Stories So Loud They Make Change

By Ayesha Ali / Winter 2020

“Terrorist”, and “go back to your country” are common phrases I have heard growing up as a Muslim. After 9/11, Muslims across America felt a dire need to hide part of their identity. My family was one of them. There came a constant pressure to prove that you were American, by buying t-shirts with the American flag along with buying a flag to display proudly outside of one’s house. Hate crimes across America began to rise against Muslims and any individual who seemed to be middle eastern, hiding a part of who we are felt necessary. My religion was not known based off of my physical appearance but if one were to ask I did not feel the need to lie, hearing “So you’re a terrorist…?”, made me second guess ever telling anyone what my religion is and where my family immigrated from. Hearing about the hate crimes directed to my community stirred a fear and apprehension of what the future will hold.  A turban was a sign that one was a terrorist and a hijab or burqa was a sign of oppression.

My post-9/11 experience has given me empathy for the racism black communities face. For black people they’re a criminal, savages, thugs and are destroying their own community. Hundreds of years of black people being treated as though they are not human lead to the constant abuse and discrimination lead by racist individuals. Black children are taught by their parents on ways to handle an encounter with the police, from placing your hands in the eyesight of the officer to not talk or fight back. Mothers and fathers already have a fear when it comes to their children, adding on the fear of being stopped and frisked for just their skin color ignites a greater fear. Today’s social and political climate reveals the police brutality black people face, one’s skin color does not determine their characteristic.

Correspondingly, let’s take a closer look at the mistreatment black people face and that their daily activities are reason enough to be targeted by the police. Teens are meant to rebel or have fun, yet black teens are shot and killed for living their lives. Many believe that police officers do not hold predisposed feelings towards black men, that if an unarmed black men were to be shot it is part of the police’s job. In an article titled “Policing in Black and White”, Roland G. Fryer Jr. is a professor at Harvard who has examined many officer involved shootings, he has found: “Fryer did, however, find that black civilians are more likely to experience other types of force, including being handcuffed without arrest, pepper sprayed or pushed to the ground by an officer”(9). Black individuals are treated harshly in times of doing no wrong, yet they resist the need to find back for the fear of the consequence. In comparison to a white person, black men are made to submit to officers in harsher ways then needed; police officers hold a certain view towards black people which in turn is easily identifiable in how one would arrest a person. Tae-Ahn Lea was a teen borrowing his mother’s car to quickly get a bite to eat, on his way home he made a wide turn. He did not expect for the police to stop him or to be roughly pulled out of his car and handcuffed. Lea asked for permission to retrieve his license even though officers are required to ask for ones license and registration when first stopping someone. Officers are required to wear body cameras, it was a law that was issued under the Obama administration to prevent cases like Lea’s, to prevent innocent individuals from being subjected to abuse. Officers are people meant to uphold the law, by disobeying the trust that is suppose to be established between citizens and the police, establishes the relationship between both sides is crucial. To illustrate this point, we can look at an article written by Andrew Wolfson: “Even in high-crime areas, most people aren’t criminals… so it can really rub community members the wrong way when they are all viewed as targets for investigation”(10). Areas with history of high crimes are subject too all people being viewed as criminals, when a lot of them have not committed any crimes. Rather than deal with the wide turn that Lea committed, the police officers were looking to blame him for a crime he did not commit. Young black children  Time and location can determine the outcome of a situation, for the Central Park Five it determined the rest of their lives. The Central Park Five were five young black boys living in New York, the boys were convicted for the rape of a white women in Central Park. The Netflix series When They See Us perfectly captures the social climate in the 90’s; the boys Anton McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise were five kids who were illegally questioned by the police. Not only were the boys questioned for a long period of time but also tried to explain their truth to the detectives proved futile. Each boy yearned to be free and just to go home back to their normal lives, we can see a clear example of this in the following scene: “If they don’t want to hear my truth, I don’t want to waste my energy” (1). After long hours of trying to explain his truth Korey Wise knew the color of his skin in the end determined whether anyone was willing to listen. The pressure and hateful attitude the boys were faced with illustrated that they were guilty the minute the boys were put into handcuffs. From five normal boys in New York to becoming the exonerated five, black people are taught to be careful when dealing with the police, they’re taught to follow orders instead of proving their innocence. The Central Park Five and Tae-Ahn Lea are two stories out of thousands, their stories  prove the ongoing argument that their is a history of violence and systematic discrimination against black people.

