If you're still unfamiliar with the Michael Brown verdict, here's a summary of what happened: Michael Brown, an 18-year-old unarmed African-American, was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. Before the hearing, massive protests in Ferguson and around the country were held in order to support the indictment of Wilson and officers across the U.S. who use excessive force against civilians. The verdict of Darren Wilson turned out to be NOT GUILTY, so he was never relieved of his position nor was he charged with murder or manslaughter.
The aftermath of this particular case started serious riots in Ferguson and across the country. Wilson was never forced off of the Ferguson police force, but for his own safety, he resigned last week, probably in an attempt to lay low and stay away from the public eye for a couple of months. But his resignation was and is not the end of the protests forming in the U.S. There have been more cases surfacing of police officers' abuse of power, particularly using excessive force on those that do not require it.
April Ramsey, a 19-year-old Caucasian girl, was shot and killed by a sheriff in her car when she was leaving a party near the banks of the Ohio River, according to the LA Times. The officer fired four bullets at Ramsey and she died on the way to the hospital, before her mother could see her. A grand jury took one day to review the evidence, including the officer's testimony, and declared lethal use appropriate and justified. That is only one police shooting that's been recorded recently that seems unfit for justice.
Here's the full story courtesy of the LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-police-prosecution-20141116-story.html#page=1
But here's the funny thing about police-related shootings in the U.S., there's no held records of how many shootings are actually committed by the police a year. In fact, statistics are filed in other areas that seem inappropriate, like how many hogs and pigs are on farms in the U.S. (64 million) and how many victims there are of unprovoked shark attacks (53 in 2013), according to the Washington Post.
But alas, there are no records that can prove police brutality or how many people have been killed by the firearms from police forces. Isn't that something? It seems odd that there are so many other widely available statistics provided by the government, but this one has unfortunately has not made the list. It's time to start waking up and realizing that what's happening is only going to persist. The force used by police officers today has become so aggressive that many citizens (including myself) are starting to feel uneasy around officers on the job.
Do we want to rekindle a lost relationship with authority or look away from the destructive tendencies that may occur if we remain silent in the face of corruption?
The choice is yours.
The aftermath of this particular case started serious riots in Ferguson and across the country. Wilson was never forced off of the Ferguson police force, but for his own safety, he resigned last week, probably in an attempt to lay low and stay away from the public eye for a couple of months. But his resignation was and is not the end of the protests forming in the U.S. There have been more cases surfacing of police officers' abuse of power, particularly using excessive force on those that do not require it.
April Ramsey, a 19-year-old Caucasian girl, was shot and killed by a sheriff in her car when she was leaving a party near the banks of the Ohio River, according to the LA Times. The officer fired four bullets at Ramsey and she died on the way to the hospital, before her mother could see her. A grand jury took one day to review the evidence, including the officer's testimony, and declared lethal use appropriate and justified. That is only one police shooting that's been recorded recently that seems unfit for justice.
Here's the full story courtesy of the LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-police-prosecution-20141116-story.html#page=1
But here's the funny thing about police-related shootings in the U.S., there's no held records of how many shootings are actually committed by the police a year. In fact, statistics are filed in other areas that seem inappropriate, like how many hogs and pigs are on farms in the U.S. (64 million) and how many victims there are of unprovoked shark attacks (53 in 2013), according to the Washington Post.
But alas, there are no records that can prove police brutality or how many people have been killed by the firearms from police forces. Isn't that something? It seems odd that there are so many other widely available statistics provided by the government, but this one has unfortunately has not made the list. It's time to start waking up and realizing that what's happening is only going to persist. The force used by police officers today has become so aggressive that many citizens (including myself) are starting to feel uneasy around officers on the job.
Do we want to rekindle a lost relationship with authority or look away from the destructive tendencies that may occur if we remain silent in the face of corruption?
The choice is yours.