Minorities have feared the police longer than most people realize. Unfortunately, recent events have put this fear and mistrust squarely in the public light. There is an apparent disparity in the criminalization of minorities, specifically the black community as opposed to the white community. Black males are the most, and often only, represented group in police brutality campaigns, however African American women and disabled African Americans have it just as bad, if not worse. 

 African Americans distrust of the police has roots that extend all the way back to slavery when law-men were seen as an extension of the oppressive authority that bound most minorities. Furthermore, this mistrust was brutally reinforced by the Ku Klux Klan’s campaign of murder and terrorism that lasted from the late 1800’s all the way into the latter half of the 20th century. Klansmen were often police officers and other influential officials in the community. 

“Incarceration is not an equal opportunity punishment.” Although slavery “ended” in 1864, mass incarceration quickly took its place as a way to keep some sort of control over minorities. For people of color, arrests often turn into imprisonment, meanwhile a white person may face probation or shorter sentences for committing similar, if not the same exact crimes. “African Americans and whites use drugs at similar rates, but the imprisonment rate of African Americans for drug charges is almost 6 times that of white Americans.” (Criminal Justice Fact Sheet) The “War on Drugs” was put into place by Ronald Reagan October of 1982, quickly leading to an increase of black men in jail. Let’s take marijuana for example: several African American males and females are serving maximum sentences for having weed on them or for the distribution of weed, however now that it is becoming legal in various states, white Americans are becoming ‘entrepreneurs’ for these same exact “crimes”. Black men only make up six percent of the country’s population, yet they make up almost half of the prison’s population. In 2014, the imprisonment rate for African American Women was 109 per 100,000, more than twice as much of the rate of white women at 53 per 100,000. (Criminal Justice Fact Sheet) Although, being white does not make living in American a walk in the park, it makes it undeniably easier to live the prosperous life of mainstream Americans than having dark skin would.  

Once you slip in, you often can’t find a way out. Imprisonment is a never-ending cycle. More than half of released inmates will return at least one more time. Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, refers to this as “the Cruel Hand”. Ex-offenders are often blind-sided upon their release, not expecting the harsh treatment by society. They are often worried of where to sleep because public housing is usually denied to anyone with a criminal background. They wonder when or if they will ever get a job again because after all, no one wants to hire a criminal. This lack of freedom often lands ex- offenders back in jail. “Black ex- offenders are the most severely disadvantaged applicants in the modern job market…Not only are African Americans far more likely to be labeled criminals, they are also more strongly affected by the stigma of a criminal record.” (Alexander) Most jobs say they are equal opportunity, but almost every black person can attest to being denied a job despite their qualifications solely because of their race. Being black and having a criminal record makes it extremely hard to find a job, a good paying one to substantially take care of your family at least. This lack of income often leads ex- offenders back down the wrong paths out of desperation, putting them right back at square one. 

The higher imprisonment rate of African Americans compared to white Americans implies that there is still some sort of caste system, a new and improved version, if you will. Black people, especially males, are still seen as inferior, less educated, and undeserving, putting a target on their backs that they just can’t seem to get rid of. Michelle Alexander refers to the mass incarceration of African Americans as the New Jim Crow. The most obvious ‘then and now’ between Jim Crow laws and mass incarceration is legalized discrimination. Both have served to show the superiority of one race or class compared to another. Jim Crow laws made African Americans second class citizens, just as mass incarceration makes ex- offenders second class citizens upon their release. She says the war on drugs was the “vehicle” that forced extremely high numbers of black men into a virtual, but also literal cage. “The first stage is the roundup. Vast numbers of people are swept into the criminal justice system by the police, who conduct drug operations primarily on poor communities of color…racial biases are granted free rein. In fact, police are allowed to rely on race as a factor in selecting whom to stop and search.” (Alexander) The War on Drugs was the first effective attempt of gaining a control back over the black community and tearing the families apart while they were at their lowest points just as they did during slavery.  “The second stage is the period of formal control…While under formal control, virtually every aspect of one’s life is related and monitored by the system and any form of resistance or disobedience is subject to swift action.” (Alexander) This stage is to ensure that even if the offender is “set free”, they are never truly free. Their every move is being watched, just waiting for the slightest slip up to put them back “where they belong”. “The final stage has been dubbed by some advocates as the period of invisible punishment. These sanctions imposed on individuals after they leave prison often have a greater impact on one’s life course than the months or years one actually spends behind bars. These laws operate collectively to ensure that the vast majority of convicted offenders will never integrate into mainstream, white society.” (Alexander) This final stage ensures that most ex- offenders will become repeat offenders by denying them most of the rights that they need to live a comfortable life. Constant discrimination and being made to feel as if they are inferior to everyone is just how society teaches us to treat criminals, no matter how big or small the crime. At that point, they feel as if it’s going to be this difficult no matter how hard they try to make a change then why even try leading to a slippery slope back into the old habits that got them into the invisible cage to start with.  

