...Introduction The shooting deaths of unarmed racial minorities, this headline has been a popular topic of discussion within the past few years. Many studies have been implemented to further the research and knowledge on these topics. Such studies include, “Shooting deaths of unarmed racial minorities: Understanding the role of racial stereotypes on decisions to shoot (by Kimberly Barsamian Kahn and Jean M. McMahon of the Department of Psychology, Portland State University).” After the shootings and deaths of Amadou Diallo, Michael Brown, and many other unnamed and unarmed African Americans by law enforcement officers, social psychologists began doing in-depth research on the influence of racial stereotypes that exist in our society and how they influence shootings and the decisions that surround them. Focusing on empirical research and many different phenomenon, the logic and statistical relevance behind...
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...reveals that minorities are over-represented, primarily because of racial prejudices within the system. The well-publicized war on drugs is one of the main causes for this over-representation, for it has primarily targeted poor people of color. As Walker et al (2003) note, despite repeated studies showing there is little difference in the level of drug use between blacks and whites in the United States, three-quarters of the people incarcerated in American prisons for drug trafficking, dealing, or abuse are African-American. In social terms, one of the most troubling problems with America’s war on drugs is that it appears to be motivated at least in part by racism. As Mason (2000) notes, under New Jersey’s Operation Pipeline drug interdiction program, for example, eighty percent of the motorists stopped by police were black and just thirteen percent were white. Sentencing laws also appear to be racist, for they punish minorities more. Getting caught with four-hundred grams of cocaine requires no mandatory prison term, but possessing four-hundred grams of crack can lead to life in prison. One of the most blatant demonstrations of prejudice in the criminal justice system is racial profiling. According to critics, racial profiling is a unfair law enforcement strategy that enables police officers to stop and question African-Americans simply because of their race. According to Malley (2000) racial profiling is a process often employed by police, both officially...
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...Steven Rousse English Composition Professor David Mook September 15, 2014 Is Law Enforcement Racist? Racism, stereotypes, racial profiling, discrimination, no matter what you call it it’s all the same thing, and it has been around for years. Lately racial discrimination has been greatly decreased, yet not completely eradicated. One would think that the last place there wouldn’t be a single shred of any discrimination in law enforcement, however, there is and the fact that there is racial discrimination makes for some very controversial cases; such as the case of the shooting of Michael Brown, the brutal beating of Rodney King, and the wrongful beating of Abner Louima. All of these incidents happened because of an unfair percentage that police are to show more brutality to a minority group than to whites and there are plenty of facts that support this such as the amount of white officers over colored ones, and the biases and stereotypes that are to blame for “racism” in law enforcement. The case of Michael Brown in Fergusson, Missouri a predominantly black society, with a predominantly white police force, there are multiple stories that both tell stories of what people saw. One account states that the teenager Michael Brown had his hands in the air and was surrendering whilst unarmed; the officer opened fire and killed him. However, what the authorities say is the exact opposite in which Michael Brown actually attempted to attack the officer in his car and tried to...
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...In James Q. Wilson’s New York Times article, “Just Take Away Their Guns,” Wilson sufficiently reasons how the elimination of illegal guns on the streets should be the central focus in determining the limits regarding American gun control regulations which are frequently debated in our modern world. While Wilson makes an effective argument, at times, he racially profiles which is a definite form of deceptive reasoning; in addition, many of Wilson’s arguments lack the elaboration he needs to avoid making hasty assertions. Wilson argues in his essay that not allowing people to buy guns will have no effect on the illegal use of guns, which in essence, is the sole reasoning for wanting to eliminate guns in the first place. He makes the claim that about two-hundred million American citizens own a gun. These guns, though, are not the ones that are generally used for unlawful acts, but rather those that are stolen, borrowed, or privately purchased. Wilson then makes the point that an increase in these control regulations would take a toll on none other than those law abiding citizens that own these guns more for self-defense purposes. Wilson first extends the argument that, “Our goal should be to reduce the number of people who carry guns unlawfully, especially in places- in streets, in taverns- where the mere presence of a gun can increase the hazards we all face.” By beginning his argument with a clear, concise thesis such as this, Wilson begins to setup an organized structure...
