Discrimination against the minority groups has always been a key issue of concern in the United States. The racial disparity in the country cultivates a culture of white supremacy in which the white race gets favored in the social, political, and economic contexts as other minority groups remain segregated. As a result, hatred and divisions on the racial lines has infiltrated social institutions including churches, schools, correctional facilities, the justice system, and law enforcement agencies. In particular, police brutality has become rampant in the black communities where the law enforcement assumes that the population is constituted of law offenders and criminals. According to Mitchell (2000), police brutality refers to the “act of unmerited excessive and aggressive physical, mental, and/or emotional abuse, above and beyond the law, enacted upon by an individual or groups of individuals in law enforcement” (2). The effects of this phenomenon is devastating as the minority race constantly report cases of physical injuries, psychological distress, systematic disempowerment, and public racist reactions.
A key impact of police brutality among the black communities is physical injury. Although brutality by the police may come in different forms, it is noted that physical injuries commonly develop from the baton beatings and shootings. According to Mitchell, “physical abuse by the police can cause: skin laceration, fracture of the bone, parenchymal injuries, asphyxiation, contusion, skull fracture, concussion, hemothrax, and pneumothorax” (2). Physical abuse by the police does not only result in negative effects on the body, but also cause traumatic experience among the victims. Eith and Durose noted that the black race is more likely to have physical contact with the police, followed by the Latino (32). Statistics reveal that in comparison with the whites, the blacks are 70% more likely to face threat or physical force from the police than their white counterparts (Eith and Durose 34).
Threatening habits from the police officers towards the African Americans have always been presented by verbal and physical abuse. For instance, many forceful instances reported involve grabbing or pushing of the civilians. According to Langton and Durose, surveys on police behavior in street stops and traffic revealed that out of 14.5 million minority groups involved in street tops, about 2.7 million were frisked or searched by the police (6). Being frisked or searched by the law enforcement can become overwhelming particularly when individuals believe that the search is wrongful or not warranted. Levine and Small added that citizens who undergo frisking always feel that they are demeaned, threatened, or intruded. It is also unfortunate that Blacks are more likely to face such stops than their white counterparts. The process may also involve a gun pointed at innocent civilians including shouting (Langton and Durose 7). Such physical threats can greatly affect the social and psychological wellbeing of the Black community.
The use of physical forced by the police has also been associated with increased mortality among the Black population. Studies have revealed that there is high rate of police contact with the Blacks in the US. Some of the victims of physical abuse may succumb to their injuries, although repeated injuries are always filed to be the major effect. Police brutality has always increased the mortality rates of the black race. In an article by James Jones, James Jones’ Unarmed Black Male: exploring human stories behind the numbers of police brutality, the author argues that the law enforcement cause injury to the blacks as a result of white supremacy. He notes that a video had been released showing the shooting of an 18 year old boy in the black neighborhood (2). Regrettably, the boy, William Chapman, did not commit any crime to warrant his death. In such cases, family members may be forced to defend their loved one, a process that is excruciating and is associated with a lot of negative emotions.
The resulting deaths associated with police brutality have also been elaborated by Carrie Elliott. In her article, Shouldn't Black Lives Matter All the Time?, Elliott noted that the catastrophic events can be witnessed from the figures on homicide and race deaths filed by the Center for Dsease Control and Prevention. In 2013, for instance, it was revealed that the homicide rate of the Black race was seven times more than that of non-Hispanic whites. To illustrate the severity of the issue; Currie expresses that if non-Hispanic whites where to have similar death rates as that of blacks, then more than 35,000 whites could have succumbed to homicide compared to only 5,000 that was reported in the same year (17). The author associates the alarming cases of deaths with the continued system of racial injustice by the same people who should be fighting against discrimination and inequality in the United States.
Brutality witnessed in the law enforcement has also been associated with racist public reactions which in turn fuel anger in the black victims. It is a stressful moment for the black community to narrate and express their frustrations to their colleagues and friends from other races. Majority of the public, especially the white counterparts, would always blame the witnessed brutality among the blacks citing that they like engaging in crime. In addition, the media and political environment remain in support of the police as they scrutinize any protests held against unjustified brutality or killings. Such reactions always increase stress and depression among the black communities as well as the families of the victims. In their article, Racial Trauma is Real: The Impact of Police Shootings on African Americans, Turner and Richard note that blacks often wake up to a murder incident but are always expected to go about their normal duties like nothing ever happened. Such expectations cause racial trauma and may further result in mental or psychological implications as well as hatred between races due to the segregated bullying.
