Rinaldi 1

Angela Rinaldi
Engl115
Professor Malvin
19 November 2015
Brutal Racism
Whether it was in the 1992 riots or now, there has been an issue between the people and
authority. In most cases, the people rise up in revolt to take down an egotistic, unfair ruler. There
has been, especially in recent news, a surge of police brutality in Missouri and other states. The
police have gained too much power and are abusing it, along with people. This issue became
even more of an issue in the 1992 Los Angeles riots and has continued in Americas justice
system. With beatings occurring all over the country and the abuse of power increasing, there
needs to be stronger consequences for their unjustifiable actions.
Racism "is an ideology, or belief system, designed to justify and rationalize racial and
ethnic inequality (Chaney). The most attacked are African Americans, African-Americans aged
12 and up are the most victimized group in America (Mujahid). From slavery, to the right to
vote, to the LA riots, oppression has always been a present part of their everyday lives. While
many are accepting, some are not, some of them being in a place of great authority. In the justice
system, blacks are viewed as deserving of harsh treatment in the criminal justice system
(Chaney). This means that if a white man and a person of color were both arrested for the same
crime, the colored man would receive an almost insane sentencing while the white man would
not have nearly as bad of a punishment. There is even a fear of blacks called negrophobia, which

Rinaldi 2

can be surmised as an irrational of Blacks, which includes a fear of being victimized by Black,
that can result in Whites shooting or harming an African-American based on criminal/racial
stereotypes (Chaney). This fear can be used to justify murders in court, showing that racism is
even in the court system. Without a separation from racism and the court system, there is never
going to be equality for all.
Microaggression is a relatively minor insult to a member of a marginalized group,
perceived as damaging to that person's standing as a social equal (Rini). This is considered
another form of racism. Though it is usually accidental, a pattern of microaggression can cause
macro harm by continuously reminding members of marginalized groups of their precarious
position (Rini). These small comments were not seen as an issue for a long time, being pushed
under the rug for not being severe. Now, there is an emerging culture of victimhood, in which
individuals publicly call attention to insults in the hope of rallying support from others and
inducing the authorities to act (Rini). While racism is taken very seriously, microaggression is
not. They were seen by others an inoffensive while those affected felt attacked. This caused
microaggression to be just as bad as racism. No one should feel attacked because of their beliefs
or background, no matter who disagrees with them being in this country.
Twilight: Los Angles by Anna Smith holds the stories of victims of the Los Angeles riots,
including a relative of Rodney King. Angela King, aunt of Rodney King, speaks in an interview
about the police brutality that her nephew received. The story of Rodney is that he was beaten by
officers to the point of hospitalization, with the whole encounter caught on tape. Rodney had
been in a high speed chase and when stopped was pulled out of the car by multiple officers and
thrown to the ground. The officers, however, were not convicted. This ruling is what later led to
the rioting of the black community about the injustice and racism committed by the justice

Rinaldi 3

system. Angela was bitter about this ruling, stating I wanted justice, and I wanted whatever
them things had coming to them done to them, regardless (Smith). They didnt get that
punishment, no matter how much they deserved it. She also comments that the officer that did
most of the beating showed no remorse at all during the trial (Smith). This angered many of
the citizens of Los Angeles, wishing for justice for Rodney. The ruling of the trial is what began
the riots, which ironically the police could not control. Stores everywhere were being broken into
and set on fire while the streets were full of protesters taking it too far by beating each other up.
In the book Always Running by Luis Rodriguez, Luis tells his story of being affected by
police brutality and facing racism head on. Not only were black affected by racism in the justice
system, but so were Hispanics. He describes his encounters as we were constant prey, and the
hunters soon became big blurs: the police, the gangs, the junkies, the dudes on Gaarvey
Boulevard who took our money, all smudged into one (Rodriguez). Everywhere he ran there
were threats, one of them being policemen. Officers are supposed to be who helps those in
trouble, not who harms them. Rodriguez fought racism everywhere, even in school where
sometimes they were teachers who jumped on us Mexicans as if we were born with a hideous
stain (Rodriguez). He looked to them to teach him, but he was only taught that racism is all
around him with no escape. This struggle is evident in all minorities, all being treated unfairly for
just being who they are.
A modern case of police brutality is that of Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri. . This
was the shooting of unarmed Michael Brown, an eighteen year old effected by racism in the
justice system. When the boy refused to move out from the middle of the street, the policeman
opened fire and killed him. According to an autopsy conducted at the request of Brown's family,
the teenager was shot at least six times, including twice in the head and four times in his right

