(Written By Ronald Guest)
Police brutality or police violence is legally defined as a civil rights violation where officers exercise undue or excessive force against a civilian. This includes, but is not limited to, physical or verbal harassment, physical or mental injury, property damage, and death.
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In recent weeks, There have been numerous videos going viral of police brutality taking place in several cities across the nation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while quarantining; I have
seen at least four myself. When these videos surface, I tend to read the comments section to
see what others have to say about these incidents. Often two quotes can be found. “All cops
aren’t bad cops” and/or “All of us aren’t like that”, which makes me pose the question; Are there
any good officers left?
Before I continue, I don’t want anyone to think this is where I begin police bashing; because I wouldn’t do that. As a writer; my job is to uncover the truth; as well as, introduce thought-provoking ideas with my opinion on subjects. And, that is what I intend to do. First, let us consider what is perceived as a good cop? Maybe our concepts of the word aren’t the same, so we may differ in our overall view. Is it getting to know the people in the community that they patrol? Doing the very job you signed up for and are paid to do? Is it going above and beyond the call of duty? Who are we to judge? Better yet, should we be judging? I mean, we are the citizens and taxpayers that officers are hired to protect and serve.
Over the years, I have seen countless videos on mainstream media exposing police misconduct. Dating back as far as; the 1991 beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles. The most important question to me personally; in regards to this entire article and subject is: When these incidents of deliberate police brutality occur, where are the cops at this point? In these videos; I have never witnessed one officer intervene, and say “Hey, Stop, you are wrong!” or “This isn’t right.” How about just stepping in and pulling the aggressive officer off when he or she crosses the line. With all of this taking place, I have yet to see a group of officers band together and stand against the injustices the
citizens face due to the actions of their counterparts. It truly seems as if, the said; “blue wall” does exist and police are only out to protect their own, whether they are in the right or
completely wrong.
I know a fair share of people; some would consider on the other side of the law. Thugs, gang bangers, career criminals, etc. Even amongst them, I have seen many incidents where they would verbally reprimand one another publicly for “doing too much” or “going too far”. Which could create a negative stigma around the said group; letting others know, this isn’t how we operate. This in turn; would create admiration for the clique because it showed there was a sense of honor associated with their practice. This is also part of the reason many inner-city youths are more attracted to gang culture than they are the police force. They have witnessed street leaders intervene in the wrongdoing of their subordinates and publicly state, “That is wrong! And, he will be dealt with later.” showing transparency. Only to get reassurance later that the individual was dealt with accordingly amidst their rules. This is part of the reason organized crime families were so respected and feared. From the Police commissioner, they only get “We will investigate the situation.” Only to hear the officer they just witnessed deliberately do wrong will be “suspended with pay”.
I do know those police officers have a rough job. I will not sit by and act as if they don’t. I’m sure it can be demanding and stressful, on top of that they deal with stereotypes; just as many of us do. They are constantly under scrutiny, many are overworked and underpaid, not to mention on top of all these things, it’s dangerous. However, let’s face the facts; the majority of police interactions are for innocuous activities like being in a park after hours, drinking alcohol in public, panhandling, spitting, and sleeping on the subway. Several reports estimate that approximately 90% of police officers on the day to day spend most of their time dealing with minor infractions and just about 10% on violent crimes. My research comes from the Bureau of Justice and you are welcome to research to dispute what I have found if you are in disagreement with these statistics. The need to criminalize everything is part of the problem. New York City alone has over 9,000 crimes, rules
& codes that the police can enforce. That is a bit excessive, don’t you think? Must the threat of the Internal Affairs Bureau stepping in exist for a tax-paying citizen to receive fair & just
treatment, when a “good officer” is there; on scene. Why aren’t they holding each other accountable as a decent coworker should? Is making a citizens arrest against officers
something we should consider, or is that just a deathwish for a civilian? I present these questions to all of the readers because when we witness brutality amongst civilians, we say
things to ourselves like “why didn’t anyone stop this?”, “A decent person would have done something to stop this.” So why should police departments & their officers be viewed any differently? Despite the backlash; a decent person would align themselves with what’s right in any situation.
Bonus Information
How do you a citizen arrest a cop?
The steps are very simple (in theory).
1. Tell the officer that they are under a citizen's arrest and for what crime.
2. Use whatever level of force is necessary to secure said officer for transport to the local police station.
3. Take said officer, and your evidence, to the police station for processing and arraignment.
Please let us know if you ever been a victim of Police Brutality. Tell us what happened?
