NYC Police Violence

In America we are media conscious enough to realize that police brutality and the violation of civil rights is a regrettable but factual aspect of society, particularly in large urban areas. However, it appears that within the last decade New York City police take a back seat to no one when it comes to abuse and brutality. Primarily, most of this abuse and brutality has been directed at minorities. Aside from New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, most people agree that abuse and brutality among New York City police is out of control, a chaos that distinctly carries the smell of racism. As New York Congressman Jose E. Serrano in the Spring of 1999 "Our government now has to deal effectively with this complicated problem, which involves overly aggressive policing, popular distrust, and strong racial tensions. Crimes like the one against Mr. Diallo happen all too often in New York and especially against people of color" (Serrano 1).

Serrano is referring to the case of Amadou Diallo, an African immigrant who was shot at 41 times by four police officers who gunned him down in front of his apartment because they thought he was reaching for a gun. Nineteen of the bullets hit their target. When the smoke cleared, officers found the gun turned out to be Mr. Diallo's wallet firmly clutched in his dead hand. All four officers were recently acquitted of all charges in the shooting. During the 1990s, as Mayor Giuliani bec

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lity got a sentence that merited the crime. During the trial other officers testified to Volpe's psychotic behavior after the attack "Other police officers took the stand to describe how Volpe later waved the stick around and boasted how he had �broke a man down.' Overwhelmed, Volpe interrupted the trial to plead guilty to violating Louima's civil rights by sexually assaulting him" (Hays 2). Perhaps a scenario almost as bad as the actual attack on Louima presents itself in the details of how and why he was arrested in the first place. Working in Brooklyn's 70th Precinct, Volpe and other officers responded to a call about rowdy music emanating from a local nightclub. Officers became involved in a skirmish in which Volpe was sucker-punched in the head. According to prosecutors, Louima had shouted obscenities at the officers but Louima's cousin actually threw the punch that hit Volpe. Louima charged that once the white police officers had him in handcuffs in the patrol car, they took turns pummeling him but these charges were not proven at trial. Outraged by the inhuman violation of Volpe, Amnesty International once again stated their belief that brutality and other civil rights violations occur with impunity in New York but

Category: Psychology - N