Over the last couple of months police brutality on minorities has been a big topic in the media and it has affected communities and police officers. This has impacted Towns and City in the United States by creating violence and destroying communities killing unarmed black males and killing innocent cops. It also creating a division between blacks and whites. It has made the relationships between police officers and civilians very negative. Police officers are looked at as enemies not heroes and every black male is seen as a criminal. The Catholic Social Teaching principles says that “healthy community and that we can only exist if human rights reflate message of gospel and individual responsibility are met”. As citizens we must all be treated equal and with the same respect. Due to this negligence and injustices communities have been affected. The lack of trust for police officers and the lack of respect affects everyone because it brings conflict. What exactly is police brutality? Police brutality is the use of excessive force of verbal attacks and intimidation by a police officer. Police officers and law enforcement are here to precept and serve the community and limit civil disorder we should not fear the people that risk their lives for us.
According to the Washington Post, “Ferguson, Missouri and St. Louis have been consumed with protest since Michael brown, an unarmed African American teenager, was shot to death 12 times on August 9 by Officer Darren Wilson.” It all began with an altercation between Officer Wilson and Mike Brown that increased in second’s after the altercation mike brown was standing at the window of Wilson vehicle. Officer Wilson fires two shots from inside the vehicle, one likely hitting Mike Brown’s thumb, and the other missing him .Mike Brown runs east Officer Wilson pursues him on foot. Mike Brown stops and turns toward Officer Wilson, who also stops Mike Brown, moves toward Officer Wilson, and mike brown puts his hands up and says don’t shoot. Wilson felt threatened and continue to fires several more shots. Mike. Brown was fatally killed his body was left for 4 hours on the street.
According To The New York Times, “Officer Wilson fired 12 rounds, including two from the car and 10 more down the street, where Mike Brown sustained at least six more wounds, including at his forehead and the top of his head, which suggested that his body was bent forward at the waist.” The shooting prompted protests that roiled the area for week’s which ended up destroying the community physically and mentally the community and the police became a potent symbol of the lack of trust between African-Americans and law enforcement. Not just in Ferguson, but in the rest of the country. On Nov. 24, the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that a grand jury decided not to indict Mr. Wilson. Weeks later Eric Garner, a 43-year-old asthmatic men father of six was killed in Staten Island New York City on July 17 by NYPD officers who confronted him for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes when he resisted the officer. Daniel Pantaleo took him down and put him and a chokehold.
Eric Garner had been busted before for selling untaxed cigarettes Daniel Pantaleo try to arrest garner for implying that he was selling cigarettes again. Garner reacted and said every time you see me you try to arrest me this stops today Daniel Pantaleo placed garner in a chokehold . Another case of police brutality was on April 4 2015 Michael T. Slager a police officer from North Carolina who has been charged with murder in the shooting of Walter L. Scott, an unarmed man who fled after being pulled over for a traffic stop indictment in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