Nonetheless, throughout history systematic racism has defined how black people were treated. The laws put in place by white slave owners dominated the system in suppressing slaves and the rights they thought to have had. Before the America Civil War slave codes were implemented as a way for black slaves to know their place in society, any who did not follow the life of a submissive slave was to be punished by their owner. Moreover, after the Civil War a set of black codes were created by southern slave owners, the laws were issued as a way to undermine the freedom of slaves. Black codes varied from state to state, it implemented the issue that white slave owners were the only ones to hold power, while black people were nothing in comparison. In the article “Black Codes” we begin to see the outcomes of the laws put into place: “…blacks had seen little improvement in their economic and social status, and the vigorous efforts of white supremacist forces throughout the region had undone the political gains they had made”(3). Black Americans had fought to gain a status in society, but with the constant hatred from the white dominated south, their lives continued in a racial divided state. The long history of racism in America has led to movements fighting for governments and citizens to recognize black people, the issues they have endured can not be made to be ignored. The laws put in place to disallow for black people to gain freedom gave permission to white landowners to treat their slaves as though they were disposable. After the civil rights movement, many believe that racism does not exist anymore, especially that it erased the views white people initially had towards black individuals. Many instances have shown that a history of violence and systematic racism has led to people of color to be subjected to abuse. Police officers are meant to uphold the law and protect the people, yet in the article “A History of Tolerance for Violence Has Laid the Groundwork for Injustice Today” a different side of law enforcement is shown: “Despite its lawfulness and terrifying unpredictability, lynching was sanctioned by law enforcement and elected officials, and the perpetrators acted boldly and with impunity”(7). Lynching was a terrible crime committed against black people, it is often seen as actions that white people did out of they eyes of the law. To know that police officers and elected officials turned a blind eye to the un-humane killings of black people, foreshadows the way police officers view black people in today’s society. People in power are often in charge of how society views other individuals, their voices are an echo of how other people feel. Police officers are meant to hold unbiased views and to care for the people of the community they are suppose to protect, yet along the way their perspective changed.

To understand how today’s social climate came to be, we look at a policing system which was once built to suppress black people protects its fellow cops rather than the people. In the 1960’s the police were used as means to enforce segregation and stop protests from occurring by harming the public. In today’s society police officers expect black people to automatically trust the system, when for so long it was built against them. By looking at the deeper issue of the police system one has to look at the fact that police officers are not held accountable for their actions against the public. In an episode of Patriot Act the host discusses the broken policing system that enables officers to get away with violating citizens rights. Host Hasan Minhaj brings up the point of the police union, the police union are meant to protect officers whether good or bad. This becomes clear when we look at the following scene: “Police unions have gotten paid leave for cops who kill. Made it impossible to investigate anonymous claims. Protected the identities of violent officers” (5). This example reveals a look behind the fact that not all police officers are bad but the system which is suppose to protect the general public is instead protecting the police. Police officers on multiple occasions have shot and killed unarmed black men but when the public wants to hold the officer accountable, the union prevents anything ever happening to the police officer. I argue that if a regular citizen were to shoot and kill someone the law would persecute the individual and hold them accountable for their actions. Now that we’ve examined the broken police system, we can consider that the same system used to suppress black individuals is still harming the same group of people. Police officers are meant to set an example to the general public, yet many people in power want to enforce harsher punishments that should be carried out by the police. In response to the exonerated five being charged for a crime they did not commit, powerful people such as Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg had similar views pertaining the sentencing of the black boys. After the Central Park Five case in 1989, Donald Trump bought full page newspaper ads which issued that the five black and Hispanic boys should receive the death penalty(6). His ideology at the time is a reflection of what he still believes today, the five boys were children yet Trump did not care. After the boys grew and were released from jail the five men wanted to file a lawsuit against the state of New York, yet Bloomberg stopped their lawsuit for many years. In addition, Bloomberg issued a stop and frisk policy directed mainly towards black and latino communities. In an article issued by Newsweek, Michael Bloombergs views on stop and frisk laws are clear when he says: “I inherited the police practice of stop-and-frisk, and as part of our effort to stop gun violence it was overused… I have taken responsibility for taking too long to understand the impact it had on Black and Latino Communities”(6). The stop and frisk was adopted to stop the high rise in gun violence in certain neighborhoods, the repercussions that followed heavily impacted black communities. Ones skin color determined whether you were dangerous enough to be stopped and frisked on the street, I contend that Bloomberg knew of the consequences that would arise after enforcing the procedure. The media can spin stories to match the narrative they want to portray. Trump buying news ads and Bloomberg instructing the police to implement harsher search methods, subconsciously instructs a society to follow the ideologies they are portraying. Society should look past people who hold a biased view on certain individuals, to consider a police officer a human being then one should learn to see black people as humans too.

