A Bold Way to Hold Police Officers Accountable

Police officers walking (courtesy photo)

One obstacle that the Black community has been experiencing is police brutality. From time to time, there have been cases when police officers use excessive force against African-American men and women, and most of the time it’s in Black neighborhoods.

In 2020, police officers in Kentucky shot and killed Breonna Taylor in her sleep. George Floyd was killed by a police officer who would not take his foot off his neck. People pass from cancer but dying from illegal force is terrible and should not be taken lightly. There are more cases than what has been seen on television. Some happen in low-income areas where mostly African Americans reside and are targeted by the police.

Now that Joe Biden is president, Black people should make notice of what has been happening. They can talk to their congressmen and women about introducing a bill to put officers in prison for the shooting and killing of Black people in the streets. 

When the police kill a Black person and are not punished, it’s like the United States is saying Black lives don’t matter. In most cases, police officers are not charged for their reckless behavior.  They are quick to say, “I was fearful of my life” or “I was in danger”  but they are the ones with a loaded gun or taser. 

In D.C., there is a group called the Gun Recovery Unit that goes into mostly Black neighborhoods and harasses Black people. Most people will say there’s nothing wrong with what the unit is doing but this shows what the police really think about Black people. The Gun Recovery Unit will break car windows to see if there’s a gun in the car. First, that’s an invasion of privacy. The D.C. Gun Recovery Unit doesn’t go into predominantly white communities. 

Wait, there’s more.

During Black Lives Matter protests, members of the National Guard chased down Black people and trapped them in corners. Blacks were pepper sprayed at a high rate for protesting the killings of Black people by cops. Protesters were getting hit in the face with rubber bullets.  Reporters on news channels said that people were looting and throwing different items to agitate the National Guard, but no cameras were pointed at the white folks at Black Lives Matter Plaza throwing bricks at the police.

In January, all U.S. officials could do was sit back and watch Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol. Some insurgents are getting charged for their actions, but this shows how much privilege white people have over Black people.

That’s why Black people should spread the word and start talking to their congressmen and women about a bill to place police officers in prison for killing Black people. The bill is needed so that Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others who have been killed by police can get the justice they deserve.