Page 16 - HEF Pen & Ink 2020

HYPOCRITE
by Madi Davis
Despite a preponderance of police officers not being racially biased, the law enforcement
system has historically been proven to have prejudice towards African Americans. For hundreds of years, African Americans were enslaved in order for the upper white class to show superiority (History). The hierarchy of power has remained prominent since the 1600’s. Although the lines are now blurred and unde- niable racism is harder to encounter, the underlying structure still remains. In the past, slaves worked tirelessly for hours in order to please their masters and in the process build America like it is today.“The enslaved were not bricks in your road, and their lives were not chapters in your redemptive history. They were people turned to fuel for the American machine” (Coates 70). The slaves increased the economy, boosted agricultural technology, and affect- ed America for years afterwards (History). The case
is the same today. The policing system uses African Americans to increased cash flow in private prisons and enhance industrial advancements while in the prison system. The systemology that is unknowingly embedded in our brain continues to affect the Ameri- can law enforcement today, creating a bigoted system.
Even more significantly, statistics have shown that the police are racist. In terms of using violence and searching vehicles, the percentiles for African Americans are staggeringly higher. During the 2012 FBI supplementary homicide report, it was found that 39 percent of all police killings, while the suspect was not attacking, were African American (Vox). That is significantly higher than the percent of the popula- tion that is African American: 13 (Vox).This shows the racial imbalance in our country. Ideally the per- centiles would match those of the population; how- ever, since our law enforcement system is racist, they are not. Furthermore, the racism is not only apparent in lethal shooting, it also arises in daily traffic stops. A report from retired federal and state agents found that 42 percent of unwarranted searches were of African American vehicles in San Francisco (Vani- tyFair). Considering African American traffic stops accounted for less than 15 percent, the large disparity further proves the racism in the United States by law enforcement officers (VanityFair). The system will take necessary steps in order to “protect” the country from African Americans that have been proven not dangerous. Therefore, the American policing system is racist.
Tamir Rice and hundreds of other African Americans have been brutally murdered by law en- forcement officers in the United States of America. Their lives were ended with one too many bullets, punches, tasers, or acts of violence. They are not here
POLICE SALTINES ARE RACIST
by Caitlin Matthews
All that was going through Tamir Rice’s head was how to beat his imaginary demons with his plas- tic weapon when the resonating sound of a gun and the pain that followed brought him to the ground (Lester). Boys like Tamir shouldn’t have to worry about being killed simply due to their skin color. Although the majority of law enforcement officers are not racist, American policing has unfair prejudice that has been historically and statistically proven.
It’s undeniable that the majority of law en- forcement officers are not racist. You cannot gener- alize the whole population of police due to a small percentage with prejudice. They fight daily for the good of the community and are risking their own lives. In 2018, 106 officers died in the line of duty (FBI). These law enforcement officers only wanted the best for the country and cannot be grouped with the unfortunate killings of African Americans by po- lice. Therefore, the police system has positive enforc- ers that support and protect our country.
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