Now that we can see the depths of the problem, we can consider that many people have been exposed to stories regarding police brutality and the efforts to stop it. Many people sympathize with police officers known to shoot unarmed black individuals, some cannot consider the person police have killed as a human but rather a criminal. Movements such as Black Lives Matter has in turn created opposite movements like White Lives Matter. People believe the BLM movement to be that only black lives matter and other races are nothing in comparison, when in fact it means that black people are not treated as though they are human beings or are shot and killed off of the fact that their skin color signifies their character. In an article titled “Here’s How Badly Police Violence Has Divided America” we can turn to the following example: “And while black men make up only about 6 percent of the US population, last year they accounted for one-third of the unarmed people killed by police”(2). The author shows that a minority group which make up six percent of the population in the US are killed at higher rates, the reason for it is they are unarmed in the hands of the police. Black people want to fight back by protesting police brutality to demonstrate that they can not be silenced. Multiple celebrities have come in support of the black lives lost against criminal injustices, Colin Kaepernick a famous football player became headline news when he decided to kneel during the national anthem at one of his games. Looking deeper Kaepernick kneels in support to protest against the police violence directed towards African-Americans, as a result other individuals have taken to protesting in the same way. From an outside perspective people would see him as disrespecting the country and being un-American because as an American during the  national anthem one should always be stand up and have their right hand over their heart. Therefore having this in mind creates controversies amongst the society and racial slurs continue amongst people, in addition, these actions are used to send out positive messages but get back a negative response. Donald Trump the president of the United States of America was asked about football players kneeling during the national anthem, his response “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off of the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired,’ Mr. Trump said”(4). In this quote it gives a very broad example of the anger built up amongst white Americans, which is echoed by their leader. Despite the support given to the African Americans from celebrities to stop the systematic abuse happening, people do not see how severe of an issue it is. Instead of everyone being humane and joining hands to stop police violence they rather mock supporters which creates more chaos across society.

To fix the issue of police brutality is by fixing the way police officers learn in the academy. Years of constant abuse by the hands of the police has lead to people standing up for their rights to highlight the problem of police brutality. Black children are taught to fear the police and should be someones last resort in resolving an issue. People protest in the streets to have society recognize the ongoing concern of police brutality and that it effects black people on how to live their daily life. To cut the rate of police violence against black people is by teaching officers the importance of not being bias. An article by USA Today explains the way people should help in ending police brutality: “And all officers should leave the academy understanding how biases - implicit and explicit - directly affect actions, particularly when under stress”(8). Protests from the general public help in raising awareness but it also highlights the change that needs to be made within the system, being put in situations one has never been in before can result in unknown reactions. As in being out in the field, officers need to learn in dealing with different situations and how to overcome the conflict without the loss of ones life. Police officers are the root in changing racial divide, their job is defined as a way to protect the public. To stop police brutality is to change the way officers are trained in serving the public, rather than protect fellow officers it is best to protect the citizens they are meant to serve. Black lives are important, it is not to say other lives should be considered less than any other minority group but should be equal by being treated the same. When a white person encounters the police there is not steps one has to take in order to preserve their lives, they are just given the reasons for being stopped and then either let go or handcuffed. A black mans encounter with the police is separate, for they have to take certain precautions such as showing ones hands and not making any fast movements in order for a police officers not to get the wrong idea. By taking into account that raising awareness to a controversy is the only way in signifying a change, for police brutality to be a main focus in recent years conveys that there is a distinct problem in the justice system.

Police brutality is all around in society, some stories are silenced while others are loud enough to make a change. The biases police officers hold within themselves come from experiences in their daily lives. You might think about how the death of someone you do not know effects your life, but we live in a diverse society and encounter people from all walks of life. In the end of the day everyone is human, people want better lives for themselves or their families. Police brutality might not effect ones daily life personally, but it effects younger children and their ability to grow up in a free society. Black children are not taught to be free, instead they're informed to be careful around the police and avoid fighting back. From a young age everyone has been advised to stand up for oneself, yet there is people in the world who do not have the same luxury. Protesting and standing up for people that do not have the same ability as one does is a way to fight against the systematic racism put in place against black people. Moreover, using ones privilege helps in raising awareness that black citizens are not the only individuals aware of the matter at hand. Everyone views the world through different lenses yet how one approaches a problem can create similar ideologies. Conclusively, do you believe police brutality can be eradicated from society?

Works Cited

DuVernay, Ava, director. When They See Us. Netflix, 2019. 

Greenberg, Will. “Here's How Badly Police Violence Has Divided America.” Mother Jones, 28 Sept. 2017.

History.com Editors. “Black Codes.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 1 June 2010.              

Mindock, Clark. “All You Need to Know about Why NFL Players Are Taking a Knee and Where It Came From.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 3 Feb. 2019.

Minhaj, Hasan. “Patriot Act.” Season 2, episode The Broken Policing System, 2019.

Rahman, Khaleda. “Mike Bloomberg and Donald Trump Are ‘Cut from the Same Cloth," Says Central Park Five Member.” Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2020.

Taylor, Jennifer Rae. “A History of Tolerance for Violence Has Laid the Groundwork for Injustice Today.” American Bar Association, 16 May 2019.

Thurau, Lisa H., and Johanna Wald. “Police Killings, Brutality Damaging Mental Health of Black Community.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 15 Sept. 2018.

Weir, Kirsten. “Policing in Black and White.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, Dec. 2016.

Wolfson, Andrew. “LMPD Handcuffed a Black Teen for a Wide Turn, Then Told Him to  'Quit with the Attitude'.” Journal, Courier Journal, 9 Jan. 2020.