can agree that the violence that has been going on is a problem. People are getting killed for no reason and that needs to be stopped, and racism as a whole should be stopped. Both sides can also agree that police need to be watched and checked to make sure our country is putting the right people in charge.
The synthesis for these two arguments would allow mandatory background checks on police. There would also be a better quality dash cam that will record everything and make sure cops can’t get away with murder. I do agree with the opposition that body cams may not a plausible solution. If that is the case, then citizens should be able to record police if they witness a case of brutality and upload their video evidence directly to a non-biased police review board. Also, racism in schools and jobs needs to be lessened. There should be equal opportunities for everyone. The color of your skin should not determine how much money you make. If a white person and a black person are doing the same job, they should be paid equally. The opposition agrees that racism could be stopped for good in America. If these changes were implemented, it would allow for a more fair and just country.
Questions for the Opposition:
1. Why are innocent black lives not as important as other races?
2. Where is all of the money that could be used for these cameras going?
3. Should it be legal for people to record police?
Questions the Opposition Might Have for me:
1. Why should police who are truthful and trustworthy be forced to wear body cams?
2. Why should civilians’ privacy be invaded by body cams?
3. Since body cams also be tampered with, wouldn’t we remain where we are now?
Works Cited:
Bail Set at $1.5 Milllion for Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, Charged in Laquan McDonald Shooting." ABC7 Chicago. ABC7, 30 Nov. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2016. <http://abc7chicago.com/news/jason-van-dyke-posts-bond-leaves-jail/1103665/>.
Baum, Eric. "5 Pros and Cons of Police Wearing Body Cameras." Newsmax. N.p., 30 June 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Nesbit, Jeff. "America, Racial Bias Does Exist." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.
Nesbit, Jeff. "Institutional Racism Is Our Way of Life." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 6 May 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.
Milligan, Susan. "The Struggle Goes On." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2016
Milligan, Susan. "The Struggle Goes On." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2016
Rhames, Marilyn. "Laquan McDonald and What My Dying Father Told Me About the Chicago Police." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Dec. 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
Vertesi, Janet. "The Problem With Police Body Cameras." Time. Time, 4 May 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. <http://time.com/3843157/the-problem-with-police-body-cameras/>.
Excellent synthesis. I agree with this wholeheartedly; body cams do not solve the problem, as some cops will still keep killing people. Background checks should absolutely be performed, and I would even go one step further and say that the same background checks should be performed on those trying to become judges and the like. That way, we can keep bureaucracy and racism out of our legal system.
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