Is History Repeating Itself? An Outline of Police Bsrutality in the USA

Is History repeating itself? An outline of police brutality in the USA

By Sophie Ho and Se Lyn Lim, Year 12, Wu

The past has always laid a foundation, leaving it up to the present to build upon and to develop a desirable future. But have we been successful in this? Perhaps in some ways yes, although other parts of our society continue to deteriorate. One of these parts is the lack of balance in the world: racial injustice continues to persist. Greater change is needed to right our wrongs, but history has taught us that we do not learn from the past. This raises the questions: Is society trapped in a cycle of discrimination? And is history repeating itself?

This article will take a look at how police brutality has emerged; examples of the unjust system throughout the years and during the Civil Rights Movement, and will zoom in on racist police incidents in the 21st century.

Looking at a recent incident, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd was arrested on charge of passing a counterfeit 20 dollar bill at a grocery store in Minneapolis and refusing to return his purchased cigarettes. During the arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed his knee onto Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, killing him. Floyd’s death ignited a new wave of protests and demonstrations against police brutality across America and the world. Nonetheless, this is only one example of the injustices inflicted on African Americans. Since 2015, 1,308 lives have been lost this way, and the numbers continue to rise. Innocent minorities are still falling victims to prejudice, racism and inhumanity.

How US history has shaped today’s police brutality

Looking back in history, the earliest roots of American policing targeting African Americans date back to the early 18th century. In South Carolina, White volunteers established slave patrols, which involved capturing and terrorising runaway slaves in order to prevent revolts.

Despite the ratification of the 13th amendment in 1865, slavery was not entirely abolished. It was legally permitted if the situation involved “punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted”. Not only did those last few words in the 13th amendment act as significant barriers to freedom in the years following, they also laid the foundation for police brutality and “tough on crime” policies today. For example, “involuntary servitude”, or slavery, can be freely imposed on incarcerated individuals.

In the late 19th century, police enforced Jim Crow laws, which made segregation in many aspects of life legal. This was followed by a dramatic rise in lynchings and mob-murders of African-Americans. In 1933, sociologist Arthur F. Rapper reported that, “At least one-half of the lynchings are carried out with police officers participating, and that in nine-tenths of the others the officers either condone or wink at the mob action.”

In the 1960s, during the Civil Rights Movement, there were multiple incidents of police brutality. The era was abundant in violent and destructive riots, despite the leaders’ hopes for peaceful protests. During the March on Birmingham in 1963, the police and fire department used force to halt demonstrations. They blasted over a thousand African-American students with high-pressure hoses and used dogs to launch ferocious attacks. Furthermore, in the Selma marches of 1965, known as the infamous “Bloody Sunday”, a blockade of state troopers and local lawmen attacked the marchers with tear gas and clubs. Police even chased some of the retreating crowd and continued to beat them, leaving them with vicious injuries. During the anti-war demonstrations in the 60s to 70s, there were increasing cases of police brutality. Practices such as stop and frisk - where people were stopped to be searched for weapons or prohibited items - as well as groups of elite police who specialised in high risk tasks, also known as SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams were put in place. These teams of police targeted minorities in particular, emphasised by events such as the infamous Detroit Riots of 1967. The immediate cause was a police raid targeted at an illegal after-hours drinking club, where they arrested all in attendance of a welcome-home party for two Vietnam War veterans, including 82 African-Americans. A series of aggressive confrontations followed suit. Local residents protested, through different ways such as looting businesses and vandalising property. However, it can also be argued that deeper causes of their protests included ongoing frustrations toward unemployment, poverty, lack of opportunity, police brutality and last but not least, racism. In the next few days, over 9,000 of the National Guard were deployed, as well as 800 Michigan state police and US Army troops. It resulted in the deaths of 43 people, in which 33 were African-American. More than 7,000 people were arrested, and most of them were black.

Police misconduct was also prevalent in the War of Drugs, a government-led initiative to stop illegal drug use by increasing prison sentences. The Rockefeller Drug Laws of 1973 created a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years to life for possession of four ounces of drugs. However, these misguided laws disproportionately impacted the law enforcement’s focus on minorities. Incarceration rates became reflective of lower income areas and communities of colour, rather than increased drug use. Although both whites and African-Americans used and sold drugs at similar rates, African-Americans were over six times more likely to be incarcerated for drug-related charges.