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...Essay on ”Race, Class, Violence and Denial: Mass Murder and the Pathologies of Privilege” by Tim Wise Often when racial inequality and discrimination is being discussed, we get to think of terms such as “white privilege” and American history with the Civil Rights Act in 1964. But we think of it, mainly as history. And that, according to Tim Wise, an anti-racism activist and American writer, is the biggest self-deception of the modern American world. Throughout an article posted on his own webpage, concerning school shootings, Tim Wise discusses the general American attitude towards this relatively new phenomenon in American society. With the use of especially pathos Wise argues that the most concerning thing about these events is how society is handling them afterwards. The problem is, according to Wise, that white people tell themselves ‘white lies’, and therefore never think that such actions could be taking place in their communities. He claims that there’s a reason why this happens in the outwardly ordinary societies. It’s because the people, trying to maintain at certain surface of innocence, refuse to see the signs of trouble, even when it’s going on before their very eyes. He wants us to take responsibility and stop excluding some parts of society from the “danger-zone” just because they look bucolic and normal on the outside and almost in the form of a provocative scolding he explains what damages these ‘white lies’ can do - not only to people of color, but to white...
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...Does not everyone deserve to be treated the equally, no matter their sex, religion, or race? Then why the instances of racial profiling in the news lately, with some cases leading to excessive force by law enforcement. In a Washington Post analysis of 990 fatal police shootings in 2015 the research "suggests that police exhibit shooter bias by falsely perceiving blacks to be a greater threat than non-blacks to their safety." and "seven times as likely as unarmed white men to die from police gunfire" (Lowery 2016). Not only law enforcement but also fellow American's is displaying racial profiling against minorities. Instead of looking at each person as an individual, some Americans categorize people, according to a group, such as black American's...
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...for this essay are Ida B. Wells, Emmett Till, and B.B. King. Ida B. Wells worked for civil rights for African-Americans. Emmett Tills death made the United States look at its racial policies. B.B. King was a musician/ singer/ songwriter. All three of them made their mark not only on Mississippi but also the world. Ida B. Wells, was born on July 16, 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She died on March 25, 1931 in Chicago Illinois. Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and actist who led an anti-lynching crusade in the United States. She stands as one of the leaders and defenders of our democracy. Her parents, who were slaves were able to support their seven kids because her mother was a “famous” cook and her father was a skilled carpenter. It was Memphis where she first began to fight for racial and gender justice. In 1884 she asked by a conductor of the Chesapeake & Ohio to leave her seat. Since she was an African-American...
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...a “chokehold” by an officer sparked outrage. A month later in Ferguson, Mo., the fatal shooting of teenager Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson ignited protests, and a grand jury’s decision not to indict Wilson triggered further unrest. In November, Tamir Rice was shot by police in Cleveland, Ohio. He was 12 years old and playing with a toy pistol. On April 4, 2015, Walter L. Scott was shot by a police officer after a routine traffic stop in North Charleston, S.C. The same month, Freddie Gray died while in police custody in Baltimore, setting off widespread unrest. The policeman in the South Carolina case, Michael T. Slager, was charged with murder based on a cellphone video. In Baltimore, the driver of the police van in which Gray died, Caesar Goodson, was charged with second-degree murder, with lesser charges for five other officers. There have been no indictments in the earlier cases. These follow other recent incidents and controversies, including an April 2014 finding by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), following a two-year investigation, that the Albuquerque, N.M., police department “engages in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, including deadly force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment,” and a similar DOJ finding in December 2014 with regard to the Cleveland police department. In March 2015, the DOJ also issued a report detailing a pattern of “clear racial disparities” and “discriminatory intent” on the part of the Ferguson, Mo., police department...
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...In Essay 3 from Second Thoughts, Ruane and Cerulo analyze the conventional wisdom, “Children are our most precious commodity.” While this belief is deeply ingrained into our nation, social indicators – quantitative measures of social phenomena, seems to show otherwise (Ruane and Cerulo 30). In the United States, the infant mortality rate is higher than that of most developed nations, 25% of 2-years-olds do not have the full series of childhood vaccinations, gunfire kills a child or teen every 3 hours, 41% of children under 18 live in low-income families, whom make an income that is short of meeting necessary basic needs, and 772,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in 2008. The ideal culture – values and norms each society claims as central to its modus operandi – comes into conflict with our real culture – value and norms actually executed and...
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...Social Justice and Equality: Racial Profiling Galina Shlikht, Nicole Gordon and Becky Overstreet City University of Seattle Author’s Note Galina Shilkht, Student, City University Nicole Gordon, Student, City University Becky Overstreet, Student, City University Social Justice and Equality Team Outline (All) Conflict and Solutions 1. Faulty communication Sometimes criticism can be given inappropriately. This can result in hurting the feelings of group members leaving them feeling devalued. When this happens, we as a team believe the first thing that must be done is to be honest and let the group know how you feel. So we must acknowledge the conflict. The next appropriate step would be to discuss the conflict with all of the team members. After this, we should try and understand the situation and reach an agreement. One of the agreements could be that criticism be given appropriately and constructively. 2. Time management With work, kids, and living in different time zones it can be a challenge to find the time that works best for the three of us to discuss the details, questions, and/or concerns about our essay together. Our solution to this is to set up exact times and day, sort of like an online appointment, for when the three of us can be available via Facebook group message. 3. Personality clashes We all have our own way of doing things. Our styles of working might be different and sometimes this can cause a conflict with each other...