Black men are seen as some of the most dangerous individuals of today’s society, yet they are in more danger than any other white man on a daily basis. Most white people are afraid of black people, not because they are racist, but because it is what they are inadvertently taught since very young ages. Granted, white people aren’t the only group taught to stereotype African Americans, stereotypes are everywhere. However, this fear when felt by police has led to several unnecessary deaths of unarmed black men and women. Philando Castile’s death is a prime example of a death that could have been avoided if fear were not the determining factor in the officer’s actions. Officer Jeronimo Yanez shot Castile while he was reaching for his wallet as he was told to do out of fear that he was reaching for a gun. Castile did have a gun on him, but he made the officer aware that he had a licensed weapon and stated that he wasn’t reaching for it several times. The officer said he pulled Castile over for having a brake light out, but during the trial, which resulted in Yanez being found not guilty, Officer Yanez said the real reason he pulled Castile over was because he matched the description of a robbery suspect. The description was simply a black male with a wide nose, the typical description of the average black man. Yanez overreacted out of fear. Not only did he shoot him seven times unnecessarily, but he did it while a seven year was in the back-passenger seat directly in the aim of fire. “Officer Yanez shot Philando Castile because he was afraid, and he was afraid because he was black.” (Swaine) Police are put through extensive training before the hiring process is complete, including self- defense skills and weaponry skills, yet the main excuse used is “I felt threatened”. If they are feeling threatened by someone without a weapon and without half he knowledge they have, should they really be in such an authoritative position?

Racial injustice doesn’t only apply to black males. Black females are wrongly criminalized more than most people realize due to the lack of media’s focus on their cases. We hardly ever realize the mistreatment of most black girls starts as early as elementary to middle school. Black girls are seen as loud and disruptive before they even enter the classroom, and are five times more likely than white girls to be suspended from school. “Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood” was released by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Equality basically stating that studies found that survey participants believe that black girls need less nurturing, less protection, need to be supported and comforted less, and know more about sex and adult topics. (Judge) These sets of beliefs place black females on an uneven playing field before they can even do anything to stop it. 

The African American Policy Forum launched the #SayHerName campaign in hopes of bringing light to the several female police brutality cases that often go unnoticed or are quickly forgotten in the African American community. Sandra Bland may sound familiar when speaking of women who died while in police custody or due to police related interactions, but names such as Alexia Christian, Meagan Hockaday, and Natasha McKenna aren’t quite as popular. Alexia Christian was shot while being handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser. Meagan Hockaday, a mother of three, was shot within twenty seconds of police entering home in response to a domestic disturbance. Natasha McKenna was tasered to death by six officers. All of these officers were found not guilty in these cases. Black women and girls only make up thirteen percent of the female population, yet account for thirty three percent of women of all races shot to death by the police. 

Police brutality coverage rarely speaks on sexual misconduct incidents even though it is the second most common complaint after excessive force complaints. Black women are twice as likely to be stopped by police than white women and once stopped they are more likely to be frisked or given a “pat down” by a male officer. (Smith) In August of 2017 a dashcam video of Charnesia Corley’s traffic stop for allegedly running a stop sign and failing to use turning signals surfaced. Two officers, one male and one female, made her strip naked from the waist down, handcuffed her, pinned her to the ground with her legs spread apart, and proceeded to forcibly insert his fingers into her vagina without consent in a “search for marijuana”. This case was taken to court because Corley said she felt like they raped her, however the charges were dropped and the sheriff’s office cleared both officers of any wrongdoing. This lack of justice being given to victims of undeniably wrong actions has sadly become a common outcome in cases pertaining to police misconduct/ brutality. 

In addition to the African American woman, disabled African Americans are underrepresented when discussing police brutality in the African American community. There is no official data to track exactly how many disabled individuals are currently incarcerated, but the major cases that people known of involve disabled black men. “Right now, in the United States, there are more people with psychiatric disabilities in jail or prison than there are in psychological hospitals, and incarcerated populations represent people with a huge array of physical, cognitive, and sensory impairments.” (Police Killings) The main reason the incarceration rates and number of disabled individuals killed by police are so high is solely because they are not adequately trained on how to respond to these sorts of situations. Police are often intimidated by disabled patients, whether it be a mental disability or a physical disability. The parents of one PTSD victim called 911 because their son was having a mental health crisis and upon arrival the officer said “We don’t do hospitals, we do jails,” and proceeded to take their son to prison.

#BlackLivesMatter is a hashtag that was founded in 2013, but became extremely popular the summer of 2015 due to several deaths of young, unarmed black males by police officers. Young black men were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by police officers in 2015, according to the findings of a Guardian study that recorded a final tally of 1,134 deaths at the hands of law enforcement officers this year. About twenty-five percent of these African Americans killed were unarmed making them even less of a true suspect as opposed to just an easy target. Racial profiling of African Americans has sadly become a common, yet ineffective activity in the police field, disregarding the 14th Amendment of the United Stated Constitution which states “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (Bingham) Together, African Americans and Hispanics comprised fifty eight percent of all prisoners in 2008, even though African Americans and Hispanics only make up approximately one quarter of the US population. According to Unlocking America, if African Americans and Hispanics were incarcerated at the same rate of whites, today's prison and jail populations would decline by approximately fifty percent. 

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered one of the most influential speeches in American history.  In his “I Have a Dream” delivery in Washington D.C., Dr. King said, “The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.” (King) We, as African Americans, owe it to ourselves, our community and our country to aggressively seek education and remain vigilant and vocal.  But most of all, must not allow years of mistrust, anger and the abhorrent behavior of some officials to rob us of the pursuit of our shared dreams.  Black lives DO matter… all lives matter.

 