I am amazed when people try to justify the actions the police officers take when they abuse their authority. Police abuse should not be tolerated. Excessive force that has lead to false arrests, imprisonment and death must be stopped.
Don’t get me wrong, I respect great officers and everyone in uniform who is out there doing what they swore: protect and serve the community. My brother serves as a Firefighter-Arson Investigator/Paramedic and he is on the Swat Team to provide medical support if ever needed. I understand that we need men and women in uniform to uphold the law and provide assistance whenever needed.
However, we need to also tackle the issues we see today with some officers, mainly when it comes to abuse of authority. We need to fight for a reform on police practices. Let's advocate to eradicate discriminatory arrest, such as was the case of a 16 year old kid from Stockton was beaten and arrested for jaywalking.
Ask yourself: If this was a young man with lighter skin,would he have gotten stopped for jaywalking, beaten and arrested? Sad to say, I don’t think so. Minorities are disproportionately targeted and abused, as New York’s Stop and Frisk activities and statistics clearly show:
Stop-and-Frisk Campaign: The NYPD's stop-and-frisk practices raise serious concerns over racial profiling, illegal stops and privacy rights. - NYCLU
We need to stop harassment.
Ahmed Mohamed from TX was arrested for making a clock. School officials assumed he made a bomb. However, if the kid was white and he was not a Muslim, do you think he would have been treated the same way? Again, I think not! The fact that he was interrogated without being allowed to make a phone call and without the presence of his parents or an attorney shows the little respect officers who arrested Ahmed have for him and others like him.
What we lack in our justice system is ACCOUNTABILITY FOR POLICE OFFICERS’ ACTIONS! Everyone needs to be equal in the eyes of the law and we need to start demanding that this truth include police officers. We need justice for all that have been beaten, killed, arrested, imprisoned and verbally abused just because of their background or the color of their skin.
The justice system needs to hold those who abuse their authority accountable for their wrongful actions. They must be disciplined and if needed, prosecuted for their abusive tactics and actions. Until this becomes the norm and abuse is publicly exposed, we will continue to fear and distrust the police. Without this, bad seeds among those who honorably serve in these positions of great authority are not worried about being reprimanded nor prosecuted.
While everyone deserves justice and fair treatment, justice for Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Feras Morad, Brendon Glen and so many more will never be truly served. To prevent the continued unjust treatment of minorities, we need to expose wrongdoers - regardless of whether they have a badge or not - and fight for justice.
How can we do this? We can begin by participating in our communities and participating in elections. We must hold those who are elected responsible for the actions that occur under their watch.
Accountability: Liable to account for one's actions.
That is all I am asking for.