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...Johanna Ortiz HIS September 12, 2015 1st draft Is the existence of a negro the same as the being of a white human being? It is now, but years ago the response to this would be no. Lynching was utilized in a period of time, it was an expression that was defined to put to death an individual without any wrongdoing and no legitimate authorization. In Hale’s essay “Deadly Amusements”, she stresses on how lynching was seen as a social norm or public entertainment and self- justice. Lynching was used because individuals viewed it as a social norm. Public spectacle lynching was the most recurrent in the south and it was used to entertain the people. “The well-choreographed spectacle opened with a chase or a jail attack, followed rapidly by the...
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...are created equal and have the same opportunities. However, to this day, that is not the case. For decades and arguably centuries, African Americans and other minorities have continued to fight this ongoing battle against racism and prejudice. This struggle is also very prevalent in police and judicial affairs. With the recent racial tension going on in the United States, it is important to understand why African Americans are still feeling this way in order to find ways in which to eliminate police brutality. Using Weber’s theory of authority, one can apply his ideology to the recent events in race relations and police officers in order to understand the ongoing tension and divulging into the reasoning behind people’s reactions to these events, emphasizing the issue is centralized around power and authority. There are everyday events that occur that highlight the ongoing racial tension between African Americans and police officers, showing that discrimination and racism is not dead here in the United States. For example, take the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. There is major controversy in the telling of the Michael Brown shooting. Michael Brown was shot and killed on August 9th by Officer Darren Wilson (Clarke). Brown was unarmed when the incident happened and the witnesses’ testimony and the officer’s account contradict the actual events. Brown was shown stealing a pack of cigarettes from a convenient store when Officer Wilson first encountered Brown...
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...Maryia Astapenka COMP 110.N82 Ms. Muzyk At home essay #3 November 17, 2015 Gran Torino Films are an integral part of our visual culture. They are a reflection of our traditions and our myths. Film's ability to create the illusion of life and reality makes them an extremely powerful medium. In their essay "Reading and Writing about Movies," Jonathan Silverman and Dean Rader highlight the idea, "that movies use various techniques to manipulate audiences" (322), because "directors employ music, lighting, special effects, and clever editing to help make their movies more powerful"(322). To have a better understanding of the film's theme, we have to watch it critically, reading the meaning between the lines. It is possible to do paying attention...
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...English 1510 Writing and Rhetoric Fall 2015 Professor Phone Michael D. Brown (cell) 740-593-3499 Office: Ellis 312 (office) 740-593-9941 Email: brownm@ohio.edu Description This is a writing course required for most freshmen at O.U. The purpose of the course is to practice and improve the writing skills you’ve acquired in your academic career to date. You will find, I believe, that having strong writing skills will be an invaluable asset to your future academic and professional careers. In the coming weeks you will complete various writing assignments, taking each of them through the stages of drafting, revising, and editing before handing them in for a grade. I will give you all assignments in writing posted to Blackboard; also I will post all reading material on Blackboard or we’ll retrieve materials through online sources; thus there are no texts to buy for this course. Requirements You will complete approximately four graded assignments over the course of this semester – comprised of the following: 1. Politics, government policy, and/or social and cultural issues. Some of you may be interested and engaged in these matters already – such matters as economic theory and policy, immigration, gun rights vs. sensible gun regulation, health care policy, veteran affairs and funding, equal pay for women, women’s access to abortion and contraception, the right wing’s current attempt to defund Planned Parenthood; the Tea Party vs. . . . ALL government...
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...one of the important quotes from “To Kill a Mockingbird”by Harper Lee, “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (87) and this could also be said of how he behaves in the courtroom. He is a skilled lawyer and without making outright accusations in a harsh tone he effectively points out that Bob Ewell is lying. Even more importantly, the subject of this character analysis, Atticus Finch, is able to gracefully point out to the jury that there although there probably are a few black men who are capable of crimes, “this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men” (208). His understanding of equality and his colorblindness allow him to see clearly that the case has been motivated by racial hatred and he is strong enough, both as a person and a lawyer, to see that this is a wrong that needs to be discussed and pointed out to the community. In general in To Kill a Mockingbird, as a lawyer, he is much as he is as a father—focused on justice, equality, and imbued with the special talent...
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