Dear Future President,

I am very concerned about police brutality. Why are the very people who are trained to protect us, acting in a way that is discriminating, racist, or cruel towards others of the same country? How can we, knowing this, trust policemen to do their job and guard us from harm, especially if we have African origins?

According to Pew Research, African Americans are less than half as likely as Whites to have positive views about the job local policemen are doing. Only about a third of African Americans believe that policemen are doing a good job in using the right amount of force in situations, treating racial and ethnic groups equally, and holding officers accountable when misconduct occurs. In contrast, about three fourths of Whites believe that policemen are doing a good job at each of those things. There is a problem when so many people of color don’t have confidence in the police to do a good job at enforcing the law – particularly when much more African Americans are doubtful that the police will defend them well. I think that this shouldn’t be how it works because police are there to protect us, not oppress us.

Some people are shot while doing nothing but what they’re supposed to be doing. There are instances where police have made false accusations when beating up a black person, but getting away with it because they’re white. Robert Davis, a black man, got beat up by white officers, who claim that he was publicly intoxicated, which was denied by Davis who says he hasn’t drank in 25 years. He had to get stitches beneath his left eye, got a bandage on his left hand, and had a soreness in his back and aches in his left shoulder even after more than a whole day. Even if he was actually guilty of what he was charged with, he shouldn’t have been harmed so severely. This has to stop. Race is not the problem. Even if there are quite a few places that are safe enough – even if your area is safe enough, it is still happening, and therefore must be stopped. It’s not only unfair, but causes people to feel insecure in their own country and unsafe under the protection of their own countrymen.

I don’t want people to get hurt unnecessarily. I don’t want to feel as if I’m in danger while walking down streets that are supposed to be safe. I don’t want to witness someone innocent getting beat up for untrue allegations. I especially don’t want this to be happening where I live, nor in my country.

Please, stop police brutality. Make a law saying police have to know their claims are accurate and have proof before acting with force. Make it so that race, religion, ethnicity, etc. don’t matter and can’t be used as an excuse when on trial. The U.S. is proclaimed as the country of freedom and equality, but if people can use things like racism to justify a beating that requires stitches, how could we proudly declare that our country is trying to have equal rights for everyone?

Thank you for your concern about this problem,

Helen Z.

Sources:

Morin, Rich, and Renee Stepler. "The Racial Confidence Gap in Police Performance." Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends. The Pew Charitable Trusts, 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Pace, Gina. "New Orleans Man: I Wasn't Drunk." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 9 Oct. 2005. Web. 06 Nov. 2016