Sophia Chhun

9/30/16

English Honors 3

My name is Sophia Chhun and I live in Philadelphia and go to school at Olney Charter High School. Police brutality has been going on for a very long time and nobody is doing anything about it. Police officers are attacking unarmed innocent colored people without any reasons. From what I have been observing from news articles and reports, the head officers are saying that those officers who killed and attacked innocent people who have done nothing wrong. One thing I want to know is why does the answer to their problem has to be about violence? What has gotten into the minds of these officers to go after these citizens that have done no harm especially without proof. Everyone fears losing their love ones and the ones who are next to be is victimized, people are starting to feel unprotected everyday of their lives and scared to be at risk or innocently killed.

As a matter of fact, police brutality has become one of the major problems in America. The first time I have heard about an innocent boy around my age who had died named Trayvon Martin. He was all over in the news, when I came back from school and I thought why would a white person shoot an innocent child when he has done nothing wrong. The shooter claimed that “ Trayvon was carrying some type of weapon on him.” In my opinion on the news they said that “Trayvon only had a bag of skittles and a can of Arizona Fruit Punch,” but why would the shooter claim that Trayvon was carrying a weapon although he did not have any armor besides the snacks he bought at a gas station. Ever since this case was over now police brutality is becoming a very big issue all over the country.

From time to time, according to this article of 2016, police killed 532 people of unarmed, mentally ill, and people of color. In fact, the most deadliest months were February-March "This is How Many People Police Have Killed So Far in 2016." In June 86 people were fatally shot and 99 killed each month "This is How Many People Police Have Killed So Far in 2016." Approximately 1,200 people were killed by police, none of the police officers were convicted of murder or manslaughter "This is How Many People Police Have Killed So Far in 2016." Several officers have gone on trial but none of them received jail time. One of the officers’ did get jail time, former NYPD officer Peter Liang was sentenced to five years probation and 800 hours of community service "This is How Many People Police Have Killed So Far in 2016."

Imagine if these colored men had the chance to kill any white cops just like what they do to them. If these white cops were not the first one to attack, shoot, and kill none of this issue would have happened. The four teenagers charged with assaulting police officers alleging that they were victims of excessive force"4 Teens Charged Police Brutality." Five officers were injured and nineteen revelers were arrested on Saturday after thousands of young people swarmed South Street "4 Teens Charged Police Brutality." One of the four teens name Denzell Pangelinan said that “Police roughed them up without cause” "4 Teens Charged Police Brutality.”

The Government must be more serious and have attention on these type of heart breaking deaths of what these officers are doing to all of people of color. This really needs to change because no one including children wants to go outside feeling emotional and physically harmed by these cops. Also, sometimes I wonder if I am categorized as a person of color myself. I fear myself that something that bad might happen to me just as the blacks without any reason to prove for what I have done wrong. Please, make this world a better change and very safe for everyone to not feel that they have done something wrong without knowing what they have done to be killed.