On August 11, 1965 in Watts (a small section of southern Los Angeles) a young black man named Marquette Frye was pulled over by the LAPD for being under suspicion of driving while intoxicated. The officers forcefully removed Frye from the vehicle, as citizens began to crowd around the scene. He was violently arrested and thrown into the back of the vehicle, as he was bleeding and semi-conscious. This event sparked the infamous Watts riots which lasted for six days, causing millions of dollars in property damage.
Let's fast forward to March 3, 1991 in the same city as Watts. A young black taxi driver by the name of Rodney King, lead a high speed chase as he tried to flee from the LAPD while he was intoxicated. After the LAPD caught up to him, King was brutally beaten by several officers, who used their boots and batons to violently subdue him. This was all caught on tape by an on looker close by and the footage was sold to local media. After a trial, the officers were found not guilty of any charges related to the beating of Rodney King. Riots broke out in Oakland, businesses being burnt down, violent beatings against white citizens; pure chaos.
July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was selling cigarettes outside of a convenient store in Staten Island when NYPD began to question him. They began to arrest him as an officer had him in a full headlock and he uttered the words "I can't breathe", he died shortly after; all caught on tape. Not one month later, Michael Brown was shot in the back six times by a St. Louis officer. July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling was shot six times by two Baton Rouge police officers as he was on his back; also on tape.
At what point do we recognize that this is a problem. A social phenomenon in many aspects. There have been countless acts of police brutality against citizens besides the ones that I have already named. I'm not even hung up on the fact that most of these incidences occur against black citizens, I wrestle with the fact that it happens to anyone at all. What we've seen within the past five days is nothing short of chaos. If these acts continue, at the rate that they're going, a rebellion is immanent. We've already seen the first act with the Dallas shootings, killing eight officers and leaving three more wounded. This is an extremely dangerous time, maybe one of the most dangerous times for citizens domestically speaking.
The issue is not black or white, it's simply right v. wrong. There was no morality behind the deaths of Trayvon Maritn, Freedie Gray, Laquan McDonald, or Oscar Grant. Everyday more innocent lives are taking because morality did not enter the minds of the officers that took their lives.
Our times are changing, and morality doesn't seem to be in the minds of many. No respect for authority does play a role in many police brutality offenses. In nearly all cases, it stems from resisting arrest; granted arrest wasn't warranted in most of the previous cases as well. If an officer tells you to do something, comply, regardless if they're right or wrong. You do have rights, but if an officer doesn't want to hear it, at the end of the day, they have the authority to neutralize the situation by any means.
It's also important to realize that NOT all cops are like this! Most police officers live by the oath that they take and truly are invested in keeping citizens safe. Reducing fear is the key to making all of this work out in the end. By showing citizens that police officers aren't going to shoot them in the back because they're outside a convenient store and by giving an officer clear respect for their authority will end of this.
It's the fear that officers experience that a citizen may have a weapon because many due now and as a result they act out of fear rather than protocol. Citizen carry weapons in fear that they need one to protect themselves from others and even officers. It's a vicious cycle that can be stopped if respect is given between both parties. Lack of respect has deteriorated the relationship between citizens and officers. If that mutual respect is returned, the relationship will be mended, rather than progressively get worse like it has over the past fifty years.
F.E.A.R. means false evidence appearing real for a reason.
