Editorial:

It seems that no one is safe from police brutality in the world today. Minorities, in particular the African American community, have been targeted and mistreated by police forces all across the United States.

It is easy to blame the police and call for an entire change to the policing system.

However, what most people fail to understand is the fact that these are isolated incidents and atrocities committed by individuals, not the organizations.

This is not a systemic problem, but the entire police force needs to understand that there is a need for change.

More education, background checks and holding people accountable is crucial to the survival of this nation.

People should be able to trust the police force, not cower in fear when they see the red and blue lights flashing.

Some people think police officers are bred with a shoot first, ask questions later mentality; it’s them against us.

This is not to say that all policemen and women are trigger happy, but their behavior exhibits a war-like approach to many situations.

In an excerpt from the Swiss Municipal Police website, officers in Geneva, Switzerland are only permitted “the use of weapons, proportionate to the circumstances, is authorised as a last resort” but should “avoid serious injury whenever possible”, and that “the use of a firearm is preceded by a warning when circumstances permit.”

According to the Centre for Research on Globalisation, in the last decade alone the number of people murdered by police has reached upwards 5,000.

There is clearly an issue with police brutality nationwide and the media is not helping the situation.

Various media outlets are now becoming a platform for desensitizing the problem of police brutality by showing the violence.

And while this may spread awareness of the issue, it does not spread correct awareness. There is more to the story than meets the eye.

There has not been a strict solution set in stone to combat the issue.

While there has been some effort to increase training within the police force in order to better handle particular situations, it is not solving the problem at large. The violence stems from temperament and handling situations with excessive force that do not require excessive force.

Going back in history is where the root of the problem is.

There is a stigma between inner city African Americans and

White authority figures because of the decline in manufacturing jobs in the 1950s and 1960s.

This led the working class to result to criminal behavior in order to provide financially for their families.

Ultimately the relationship between the communities and the police departments are the initial problem and there needs to be a paradigm shift.

Building the relationship needs to go both ways. It will take hard work, it will take time, but it needs to be done.