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Douglas Lee
English 115
Professor Malvin
1 December 2016
Protect and Serve, or Neglect and Destroy
Police officers hold a very highly respected position of authority in our society. The men
and women in blue are, practically, superheroes without capes. Yet, we all know that where there
are superheroes, there are supervillains and it seems that the villains are mixed into the police
force. Police brutality has been an ever-growing epidemic in our nation. It has also caused an
even greater strain on the race relations of the black and white communities. Many people,
especially people of color, are continually falling victim to the fatal actions of police officers, but
there is minimal punishment being dealt to the police officers who commit these violent acts.
Police officers should learn to put aside their prejudices in certain situations and should have to
face the same consequences a normal civilian would for committing a crime.
In our society, there are those few officers who abuse the power that comes with the
badge that they are given. The problem lies within the fact that the officers who are abusing their
power and committing crimes are, either, getting away with their actions, or they are being
minimally punished for what they do. For example, former Marine, Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.,
who was also a retired corrections officer was shot in his apartment after he accidentally
triggered his life-alert pendant (Foderaro). The police officers who responded to his accidental
call forced their way into his apartment by breaking down his door (Foderaro). Further than
that, they tried to subdue him with beanbag rounds and a Taser weapon (Foderaro). The way it
is described, the officers approached the situation rather aggressively just for a life-alert call. It is

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understandable that, since it was a life-alert call, that the officers would feel it necessary to force
their way into the home, but it seems like an abuse of power to deploy beanbag rounds and a
Taser. Had the situation been approached more calmly, there would have been no need for the
excessive use of equipment. Since the officers forced their way in, it, most likely, startled Mr.
Chamberlain which made him feel it necessary to defend himself. According to the article, Mr.
Chamberlain, was charging at one of the officers with a kitchen knife when another officer,
Anthony Carelli, fired his .40-caliber pistol (Foderaro). The situation itself was tense from the
beginning, even though it was, originally, just a life-alert call. Chamberlains family argued that
the police did not use every means at their disposal to resolve the situation peacefully
(Foderaro). They probably did not think about the fact that the man could have been scared
because he did not know what was going on. They tackled the situation very aggressively and,
since the man was mentally disturbed, he was probably much easier to scare and much more
difficult to calm down. If the officers knew that they would face punishment for this action, this
issue would have, more than likely, been avoided.
The shooting of Mr. Chamberlain calls into question the tactics that are used by police to
handle a situation and how prejudice plays a part in many situations involving police brutality.
The judge in the case, Cathy Seibel, had dismissed most of the claims contained in the lawsuit
(Foderaro). If an individual just looks at everything that happened aside from the fact that it was
a life-alert call, then it is just another scene of unnecessary violence. Had this act been committed
by a normal civilian, they would have faced some harsh consequences for their actions. Because
it was a police officer who did this, it is generally thought that the officer had a good reason. Yet,
officers are only human and it is possible for them to feel fear and make mistakes because of that

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fear. It is known that Mr. Chamberlain was African-American and the police officers were nonblack, or, assumingly, white (Foderaro). The officers involved in the shooting might have had a
prejudiced fear of what could potentially happen in their ordeal with an African-American male.
Therefore, they were possibly only thinking of the worst outcome and that might have helped
influence them to shoot and kill Mr. Chamberlain. It was also heard on a recording of the conflict
that at least one officer taunted Mr. Chamberlain with racial slurs which further solidifies that
they might have had a preconceived thought process towards this man based off of his skin color
(Foderaro). It is obvious that race played a role in the officers judgement.
There was an attempt by Chamberlains family to try and use the recording as evidence,
but the judge did not allow it into evidence (Foderaro). Knowing this helps to support the idea
that police officers are held to a different standard just because of the title that they hold. If there
were any evidence against a normal civilian, the judge would want anything they could get, but
here, it seems that the judge is trying to dismiss anything that could possibly convict these
officers. It should also be known that this case, from 2011, is still pending. That is five years that
these officers have not had to face a punishment for this murder. If police officers knew that they
were going to face the same consequences that an average citizen would, then the body count
might drop.
In another shooting, an unarmed black man by the name of Samuel DuBose was shot and
killed by ex-University of Cincinnati police officer, Ray Tensing (Arnold). While police
brutality affects everyone, the white on black situations tend to be the ones that occur the most
often. A lot of the videos, involving police brutality, that people see on the internet are between a
white officer and a black citizen. The strained relationship between African-Americans and

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law-enforcement runs deep and people are not understanding this concept (Arnold). Black
people are, basically, convicted before their trial. With all the stereotypes that are attached to
being black, the people of this race are already seen as a threat no matter what they are doing.
The example of Samuel DuBose and Ray Tensing shows the prejudice that is held against black
people in the eyes of other races or, more specifically, white people. In the article, it is stated that
Tensing claim[ed] he feared for his life despite contradictory video evidence (Arnold). Tensing
openly admitted to being afraid of DuBose, but the fact remains that DuBose was unarmed.
Tensing had racially profiled DuBose and automatically assumed the worst because he was a
black man. DuBoses skin color put the officer in a much more defensive mode because it made
DuBose seem like a threat in the cops eyes.
This is also another case of how the officer was let off way too easy. Tensing claims he
feared for his life despite contradictory video evidence (Arnold). It is as if the video evidence is
ignored or omitted when it comes to police officers, in the court systems eyes. More than likely,
the video of the crime taking place has found its way onto the internet and people have already
seen what happened, yet it seems police officers are immune to evidence that could potentially
land them in jail. Even though Tensing was indicted, charged with murder and voluntary
manslaughter, he was still bonded out of jail (Arnold). It was too easy for Tensing to get out
of the situation and it just leaves the question, is it because of his status as a police officer? There
is minimal punishment being dealt out and it is making the innocent black lives that are being
taken seem worthless. That is why many members of the black community are so angry. Letting
these police officers, who commit heinous acts, get off with a minimal punishment is
disrespectful and unjust to the lives that were lost. It calls into memory African-American

