Consider a situation in which you leave your loved ones at home in the hopes of returning to them, unaware that it could be the last time they see you alive. The ordeal is an all-too-common phenomenon in America, in which black men leave their homes but never return. What happened was that in many instances, the victims were the victims of racial discrimination, in which the police pulled over a black male and assumed they were in danger, even though they were not. Such incidences have been too rampant in Miami and it is not a surprise to hear that a young black man has been killed for no reason apart from the fact that they were suspected to be criminals because the police often use the phrase that “he fit the description.” The worst of all when such incidences occur is that the perpetrator, often the police, do not get prosecuted for their crimes and the more they go free, the higher the rates of men being murdered in cold blood because of the police. There have been rising cases of injustice on black men in Miami-Dade, which necessitates the need to carry out assessment to examine the rates of injustices done on young black men as the information will help the police service to understand the gravity of the problem to the families and communities.
The Role of the County Police
The county police have been on record for being among the most commonly reported officers of the law who are involved in unjust killings targeted at black men. A case reported in August 2017 involved a man named Anthony Ford being killed after it was legged that he had an open arrest warrant and tried to flee. There were contradictory reports though with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reporting that the incident that occurred in Liberty City involved Ford and another man in a Nissan trying to flee when a confrontation resulted ad shots were fired where Ford died in the process. The cop accused of killing Ford is Eduardo Pares who is a sergeant who has been with the MDPD for over seventeen years. The report further indicated that the two had open arrest warrants when they were confronted by the police following an inspection of their identities. It is, however, difficult to base the report on the statement from the police because not only was the indication from the witnesses is contradictory, but those who are fond of reporting for the unit have been linked to incidences of deception. One notable case was the account provided by John Rivera who is member of the Dade County Police Benevolent Association and heads the Sergeant Pares' union. He reported that the cop was a backup officer who was forced to consider the option of shooting Ford after the victim refused to comply to the command of not fleeing. The most important aspect about the incidence is that Rivera has been caught lying in the past in a similar incidence which greatly compromises the police service accounts on serving humanity and degrades the union as a whole (Iannelli). Such are the few cases of the police trying to evade justice that need to be addressed in the country.
The Challenges Facing Miami-Dade and Liberty City
It is reported that the challenges facing Miami-Dade and Liberty City have been the result of injustices done on the residents for a long time in history where many people have been subjected to acts of discrimination and subjected to poverty. Many reports have been put on record about Liberty City residents who have complained of the increasing rate of city and local cops engaging in unfair treatment for over a decade. It is even surprising that historically, the entire reason for the city’s existence is primarily because of racism. A quick recap of the city’s background traces back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's administration who opted to establish a Liberty Square housing project that was intended to save the blacks resident from the Negro sharks that were entrapping them within the city. The plans were however spearheaded by a local judge who ensured that the push for federal funding was not meant to benefit the residents that were targeted but instead serve their personal interest. It further indicates that the history of injustice in the city is long and it is a high time that the issue is addressed because it appears that judges do not have the interest of those that they serve at heart. Further exploration into the housing projects indicated that while they were arguably state of the art at the time, the local area had been neglected and was perceived to be a poor environment which explains the reason for the city resident’s suffering a poor and discriminated life (Iannelli).
The Relationship Between Police and Residents
The police and the residents have since then developed an uneasy relationship with numerous reports of police brutality being reported over the years. Another case as reported in 2011 where it was reported that the police in the town killed seven men in a record eight months through the use of the bullet. The supposed perpetrators, the City of Miami Police cops, have even been reported to kill residents in Liberty City. Reports of the police engaging in unjust practices further indicate that the area has often been used for testing controversial technologies meant for surveillance purposes. For instance, on one case, it is said that the police were testing the ShotStopper, which is a gunshot-detecting microphone system that has since received controversial views regarding its efficacy and appropriateness. Critics believe that the device may not make people safer as it is hyped to be. It indicates that the police have consistently been using the area for committing unjust practices and engaging in controversial practices that are outlawed. Residents have reported further racial profiling incidences in the past both in Liberty City and in Ocertown with the 1980 riots being an illustration of just how long there has been a state of unrest in the city. It is high time that true justice is administered because there are many such cases that are often not put on record despite the gravity of the challenge facing many black people and especially the black men in the county (Iannelli).
The Criticism of the US Judicial System
It is also critical to illustrate just how much of a problem in the administration of justice the US systems have been criticized over the years. A headline in 1961 once read that “Rioting White Students force suspension of First Black Students to integrate University of Georgia” after Judge William Bootle allowed for Black students to attend their classes. It seems that there has been a long-lasting tendency of harming the black person in the US but while such incidences could be thought to be important, they need to be a national concern when it has mortal consequences. Reports even indicate that police brutality in present-day America is comparable to the situation as it was in the 1960s (Warren et al. 709). The reality is that the harsh treatment of African Americans by state officials is not a new occurrence after all because it traces its history to many decades in the past. While the situation has changed and technology ensured that many of the killings by the police are recorded on camera, it seems that the administration of justice is far from being a reality in the country.
The Need for Collective Effort
The problems with the judiciary are critical but it appears the authorities involved fail to realize the weight of the subject and just how much the judicial system is working with the police to complicate the administration of justice. There is a need for collective effort from diverse entities to work towards the realization of a system that is devoid of oppression and where acts of injustice, especially those pertaining to racial bias, are punishable by the law. The Miami-Dade County should organize a system where meetings are held on a monthly basis to document the number of incidences related to injustice that have been reported. Such ideas will help in understanding the number of cases that often go unreported, which could be used to create a better picture of the problem and get the authorities into formulating mechanisms that will help the oppressed get justice for the discrimination that they are continually being subjected to (Feagin and Elias 938).
Involvement of All Stakeholders
All stakeholders must thus be involved after everyone has acknowledged that there is a problem. It will mean that the issue will be contextualized from a greater perspective and not limited to Miami-Dade County even though it is one of the adversely affected counties in the US. Everyone should act strongly in a technologically advanced generation where crime is recorded on a daily basis as it is a trend that people are often involved in injustices but people often turn a blind eye to acts of crime (Correll et al. 1009). It is not expected to be an easy aspect of change considering the many years Liberty City has particularly been a hub of racial abuses and unfair killing, but with a determined national mindset, change in the administration of justice is a reality. In conclusion, it is affirmed that while the problem of racial bias has been a long-standing problem in many parts of the US cities, victims have rarely been compensated as injustices have been on the rise. It necessitates an examination of the recent reports of police killing black people without proof of engaging in crime, with other cases often involving wrong accusations. It is thus suggested that there should be a common appreciation of the problem and a system where all stakeholders come out strongly to advocate for the administration of justice on acts of racial injustice.
Works Cited
Correll, Joshua et al. “Across the Thin Blue Line: Police Officers and Racial Bias in the Decision to Shoot.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92.6 (2007): 1006–1023. Web.
Feagin, Joe, and Sean Elias. “Rethinking Racial Formation Theory: A Systemic Racism Critique.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 36.6 (2013): 931–960. Web.
Iannelli, Jerry. “Imagine Leaving a Loved One Thinking They Will Be Back Home Later, Not Knowing That It Might Be the Last Time You Ever See Them Again. Too Often Our Young Black Men Go out and Never Make It Back Home to Their Loved Ones Because as One Would Say They Fit T.” The Miami New Times (2017): n. pag. Web.
Warren, Patricia et al. “Driving While Black: Bias Processes and Racial Disparity in Police Stops.” Criminology 44.3 (2006): 709–737. Web.
