George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor are only a few names from the long list of people that were at the receiving end of racism. The deaths shook the nation to its core, forcing them to acknowledge that there is in fact, a race problem still prevailing in America. After being restrained by several Minneapolis police officers last year, Mr. Floyd, an innocent African-American man, died a slow and painful death.
The video of his death went viral and the whole nation got to witness the brutality. Several protests were held across the country to demand an end to racist and violent treatment by law enforcement. Continue reading this article to know more about police brutality and what to do when faced with grave circumstances.
- Acknowledge the Truth: America was founded on the backs of the Black slaves, and in parts of the country, black people are still subjected to overt and covert forms of racism every single day. Ventura County has a long history of police brutality. Here are some common examples of how the police deal with a black suspect while making an arrest.
- Physical force on a cooperative suspect, who is not resisting arrest
- Using a weapon against a restrained suspect
- Physically forcing a confession from the suspect
- Safety and Security of Black Defendants: The mass incarceration of black people is prevalent in California. If you feel your arrest was racially motivated, seek the help of Ventura County bail bonds to get out of the prison system as soon as possible.
- This way, you can avoid pretrial jail time and hire appropriate legal representation to fight for your rights in court. Excessive police force defeats the very purpose of law enforcement, which is to protect civil rights.
- With a speedy bail, facilitated by a bail bondsman, you can fight your case and set a legal precedent to prevent future incidents of police brutality
- Protest and Protect: Senate Bill 1421, a landmark public records law that lists police misconduct, particularly use-of-force incidents, grants greater transparency of police records and mandates police accountability. However, police agencies in Ventura County still follow only half of the use-of-force policies cited in “8 Can’t-Wait”. Developed by “We The Protesters Inc.”, a New York advocacy group focused on ending racism and police violence, it has been linked to fewer civilian deaths.
- Racially Motivated Brutality: Extensive studies regarding policing data in California have shown that a black person is arrested for misdemeanor offenses at a 2.2x higher rate compared to a white person; this points towards police racial bias. Moreover, police are 32% more likely to shoot when arresting a Black person compared to a white person. Similarly, police were 23% more likely to injure a Black person and 20% more likely to injure a Latin person when making an arrest.
There needs to change. Everyone should remember that silence will not protect you. If you are experiencing any forms of racism, the goal is to speak up and let others know about your experiences. Build a community of similar-minded people and protest to change the law, protest to let your voices be heard, and most importantly protest to protect your loved ones from the brutality of law enforcement.
