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Li Shunjie
ESL 33B
Pro. Carlisi
November 17, 2015
Police Brutality will decrease American Social Stability
Police brutality is not an unfamiliar word to American nation. As early as 1872, the word
police brutality was introduced by the Chicago Tribune when it was reporting the beating
of a citizen who was under arrest at the Harrison Street Police Station. ( Police Brutality: A
Prisoner Shamefully Mal. Treated by Officers. Kicked and Pounded in a Cell---Probably
Fatally Injured). Within decades after that, when the modern police departments was fully
established in early 20th century, the police brutality gradually became one serious problem in
America. The number of people who were harshly treated by the police at that time is
uncountable, but the major strikes that reveal the police brutality can be listed, such as the
Lawrence Textile strike in 1912, the Ludlow Massacre in 1914, the Steel strike in 1919, and
the Hanapepe massacre of 1924. All these strikes included excessive force used by the police.
Even nowadays when the U.S. government try to prosecute the police brutality and
civilizations all understand that this is a problem and keep in the opposition of that, police
brutality still exist in America. Between 2003 and 2009 at least 4,813 people died in the
process of being arrested by local police.(Being Arrested can be Hazardous to your Health,
Especially if you are a Person of Color)Most people know police brutality is a problem, but
only few of people realize how serious police brutality can be: It can exacerbate racial
tension and cause confidence loss on the nation police department. Police brutality is the
social phenomenon that all civilizations should fight against since it will cause deep conflicts
and then decrease social stability.

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For hundreads of year, the social conflict between colored and uncolored people never
really disappear, and the police brutality can be dramaticlly intensify the contradiction
between minority and the police even though as early as 1863, after american 16th president,
Abraham Lincoln pronounced Emancipation Proclamation, the colored people were
considered to have legal rights as well as the uncolored people.
Police brutality is like a lighter, which can fire the violence conflicts between
individuals and the police, which caused short term financial loss and physical damage. For
example, Rodney King, an African- American taxi diver who was well-known by American
nation after beaten by 4 Los Angeles Polce Dapartment officers on March 3, 1991. King was
under arrest of driving a overspeed car after drinking the achohols wit severeal drunk
passengers in his car. After King was catched by the police, he and his friends were kicked
and stucked by the police officers and get injured. (Passenger Describes L.a. Police Beating
Of Driver, Calls It Racial)King tried to fought against and pretended that he had a weapon to
protect himself, which he did not have. (Cannon P.27) These police officers then choose to
point King with their weapons and finally let him lost the potential resistance.( Cannon P.28).
After that, King was then taken to the Pacifica Hospital, which shows that he suffered a
fractured facial bone, a broken right ankle, and multiple bruises and lacerations.(Cannon
P.205). As King's own statement is "11 skull fractures, permanent brain damage, broken
bones and teeth, kidney damage and emotional and physical trauma"(the Independent
Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department P.8)
Is Rodney King innocent? Yes, he is. Even though he did something illegal, the
consequence that he and his friends got is not fair. King pretended to keep he and his friends
out of the violence that they should not be treated with. The result of the conflict is King was
badly injured when bodily injury is strictly prohibit by US law.
Police brutality will also arouse minoritys awareness of right-protection, which will
finally cause social conflicts between different communities. For instance, in Rodney Kings

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case, the indivdual conflict gradually upgrade into a large-scale social conflicts. After April
29, 1992, which is the date of the Rodney Kings case, Thousands of people througout Los
Angles start a riots when they got to know that the verdict of these several police officers was
only few reparations.( Three Days Hell in Los Angles) This riots lasted 6 days and caused
more than one billion dollars financial loss. American government has to sent army to
control the people because local police couldnt handle the situation. In this Three Day's
Hell, more than 2000 people get injured and 53 died.(Riot anniversary tour surveys progress
and economic challenges in Los Angeles). After the riot subsided, the chief of LAPD, Daryl
Gate was forced to resign. The numerous financial loss and chaos shocked the whole
America.
If these police officers choosed a more proper way to deal with King's case, there could
not have Rodney King's case and the riot after that. The final verdict from court is also a key
to open the riot. With treating somebody with violence but only been charged with few
bucks, these 4 police officers were shared favoritism thats what the minority who joined the
LA riot may think. As King said on a televation appearance during the riot Can we all get
along? People who got involved in the riot thought they wont get along if they didnt group
together and fight for their rights, which finally caused the riot.
The violence happened made part of the society out of control. Los Angles society was
hurted by this event. During the time when conflicts happened between minority and the
police was on-going, public property was destoryed,the faculities couldnt work normally, the
police and army need to waste time and put effort to control angry people...The Los Angles
society was in huge chaos. Police brutality finally lead to socal unrest.
To avoid the violence that may happened caused by police brutality, the best way is to
reduce or eliminate it from the police officers. Police officers is not a safe and easy job.
Every cops may meet some situations that they have to face the danger that will treat their
lives. So it cant say that the police brutality occured because these police officers are bad.

