Addressing the Multifaceted Impact of Police Brutality on Society

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Neighborhood Class Impact

Police brutality is a problem that can affect the lives of the victims and the people they are connected to. This event has been going on for years, and today, police violence against minorities has become an extremely controversial issue. Many people have different perspectives on the topic. However, something most can agree on is that police violence is a crime that can be prevented or even stopped if more people act. People of different races die every day due to police brutality. The estimated number of killings of young black men means that roughly one in 1,000 black men face fatal police violence at a rate two and a half times greater than that of white men (P.R. Lockhart).

Another study found that almost 25% of African Americans and about 32% of other racial groups were not starting a problem or attacking officers when they were killed, compared to 17% of white people. (Brentin Mock). Some police will turn to violence straight away, but however, it goes beyond just shootings. Police have used other tactics to kill, such as physical force, tasers, and even their own vehicles. In fact, there are three types of police misconduct which include: unjustified street stops of citizens, verbal abuse, and the use of excessive force. (Ronald Weitzer)

Because of this, it has become a leading cause of death of young men in America, and there is a very large number of innocent people who are killed in violent acts. According to data from 2013-2018, they found that “fatal police violence is the sixth-leading cause of death for men ages 25-29 across all racial groups.” (P.R. Lockhart) This proves police brutality due to crimes occurring more often than many would think. Although sometimes, crime doesn’t even have to occur for officers to take action. If a certain color group is the main one doing the crimes in a town, that group is more likely to face the effects of police brutality (Brentin Mock).

Certain events from about five years ago have fueled the demand for police reform/accountability, and the situation involving Michael Brown is an example of this. He was an unarmed black teenager who was shot by a police officer in 2014, and his story sparked a controversy about the relationship between police violence and race (Kristin Dukes). Although previous events much like this one have had citizens all throughout the world hoping for change, only four states have laws requiring police to attempt to use other types of force when reasonable before using deadly force. This means that in most states, police can use deadly force on people without it being a big issue. Because of this, many citizens are scared to call the police because of how others are treated.

Neighborhood class is an overlooked factor, and it shapes citizen’s attitudes and experiences. (Ronald Weitzer) It has been proven that the residents of black and white middle-class neighborhoods are less likely to experience police brutality in their neighborhoods than the residents in lower-class neighborhoods. (Ronald Weitzer) Being in neighborhoods that police officers find unsafe poses a constant threat which is a cause. Police killings not only cause concerns about deaths but also has effects spreading throughout the whole community.

It increases depression and other mental health issues, such as anxiety and trauma among teens, and can worsen a child’s attendance at school. Knowing the exact neighborhoods in which these crimes occur helps community leaders know where to look out for other issues that are a result of officer’s use of force. (Diep, Francie) Heroes from stories can also be connected to the violence we see today, and two examples of heroes could be Beouwulf and Macbeth. The use of violence between the two differs. Beowulf was courageous and used violence for heroic and justifiable reasons, while Macbeth used violence for his own selfish/malevolent reasons. In “Beowulf,” the only time the hero uses brutality to solve problems is to get rid of the monsters who are terrorizing a village and to save the people.

Beowulf, Macbeth & Modern Parallels

He journeys far to the village with the intent of helping others and by “purging all evil from this hall.” (Raffel, 2003, pg 7) He states how his hands will fight for him and struggle for life against the monsters and how he will not fear them. (Raffel, 2003, pg 7) After Beowulf accomplished what he had set out to do, he was beloved by all and seen as a glorious champion. He risked his life to save others, which makes his use of violence justifiable.

However, Macbeth differed from Beowulf because his ambition and greed for power caused him to commit very unnecessary, violent crimes. Firstly, he murders the king to obtain his throne. After murdering the king and successfully getting away with it, Macbeth was ready to execute anybody in his way who threatened his power, whether they were innocent or not. For example, because he saw certain people as threats, he hired murderers to kill them. These people included his best friend Banquo, Banquo’s son, and the thane of fife, Macduff. Macbeth also kills Macduff’s family to punish him and discourage Macduff from fighting him.

However, Macbeth shows no remorse for the murders. In Act 3, scene 1 of the play, Macbeth tells the murderers to “always thought that I require a clearness” (Folger, pg 91). This showed that he did not care about the people he killed. He only cared about his image and was determined to make sure his reputation would not get ruined by people finding out about the wrongdoings he committed. This can be connected to police violence today because many police officers will use acts of violence for the same reasons Macbeth and Beowulf did.

Some will do it to be seen as the heroes, while others take matters into their own hands and believe violence is the right way to go about things but end up being seen as killers. Either way, lives can be ended, and everyone is affected by it. The effects of police brutality negatively impact many people’s lives and are a topic that should be spoken about more. So many unfortunate factors are involved in it, such as race, neighborhood class, depression & other health issues, violent tactics, and more. It has become a controversial issue that needs to be stopped before more lives are lost.

References:

Lockhart, P.R. “Police violence against minorities: One in 1,000 black men will die at the hands of police.” Vox, July 15, 2015.
Mock, Brentin. “The Geography of Police Killings.” CityLab, June 29, 2015.
Weitzer, Ronald. “Police use of excessive force in minority communities: A test of the minority threat, place, and community accountability hypotheses.” Social Problems 49, no. 3 (2002): 345-369.
Dukes, Kristin. “From Ferguson to #BlackLivesMatter: Using social media to counter hegemonic narratives of race, place, and justice.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity 2, no. 4 (2016): 402-410.
Diep, Francie. “When Police Kill: Understanding the Use of Force by Police Officers.” National Institute of Justice Journal, October 2017.
Raffel, Burton (translator). “Beowulf.” Signet Classics, 2003.
Shakespeare, William. “Macbeth.” Folger Shakespeare Library, 2011.

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Addressing the Multifaceted Impact of Police Brutality on Society

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