Rinaldi 4

arm ("Ferguson Protests: What We Know about Michael Brown's Last Minutes). To shoot an
unarmed teenager and kill him for little to no reason is not only unjust, but just wrong. This
caused a riot to form in Ferguson Missouri, along with other cities across the nation. Although it
is unclear what actually happened, there is a lot of evidence pointing to the fact that Michael
Brown was most likely standing with his hands up, not doing anything wrong. Eyewitnesses
attest to this, but the policeman gave a different story. No matter what happened, the officer had
no right to shoot him and end his life so early.
Another instance of this brutality is the story of Eric Garner. Garner had been walking
down the street casually when he was assaulted. The officers, however, knew him well. He had
been in trouble a few times for selling untaxed cigarettes and was well known in the
neighborhood for doing so (Baker). Officers grabbed Garner in a choke hold while one of his
friends filmed the assault. He continuously pleaded for them to let him go claiming he was
unable to breath. Mr. Garners final words I cant breathe became a rallying cry for a
protest movement (Baker). Eric Garner had been choked to death at the hands of officers. He
did not deserve to die, in that way nor over some cigarettes. Same as with Ferguson, this caused a
large protest about the lack of action against the unnecessary brutality of the officers.
Officers, however, have their own version of the story. Darren Willson in Ferguson has
had his actions defended by other officers. They have claimed that Police respond that lowincome communities of all races have the highest crime rates and that they need military-style
equipment to defend themselves in a heavily armed society (Katel). This idea of needing
extreme protection for the police and not the people may have worsened the already sensitive
situation. Missouri Sen. Claire McClaskill stated that there's no question in my mind that the
idea that all of this equipment contributed to a mentality among the peaceful protesters that

Rinaldi 5

they were being treated as the enemy (Katel). This feeling, along with being surrounded by so
much hate, caused the people of Ferguson to become more defensive. The peaceful protests
turned violent, which only proved the polices point. Their military attire, however safe, caused
even more of a fear of authority and officers. Mark Lomax says, Right now, the perception is
there's a militarization of policing, which becomes a reality to a lot of people (Katel). When
people begin to fear those meant to make them feel safe is when you know there is a problem in
the way the nation is run.
In both events of police brutality, the officers received nearly no consequences. Without
having consequences, what is going to keep officers in line? The lack of fear for their jobs or
even staying out of jail for the murder they have committed, there is a confident assumption that
they will only continue their actions. A solution is having multiple positions in the justice system
specifically for the supervision of officers. With someone watching them and keeping an eye out
for misconduct, there will most likely be a decrease in cases of police brutality. Another method
is increasing the supervision on each individual officer. This can be done through the addition of
small cameras on the officers at all times. This has begun, but it is not prevalent throughout the
country just yet. This can also help victims of police brutality provide proof to the courts and
allow them to prove their case. The more proof, the worse the consequences for the officers that
commit these crimes.
Police brutality has always been there, but with the surge in new technology, it is now
much easier to document. Twilight: Los Angeles and Always Running are iconic novels that
clearly illustrate the struggle of living in a time where racism is still prevalent, but well hidden.
These issues and events can be prevented with better supervision and less power to be abused.

Rinaldi 6

Works Cited
Baker, Al, J. David Goodman, and Benjamin Mueller. "Beyond the Chokehold: The Path to Eric
Garners Death." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 June 2015. Web. 26
Nov. 2015.
Chaney, Cassandra, and Ray Robertson. "Racism and Police Brutality in America." Journal of
African American Studies, 17.4 (2013): 480-505.
"Ferguson Protests: What We Know about Michael Brown's Last Minutes " BBC
News. BBC News, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Katel, Peter. "Police Tactics." CQ Researcher by CQ Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.
Mujahid, Abdul Malik. "Racism Statistics and Facts." Racism Statistics and Facts. N.p., n.d.
Web. 26 Nov. 2015.
Rini, Regina. "Microaggression, Macro Harm." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct.
2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.
Rodriguez, Luis J. Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Willimantic, CT:
Curbstone, 1993. Print.
Smith, Anna Deavere. Twilight--Los Angeles, 1992. New York, NY: Dramatists Play Service,
2003. Print.

Rinaldi 7

Professor Malvin,
I feel like this essay is one of my best ones. I actually was able to manage my time for
once and get all of my work together efficiently. This topic was hard to write about, me ironically
trying to not sound racist when talking about racism. I managed to get through it and I really
think I did well. I put my full effort in and I am proud of the results. Hopefully its as good as I
think it is.