Will there be ‘POLICE REFORMS’ in the US in my Lifetime? Part 2

After the countless horrifying deaths in the African American community in the US, I decided to channel my frustration, the injustice I felt sitting in India into something more concrete.

If my generation around the world wants a change, we need to sit back and reflect. Find out the reasons why police shootings are reoccurring more frequently amongst the African American Community.

Also check out : Will there be ‘POLICE REFORMS’ in the US in my lifetime?

Here’s what I found and links to each video is mentioned at the bottom of the blog

Fear based Training

The actual police training included them to fear the community they were protecting! They were taught how to react instead of respond. I have learnt there’s a significant difference between the two.

‘To React‘ is an unconscious movement that occurs that you have no control over, while ‘To Respond’ is a more conscious one. In their police training, they were taught if they didn’t react, they would be killed! Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old nurse, sleeping on her couch, when the cops bombarded her apartment with a claiming to have knocked! Her boyfriend shot the leg of one of the cops, and the other cop shot Breonna eight times! So much for protecting the community.

Lack of Consquences

Even if the police shoot someone, they have laws and unions to protect them. Police are officially told to destroy files, to their defence, they say “paperwork was taking a lot of space,” in an isolated warehouse. Even the FBI spoke up and said they couldn’t research as there was a lack of data on Police Misconduct.

Take for an example,

“The Department of Justice reported that in Cleveland, “investigators told us that they intentionally cast an officer in the best light possible when investigating the officer’s use of deadly force.” In Miami, an investigation took so long, “at least two…officers shot and killed a suspect while still under investigation for a previous [shooting].” 

Quoted from NewsWeek

Police Unions and State Laws

As I mentioned above, the police are protected from all angles. According to the policy, police are allowed to destroy disciplinary records, complaints filed, less-than-strenuous internal investigations against them. Last case scenario, they resign and move to another desk job! They even have a name for them called ‘Gyspy Cops”

The Awkward Case of prosecutors

This was my favourite. Prosecutors are the ones that hold the Police Accountable. But wait, they also depend on the police to get ‘Witness Statements, Investigate, Testify.” Now, aren’t they put in an awkward position!

The Grand Jury

Even if the police make it this far, the public has an inherent bias towards the police. When we see a police uniform, we see protection and trust. It becomes a presumption that they couldn’t have committed a crime. The Grand Jury refuses to indict. The police can select a witness, while the prosecutor has to bring up the case in court. It is just an overlapping conflict of interests.

Credits

1. Police Accountability: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2013)
2. The Broken Policing System | Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (2019)
3. We Cannot Stay Silent About George Floyd | Patriot Act Digital Exclusive (2020)
4. John Oliver Says Police Are Being Held Accountable Even Less Than We Realize
5. Picture Credits : https://www.yoshowtime.tv/PATRIOT-ACT-WITH-HASAN-MINHAJ