Dear Future President,

When people hear the country ¨The United States of America¨ they think of how amazing and perfect it is. Being someone who has lived in a country other than the United States I can say yes it is amazing here. But many fail to realize all the problems the U.S.A has, it is nowhere near perfect. I am proud to be an American, but I am not proud of what some Americans have done. Whether it was slavery in the 1800s, discrimination in the 1900s, or even now police brutality in 2016. But what bothers me the most is how, we the people, are being treated by police officers. Aren't they the ones who are supposed to protect us and make us feel safe?? The past couple of years I have read about police brutally attacking African Americans, and others complain about them voicing concern. The african americans have every right to voice concern and be worried. It seems, you the president and the government, are completely ignoring what is happening. It has been around longer than you, and most americans think. And it's not just happened to african americans.

Police brutality is happening in the United States of America, it has been for over a century, help prove it's true and find a way to control the cops.

According to Police Brutality in The United States of America”, Americans of all races, ethnicities, ages, classes, and genders have been subject to police brutality. This is something I did not know, I thought they mainly targeted blacks. From what I have seen no real attempt has been made to stop this. Stopping this would be a huge step into the right direction to making the United States a better place. When I read this I was shocked, I knew the US was not perfect, but this is worse than I could've imagined. The cops, the ones who supposedly keep us safe, have attacked every type of americans. How are we expected to feel safe?? Yes police officers should use force of action but only when it is very necessary, it is not always needed. They do not think before they use dangerous action.

When I read the article ¨Watching The Police¨ it talked about how 2 police officers surrounded a homeless man who was, according to the residents, popping sunflower seeds into his mouth. Nothing illegal about that right? Well 1 officer pinned him to the wall, the other punched him. After landing a knee to the man's ribs the cop tackled him. 30 minutes later the paramedics arrived. LAPD justified the incident and the police officers got in no trouble. Eventually the old man was sentenced 16 months in prison because he had possession of narcotics, but the cops beat him constantly...... You do not do that for possession of drugs. The article also mention how an 18 year old boy was shot and the body camera cut out those fatal moments.. I do not see that as just a coincidence. These videos could prove to the whole US that police brutality is around. ACLU made an app where it instantly uploads videos of police brutality, so when cops take phones and cameras they can not get rid of the evidence. The cops need to get caught somehow and this is a good start.

In the United states you are supposed to feel safe and like your life matters. A trend started on twitter. #BlackLivesMatter. African Americans patience of not being treated equal is running out. THey now feel like their lives do not matter anymore. It all started in 2012 when Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager in florida, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. People seemed to ignore it. In 2014 Michael brown, an 18 year old in Ferguson, Missouri, was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. This led to months of protests. The L.A Rams, then known as the St. Louis Rams, walked out of their pre-game tunnel with their hands up motioned ¨hands up don't shoot.¨ The list goes on, in New York Eric Garner was put in a chokehold in an ¨arrest attempt¨ for selling loose cigarettes. In Baltimore Freddie Gray died, for carrying a switchblade... illegal? Yes. But not worth killing. Blacks feel attacked, not safe. Critics are saying the hashtag is racist, but all the african americans are trying to say is, our lives matter. Nothing else.

Future President, you have the power to stop this. I know it is way easier said than done, but we need the US safer. This would be a huge step. Limit police power, if they abuse it have them fired or suspended. OR just be more careful with who gets hired. Future President, you have the power to stop this.

Sincerely,

Niklas B

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