Moving on to a national look at police brutality, let us examine a more recognizable incident involving police brutality.
Americans are so intimidated by police that on February 19 of this year, male customers in a Chicago bar stood aside while a drunk cop weighing 251 pounds beat a 115 pound barmaid, knocking her to the floor with his fists and repeatedly kicking her, for obeying the bar rules and not serving him more drinks
This is yet another example of not just police brutality, but police abusing power. The officer was drunk, and presumably off-duty. However, carrying his badge and gun on a daily basis and holding authority to command others obviously played a role in his decision to beat a barmaid. When he sat down in the bar and decided to drink, he refused to acknowledge that the establishment, who at the time was represented by the barmaid, had authority over him. Instead, he abused the power given to him while on-duty, and used it in order act out his frustrations on a barmaid that refused his off-duty command to serve him more alcohol. Let us think about this.
The power of an on-duty cop is to use force when force is needed. This officer, off-duty, used excessive force when force was absolutely not needed. Again, this action opens the door to this officer's credibility when it comes to using force at all. If he is unable to let go of the power of being a police officer after his shift is over, what other violations might he be committing outside of work? Now let us look at the victim in this case. A 115 pound barmaid, perhaps young, perhaps financially burdened, was brutally beat for obeying the rules of her employer. Any man that places physical force on a woman is viewed in society as a coward, even if the woman is the same height and weight as her attacker. In this instance, the officer more than doubled the weight of the victim. To make matters worse, he was an officer sworn to protect and serve.
Coward is a mild word to use for this officer's actions. Now on to the bystanders in this incident who sat around and watched while this woman was beaten. It is well-known that victims of domestic abuse are often blamed for their own abuse. It is also common that bystanders to domestic abuse do not act in accordance to protect the victim. However, in this instance, bystanders did not act to protect this victim because she was being victimized by a police officer. This failure to act can only come from one conclusion. Police have abused power to the extent that communities are scared to act in defense of one of their own private citizens. Why is this? Is it for fear of reprisal?
Let us look at a list of complaints in 2004-2005 upheld by the Minneapolis Civilian Review Authority and compare them with the action taken by the police chief in response to such complaints.
Out of twenty-six incidents, twenty-four were discharged with no discipline and/or counseling or coaching. One complaint was discharged with an oral reprimand and the other a letter of reprimand. Out of the twenty-six complaints the community agency upheld as valid, and judicable, the police chief found fifteen of them disagreeable. Minneapolis obviously felt compelled to initiate an agency to review citizen complaints placed upon law enforcement in its area. However, it was ultimately the police chief's decision of whether or not to take action against the officers. Instead, it appears the chief found it upon his self to simply disregard most of the complaints, and extend no discipline on rest. This is yet another example of abuse of power by the police.
Nature provides us all to protect our own, especially when it comes to children and family. In this instance, as well as many others voiced around the country, the police chief protected his own by way of letting his staff go unpunished for community complaints. It is well known in casual conversation with off-duty officers that many of them and their wives are often released from speeding tickets, and/or driving misdemeanors simply because they work close to one another and do not want the repercussions of a partner holding hostility against another officer during the line of duty. At best that trait can be considered a widely-stretched version of camaraderie. However, if our local police departments face no consequences for their unlawful actions, whether on the road, or on the job, then what is it that holds them back from having sex in the break room or beating a barmaid?
Physical police brutality pollutes media airwaves on a continuing basis.
In NYC, Sean Bell, a 23-year old unarmed man, was killed by NYPD with 50 shots on the morning of his wedding day. Since then, at least ten more people have been killed by NYPD. Kathryn Johnston, a 92-year old grandmother, was shot and killed by undercover Atlanta police in her own home. A Pittsburgh police officer pulled a gun on 7-year old Joshalyn Lawton when he approached the window of the passenger side of her mother's car during a routine traffic stop for an outdated inspection sticker.
