The problem of police brutality has been a cornerstone of a myriad of cultural, racial, social, and political debates. George Floyd’s case paved the way for recognizing police violence based on racial bias. This prejudice is spread in American culture because of the long history of slavery. In recent years, it was identified that police officers violate their rights and act brutally toward African-Americans (Alang et al., 2022, p. 211). Hence, police brutality towards black individuals has increased for the past decades due to non-vanishing racial stereotypes.
Considering the long history of slavery, several generations have inherited racial prejudice towards Afro-American people, who have become the subject of abuse in many fields. White enslavers used to punish their black slaves for even minor faults. This historical perspective is still being applied in modern society for the negligence of Afro-American culture (Pitts, 2022, p. 4). It signifies that people disregard and disrespect different folk. The case of George Floyd was the loudest for the most brutal use of police power with no courageous individuals involved. In 2020, a cop was accused of murdering Floyd for his skin color (Pitts, 2022, p. 26). Being in power, police officers tend to neglect the suspects of their skin color. Such an attitude remains unethical, for it trespasses one’s right to life and freedom.
In summation, police violence caused riots in society, attracting politicians to stand up for the assault. Floyd’s case gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement to support all Afro-American victims of police abuse. The unethical behavior of officers results in fierce debates regarding the role of the police. In addition, the primary moral conflict is that of the right to life and freedom. Therefore, the abuse of power should be punished as it may lead to fatal outcomes for innocent people.
References
Alang, S., VanHook, C., Judson, J., Ikiroma, A., & Adkins-Jackson, P. B. (2022). Police brutality, heightened vigilance, and the mental health of Black adults. Psychology of Violence, 12(4), 211–220. Web.
Pitts, J. (2022). Justice or just us: Media portrayals and the context of police violence. Justice Policy Journal, 19(1), 1-30. Web.