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The more proper expression is that they choose the worst way to deal with the situation that
they met. The cause of their choosing maybe their stereotype, emotion status, or even
psychological disorders. So the first step to solve the whole big problem is to do better
training for police officers. They should get education not only to deal with suspects but also
change the inner stereotype. In other word, let them think critical. For example, a black man
do not need to be first speculated as a theif when there is a stolen happened. Also, the police
officers should have special free hours to release their pressure to keep them clam all the
time. The periodic check is also necessary to find out if some police officers are trouble
dealing with their psychological disorder.
The education and mental counseling is the welfare that police officers should have, but
they should also devote to their jobs to show that they deserve the welfares.
Police officers job is to enforce the law to civilians, and that based on the mutual trust
between police officers and people. The police brutality is the worst way to show that the
police will deliberately use excessive force to innocent people, which means that the
confidence that people have on the police will sag or even collapse and the whole society will
be in chaos.
Police brutality will make people more and more unwilling to solve the problem with
the police but their own, which will lead to a increasing number of crime. Before 1990, there
is a tendency of decreasing number of crime a increasing number of people who trust the
police, but after the 1991, Rodney Kings incident, the trust on police dramaticly decrease.
Although overall con- fidence levels in the police have increased in the 1990s, incidents
such as the 1991 beating of Rodney King, commonly referred to as the King incident, and
the 1996 beatings of two Mexican immigrants have given minorities very real reasons to
remain distrustful. (Tuch & Weitzer, 1997). Even though the survey about Confidence in the
American Police Force shows a very consistent finding of between one-quarter and onethird of Americans report a great deal, quite a lot, or some confidence in the police(

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Georgia Bobbie Scott Randy Darrel Nicole Vince P.49), the real rate of very little or none
at all never drop.(see table 4)

That means there are certain amount of people who were not willing to trust the police. Then
a cross-section of white and minority Americans was asked to take a survey about how they
trust the police . The result is obvious: Comparing to the white people, the real minority are
less willing to trust the police.( see table 5)

And the answers of low or very low for minorities dramatically increased in 1991,
which is the year of Rodney King's incident. Since the distrust of the police, people thinks
there are more crimes happened in the US country, especially by their sides.(Georgia Bobbie
Scott Randy Darrel Nicole Vince P.47) Actually between 1985 to 1999, a survey that was
taken by a cross-section of the American public about the most serious problem that this
country is facing. The percentage of people who think crime is the most serious problem

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dramatically increase in 1994 from 16 to 52.(Georgia Bobbie Scott Randy Darrel Nicole Vince
P.46)
The police brutality causes distrust that minorities have on the police and distrust results
in increasing rate of crime, which can be shown on the data that was proved above. With
more crime happened in american nation. The less stable that the american society will be.
Police brutality can also lead to the distrust between people. How could a person trust
someone he or she never know or hardly know if they dont trust the people who are aimed to
protect them anymore? Here is an instance. Kitty Genovese, a New York city woman who
was killed near her home in New Gardens on March 23th, 1964.(Queens Woman Is Stabbed
to Death in Front of Home) When she was on her way home, she was stabbed by a black
man and lost her young life. During the time when she was attacked, several neighbors
heared her sound of help but only most of them choose to ignore it. ( Nightmare on Austin
Street)
At that time which is cold winter night, a young girl was attacted and killed, and it is
better say that she was killed by the distrust by people. The neighbors didnt even take a
help seriously. Because they didnt trust the police, they didnt even call the police at the
first time, which lead to Kitty Genoveses death. If people start to distrust everyone that they
are not familiar with, there would be one day that nobody with help other when they are in
trouble. The whole society will be in chaos.
In order to gain the trust from people, in other words, reduce police brutality, cops
should gain the new equipment. In most situation, police officers just want to make sure that
the suspects get controled and not able to threat anyone. When the suspects was emotionaly
aroused, police officers have to use force. Sometimes the force may just out of control and
get others the impression of bad people or cops shouldnt be trust. The best way to do it is to
give police officers undeadly weapons, which can let the suspects lose their strength to move

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wothout hurting them. If that can be achieved in future decades, there is no reason for cops to
use excessive force and the police will gain people's trust gradually.
Police brutality is a big issue to deal with. Not only the police officers themselves, but
the government should take care of this problem. Government should place a better
environment for them to work: the psychological counseling, free hours of releasing pressure,
new undeadly weapon...With humans lives impoving and techique increasing, the police
brutality will finally disappear from the orign. And there wont be any bad impacts that it has
on society anymore.

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Citation
"Police Brutality: A Prisoner Shamefully Mal. treated by Officers. Kicked and Pounded in a
Cell ---Probably Fatally Injured". Chicago Daily Tribune. October 12, 1872.
Kappeler, Victor. "Being Arrested can be Hazardous to your Health, Especially if you are a
Person of Color".
Kim-Goh, Mikyong, Chong Suh, Dudley David Blake, and Bruce Hiley-Young.
"Psychological Impact of the Los Angeles Riots on Korean-American Victims:
Implications for Treatment." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry: 138-46. Print.
Chaney, Cassandra, and Ray V. Robertson. "Racism and Police Brutality in America."
Journal of African American Studies J Afr Am St (2013): 480-505. Print.
Georgia, Ackerman, Anderson Bobbie, Jensen Scott, Montero Darrel, Plante Nicole, and
Yanez Vince. Crime Rates and Confidence in the Police: Americas Changing Attitudes
toward Crime and Police, 19721999 1559-1646: Journal of Sociology & Social
Welfare. Mar2001, Vol. 28 Issue 1, P43. 12p. Print.