When blacks are exposed to the law enforcement brutality and continuously witness violent incidents, they develop fear as they begin to imagine being victims of such ruthlessness. According to Jones, when individuals feel a threat, their systems begin to release hormones which signal the brain to design a mechanism that would promote defense against the threat (878). It is unfortunate that such response may accelerate heart rate and respiratory process. In the case that the threat persists, as in the case of repeated police brutality among Blacks, the survival technique becomes harmful to the body organs. Over time, the organs wear out due to the allostsatic load thereby causing health implications including cognitive impairment, diabetes, accelerated aging, stroke, cancer, and even death. The tormenting health implications were also emphasized by Cooper and Mindy who asserted that the resulting racial discrimination associated with police brutality can cause health deterioration thereby leading to complications such as asthma, blood pressure, and diabetes (2). Turner and Richardson argued that brutality on innocent civilians may cause trauma which increases stress. Such chronic impacts may result in the loss of future sense while also hindering growth and development.
Frequent exposure to brutality by the police may cause systematic disempowerment of the victims and families of the black race. When individuals witness danger often, they get to understand that there is no hope for justice. Accompanied by inadequate persecutions, excessive force used against the black race may cause powerlessness of the victims. Jones added that the held perception that there is no longer any justice may increase mistrust of the police by the victimized group (878). Such scenario would further bar the race from seeking justice system services particularly during disasters and when there is need for witness protection. Further, Jones further argued that the poor relationship between the black race and the law enforcement can increase resentments towards the police, thus, hindering collaboration in the efforts to reduce crime. Turner and Richardson also associated such phenomenon with increased vigilance and suspicion which may further extend to other institutions like the government agencies, the justice system, churches and schools.
Worden and McLean elaborated the rising trend of mistrust towards the police by the public, and particularly the black race. According to the authors, the racial disparity in the American population has contributed to the varying attitudes to the law enforcement. In particular, blacks have fewer attitudes towards the police compared to white and Hispanic populations. According to Worden and McLean, the attitudes that individuals hold towards the police officers directly correlates with the subjective experience of the individuals on personal contact with the police, both on voluntary and involuntary basis (47). This means that the attitude of the Black community is greatly influenced by their experience when in contact with the police. This notion has been supported by Adler who narrates the killing of an innocent citizen in New Orleans. According to Adler, the murder of Felton Robinson by a police officer, Licali, was nothing more than racial killings amidst the claim by the officer that Robinson was being violent (496). Such incidents have resulted in the increased hatred of the police by civilians.
In conclusion, the trend of police brutality in the black community has resulted in health, social, political, and psychological impacts. The use of force by the law enforcement who are expected to protect the public causes injuries and deaths which further escalates the culture of hatred of the police officers. The brutal treatment also results in emotional and psychological impacts among the black victims as well as their friends and families. Many cases of traumatic episodes have been reported by the victims of police brutality with other suffering from health malfunctions which are fueled by stress and depression. It is further argued that the brutality causes negative racist reactions among the public including politicians and media who always blame the black race for being defiant. It is, therefore, significant to address the issues of police brutality and consider a community policing approach that would reconcile the failed relationship.
Works Cited
Adler, Jeffrey S. “‘The Killer Behind the Badge’: Race and Police Homicide In New Orleans, 1925-1945.” Law and History Review, vol. 30, no. 2, 2012, pp. 495–531. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23209692.
Cooper, Hannah LF, and Mindy Fullilove. "Excessive police violence as a public health issue." Journal of Urban Health 93.1 (2016): 1-7.
Currie, Elliott. “Shouldn't Black Lives Matter All the Time?” Contexts, vol. 14, no. 3, 2015, pp. 17–18., www.jstor.org/stable/24710363.
Eith, Christine, and Matthew R. Durose. "Contacts between police and the public, 2008." Washington, DC (2011).
Jones, James M. "Killing fields: explaining police violence against persons of color." Journal of Social Issues 73.4 (2017): 872-883.
Koch, Fiona. "James Jones’ unarmed black male: exploring human stories behind the numbers of police brutality." POLIS: journalism and society at the LSE (2017).
Langton, Lynn, and Matthew R. Durose. Police behavior during traffic and street stops, 2011. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013.
Mitchell, Roger. "The Student National Medical Association Police Brutality Position Statement." Retrieved March 10 (2000): 2007.
Turner, Erlanger, A., and Richardson, Jasmine. “Racial Trauma is Real: The Impact of Police Shootings on African Americans.” 2016.
Worden, Robert E., and Sarah J. McLean. “Police Legitimacy.” Mirage of Police Reform: Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy, 1st ed., University of California Press, Oakland, California, 2017, pp. 42–68. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1w8h1r1.7.
