“You don’t need any indictment in order to arrest someone; probable cause is sufficient to arrest civilians, so it must be enough to arrest police,” Reverend Al Sharpton once said when asked about police brutality.
Unfortunately, this was the opinion of many Americans after a summer filled with violent police affairs. From Baton Rouge to Dallas, it is safe to say we are a nation divided amongst those who support the police force and those with support the Black Lives Matter campaign.
It is unsettling to see this divide, the people of whom cannot trust the law as well as when the law can’t trust its citizens.
Where the United States has a problem between those on street and those working for the government is that of respect.
Due to past issues with law enforcement, such as the Rodney King and Michael Brown cases, many minorities in this country do not trust members of the law.
This is under the assumption that a white cop is notoriously racist. When this occurs, there is a tendency for disrespect to be shown towards the police officer.
On the other hand, law enforcement deals with violent crime daily in low income neighborhoods.
Because of this, many of those involved with law enforcement are already on edge because they never know when a violent act could be committed.
Unfortunately, many times, when a police officer sees an African American male in a low income neighborhood, they are under the impression that they could be violent because of potential gang affiliation.
This assumption causes tension because the citizen views this as disrespect.
I believe this tension is what causes violence between minorities and law enforcement.
The events that have occurred have left our generation asking: how do we stop these tragedies? The answer is simple, but overlooked. We as a country must end this concept of categorizing people. The notion that every white cop is racist, is completely ridiculous. Just like the idea that every inner city black male is preposterous. We cannot move forward as generation unless we learn to respect one another regardless of what their race, religion, or ethnicity may be.
Following these stereotypes will only continue to divide a nation which prides itself on freedom of expression. Assumption has become a poison in today’s society, and its victim is the integrity of our society.
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