A quote from Nixon’s aide John Ehrlichman explains: “The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people... We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either... but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news.”

Racism in the 21st century

Taking it back to the present, there have been numerous incidents of racism in the 21st century. George Floyd is only one of the countless victims of racism. In 2012, Trayvon Martin, an African American 17 year old was visiting relatives in Florida, when Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator, called 911 to report “a suspicious person”. Zimmerman ignored the instructions, approached an unarmed Martin, and shot him, claiming it was self-defence. When officers arrived, Martin was already dead. 2 years later in 2014, Tamir Rice, an African American 12-year-old boy, was killed in Cleveland, Ohio by police officer Loehmann seemingly for carrying a replica toy Airsoft gun. Loehmann shot him almost immediately after arriving at the scene.

All of them had their lives taken away against their will at the hands of the police, all because of the color of their skin. Martin’s murderer Zimmerman walked away without charges on second-degree murder;

Rice’s murderer Loehmann was cleared and his response was even deemed “a reasonable one” by a retired FBI agent; Floyd’s murderers were placed on paid administrative leave before being fired on the same day. It took a week for Chauvin (the police who was involved in killing Floyd) to be charged with second-degree murder, and the three officers involved to be charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. The three officers were released on bail a few weeks later.

Parallels can be drawn between public responses towards their deaths. In the wake of the deaths, protests and public outcries broadcasted through international media coverage have attracted worldwide attention. In spite of that, their differences are what sets them apart, highlighting the ongoing changes as time passes. After Rice’s death, people protested in the local areas of Cleveland, albeit relatively minor. After Martin’s death, protests had grown nationwide, with walkouts staged by high school students and thousands attending rallies. Protest symbols associated with Martin were also donned, such as hoodies, bags of Skittles candy and cans of Arizona Iced tea. Professional athletes and high-profile citizens such as LeBron James also showed their support. Over 2.2 million people signed a Change. org petition, calling for Zimmerman’s arrest, reflecting the increase of involvement. After Floyd’s death, protests quickly spread worldwide, with over 60 countries internationally supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. However, with the increase in support came an increase in violence. Demonstrations descended into looting and riots. Police brutality was once more shown through the police’s aggressive use of tear gas, flash grenades, smoke bombs and rubber bullets.

What now?

There have been many changes throughout the years. The Civil Rights Movement has paved the way to more laws being passed, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Housing Act of 1968. The movement ended segregation in public facilities, banned employment discrimination, increased federal protection and greatly increased activism. The question we must be asking ourselves now, is how will we change? Perhaps at present, more than ever, there is hope for fairness in the system, for liberation and justice in society. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is surging forward. Support is being shown in many ways: we are raising awareness through the media, signing petitions, organising and taking part in protests and demonstrations.

Changes have also been prevalent in the causes of police brutality, which has shifted throughout the past century. Whilst, at least on the surface, police brutality has been seemingly caused by labor strikes and public unrest, it has evolved into deeper aspects today. Police culture plays an important role in corruption, such as the “blue wall of silence” where officers do not report abuse or misconduct committed by fellow officers. More laws have also been passed, granting federal protection to police and giving them an unfair advantage in legal proceedings. A clear example of this is the 50-a in New York (which was repealed in 2020) in which performance and misconduct records of officers have been hidden from the public. Qualified immunity has also provided them with an upper hand, as it often protects them from prosecution if they haven’t violated a “clearly established” statutory or constitutional right. These are just a few examples of causes that have gradually taken root in society. But with the rise of civil rights movements and increase in activism, perhaps this can be changed.

So, we return to the question: is history repeating itself? Although history is not literally “repeating” itself, it is clear that throughout We need to change. In a world where the balance is constantly shifting, will good ever outweigh evil? The problem lies in the unjust police system and the racist attitude towards African Americans. The innocent victims should not be forgotten in the cracks of history. The truth should not be concealed. Hope lies in our current generation. Humanity has to move forward as one, and we must fight for African American rights and against the abuse of power. Only then, can we look towards a better future for our society. We hope that there will come a time when no one - no matter their race, religion, gender or sexuality - will have to live in fear.