Police Brutality

Dear Future President, I know, I know, this is the millionth letter you have read today and you’re probably really tired. Tired of reading the same letter over and over again, tired of hearing the same students discuss the same issues going on in the world, we get it, you’re tired. Well so are we! So are the hundreds of families who wake up each morning to hear that their sons and daughters have died due to the hands of the police, so is the mother of Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, and Eric Garner who have witnessed their child's murder broadcasted on a pedestrian’s phone. You're tired? I guess we are too. Police brutality against African American citizens have been at an all time high, studies have shown that 271 black citizens have been murdered on the hands of police officers in 2016 alone, 271! These murderers are specifically targeting black citizens due to their race, it’s not justifiable or morally correct yet it continues to happen in the community. So future president, you’re wondering how can I change this? What can I do to put an end to this issue? Let’s begin with the length of police training, a licensed officer is allowed to carry a weapon just after a few months of training, we need to extend and advance the training these officers are getting. For example, on average and officer will undergo approximately two days of confrontational handcuffing courses, imagine if we extended this to 4 days with more advanced requirements? Not only will this ensure the safety of the officer, but it will also ensure the safety of the civilian being handcuffed till proper prosecution. This slight extension can create a ripple of positive interactions with police officers and the public. Continuing on, we need to account for and enforce punishment on officers who have unlawfully killed a civilian. Studies have also shown that officers who commit murder have just a 1 in 1,000 chance of prosecution, this ratio is ridiculous! Just like everyone else, police officers should be accounted for their actions. The system simply doesn’t take account of these murders resulting in thousands of families wondering why their loved one’s were killed. Every human, regardless of what they did, deserves these basic human rights. This issue is an issue that needs to be discussed within the walls of your administration because it affects millions of people each year. Even me! Being an African American daughter with African American brothers and sisters I fear that in any given day my life could be taken by the hands of police officers. Mother’s and Father’s fear everyday that the color of their child's skin can determine whether they live or not. So future president, with your administration, ONLY YOU can create change, ONLY YOU can ensure that these precious lives are accounted for, and ONLY YOU can make sure that our lives, under the hands of police, do matter. Let’s make America great again, shall we? Sincerely, Hafsa Abshir, 12 Foster High School Tukwila, Washington