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history, starting off as slaves who were seen as nothing. No life is any less significant than
another and everyone deserves justice.
A man named Michael Zinsun describes his experience with police brutality in one of the
interviews in the book, Twilight Los Angeles, 1992, by Anna Deavere Smith. He starts the
interview by talking about an incident where he was a witness to police brutality. He talks about
how there was a man named Eugene Rivers who was handcuffed and [the police] was beatin
the shit out of him! (Smith 16). These officers were abusing their authority by using excessive
force on this man. They had already handcuffed him so there was nothing he really could do to
fight back. Zinsun then continues to talk about how he turned into the victim of police brutality
describing how the police were stompin on [his] back and they hit [him] with a billy club
in the side of the head (Smith 18). The aggressive nature of this description makes it seems as if
these police officers werent trying to subdue Zinsun. It makes it seem more like they were trying
to seriously hurt him. This is another instance where the officers felt invincible because of the
protection of the badge they wear. Later in the interview, Zinsun states that we mobilized to the
point where we were able to get two officers fired [and] two officers had to go to trial (Smith
20). While these officers did not completely get away with what they did, they were minimally
punished for what they had done to these two men. The police officers, basically, got a slap on
the wrist and were sent on their way. The victims must live with the scars of the severe beatings
for the rest of their lives while the officers can just move on from it. More consequences need to
be dealt in major incidents like this so they will not happen.
In an article by Shaun King, he talks about various individuals who have lost their lives
to police brutality and how there was little to no consequence for the officers. Even though King

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writes about police brutality against everyone, he does make an emphasis on the shootings of
black people. He mentions the deaths of Eric Garner, Mike Brown, John Crawford,
Dillon Taylor, and Ezell Ford who were all shot to death, except for Garner who was choked
(King). These individuals black skin struck a fear in the officers who were pursuing them. That
fear probably caused these officers to believe that any move made by these men was a
threatening one, and all they could do was shoot to kill. This was not their only choice, but due to
prejudice that might have been how they felt. King also states in his article that there were an
astounding 84 people killed by American police in the four weeks between Eric Garners death
and Ezell Fords death (King). He also continues to say that only a few of the stories actually
broke through (King). These incidents probably were not thought about because it was an
officer killing someone. People tend to give officers the benefit of the doubt because they think
that officers have good reason behind anything they do. Due to the status of officers, they do not
face normal consequences. If they knew that there would be harsh punishment for the bad things
they do, they would think twice about doing them.
Some people may argue that police officers should not be held accountable for their
actions because they probably had a good reason to do what they did. Although it would be nice
to trust police officers to make the right choices all the time, they are only human, not machines.
They make mistakes and should be treated the same as anyone else who makes a wrong decision.
This contributes to the continuing acts of police brutality that are happening. The general feeling
of immunity in the police force allows some officers to believe that everything they do is
acceptable. There is, seemingly, no detrimental punishment for the officers, so why should they

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feel any different? If the officers continue to feel this way and know that there will not be any
serious consequences, then police brutality will only continue to grow.
Police brutality will not ever truly change unless there is punishment for the wrongdoings of police officers. It is understandable that people may feel that they are only doing what
is best for the community, but that is not always the case. The badge and the uniform are
completely different from the human wearing them. They represent a perfect idea of protecting
and serving. However, the human underneath makes mistakes because they are not perfect, but if
they are treated as if they are, then there will continue to be a problem. Another factor that will
play a big role in the end of police brutality is the termination of racial profiling. Many of the
deaths could stop if everyone was treated equally and given a fair chance. One should not
automatically be convicted based on their skin color. If all police officers continue to protect and
serve everyone instead neglecting and destroying certain groups, progress will be made and
police brutality will be stopped.

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Works Cited
Arnold, Aaron Paxton. The Real Whistle-Blower in Police Brutality. CNN, Cable News
Network, 7 Aug. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/08/07/opinions/arnold-police-shootings/.
Foderaro, Lisa W. White Plains Police Cleared in Suit Over 2011 Shooting Death. The New
York Times, The New York Times, 17 Nov. 2016,
www.nytimes.com/2016/11/18/nyregion/white-plains-police-cleared-in-suit-over-2011shooting-death.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FPolice%2BBrutality%2Band
%2BMisconduct&action=click&contentCollection=timestopicsion=stream&module=strea
m_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection&_r=0.
King, Shaun. King: So Much Police Brutality That It's Hard to Monitor. NY Daily News, 12
Jan. 2016, www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-police-brutality-hard-monitor-article1.2494742.
Smith, Anna Deavere. Twilight--Los Angeles, 1992 on the Road: A Search for American
Character. New York, Anchor Books, 1994.