Police brutality is a huge problem and I believe it definitely has caused feelings of intimidation people feel from the law over the years. And there is a certain fact that intimidation causes people to test the law and perform reckless actions.
Police brutality exists. Why do I say that? Because of racial disparities.
America is made of a variety of races, and white supremacy stands above all races. Those of minority races such as Hispanic, African American, Asian, and other ambiguous races are labeled as "deranged," "untrustworthy," and "dangerous."
And thus, those races get stopped more in subway stations, on the highway for driving a bit over the speed limit, and other locations to check bookbags. But why do the minorities get targeted so much?
Is it because of their immigrant status? Or is it because of the fact that they are seen as "unpure," and "different" from the majority; because of the color of the skin and the way they act?
At the same time, it also has to do with the spread of power. Police officers love to brag about the law; they love to show that they have all the control in certain situations. And when it's stopping you on your way of commuting and whipping out of their notepad to hand you that gruesome ticket, they smile to themselves because it's the extra weight to their income, looking for people to harass and intimidate.
Especially those they believe they can harass and win against, not from those people that seem intimidating and challenging to be able to get a hit at.
But the same issue is there: the aggression of white supremacy. From an earlier point in time, whites were the ones that walked the earth when ironically, they were the ones that took the land of the Native Americans. They were the ones that drove the people that had the right to live there away because they wanted all of the resources and the control over everyone.
Same as for now: these police officers demand obedience from the people because they want themselves to get all the credit, yet it's the unity of the people that results in the changes of the world.
Look at this horrifying but true statistic: "On average, in the United States, a police officer takes the life of a citizen every 7 hours." It can be seen that most of these deaths are not purely moral. Most police justifications include self-protection, odd behavior from the victim, or, in general, a suspicion that something just isn't right.
But what defines what they think is correct or not? Their education? Or rather, their opinions based on their past experiences with certain races? Even then, that does not justify murder.
Even though the police claim that they are closer to the law than anyone else, that does not necessarily mean that they can do everything.
In the end, its all about the rights of people. It's not about the status, it's not about the reputation, and it's definitely not about how close to the law people are. It's about respecting everyone, regardless of what they may look like. Because what matters, in the end, is that people aren't intimidated by the police. What matters is that they respect them and believe in listening to them.
But how will that happen if brutality happens? We should work together to make them understand that they can't do everything.