One major paradigm shift that came to mind when we were given this assignment was how the public's view of police officers has changed in recent years. Years ago, police officers were largely looked up to and respected by members of the community. However, due to recent instances of police brutality, there has been an extreme shift in how the United States general public's view police officers. They are often seen as unethical enforcers of the law that abuse their power and often go too far in the course of their occupations. There has been large and violent protests across the country in response to some of these instances of police brutality. It's very unfortunate how the view of law enforcement has changed in recently.
My essay will talk about the history of the United States public's view on police officers and how this changed over time. I will discuss the specific events that lead to this change in beliefs and what state the country is in right now. This breakdown in respect for law enforcement has been building over the years and has ultimately reached its climax in the past year. My father was a police officer in New York City and he tells me stories about how the community used to look up to and respect police officers a lot more than they do now. He has multiple stories where crowds of people would cheer for him and other officers after they arrested a suspect or did something to protect the community.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/activists-march-in-downtown-st-louis-to-protest-police-brutality/article_39dcacd1-52a9-5710-84f1-a1c4e7eb0fc5.html
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/12/opinion/baez-police-garner-michael-brown-chokehold/
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/08/us/fatal-police-shooting-accounts.html?_r=0
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Eric-Garner-Chokehold-Police-Custody-Cause-of-Death-Staten-Island-Medical-Examiner-269396151.html
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/10/ferguson-protests-st-louis-state-of-emergency
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/22/obama-defends-black-lives-matter-movement/
http://nypost.com/2015/10/21/blue-lives-matter-a-call-from-the-mother-of-slain-cop-brian-moore/
Very interested in seeing how you talk about the shift of how the public view the police, make sure you bring up how different groups of people see them due to their different environments, I think that would be unique.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is one that I think a lot of people do not want to discuss because of the potential backlash but i'm glad you are discussing it.You have a good plan on how you will go about this topic by discussing its history and the changing opinions.Like Austin mentioned, I also believe it will be important to highlight different groups of people to get their views on the issue.
ReplyDeleteThis paradigm shift is definitely important, and the reason for the shift is clear. People started to lose trust in police when we saw police brutality over and over again on the news. It's helpful that you have a personal connection with your dad being a police officer, so I'd say use him as one of your main resources.
ReplyDeleteChristian, you've pinpointed a solid shift that obviously takes us into the current day, so my one question is this: at what point do you plan to start the timeline? (Ex: the LA riots with Rodney King in 1992, which might link in well to this, and that might have even been in an era when police were more "trusted" in general.)
ReplyDeleteSo, pinpoint that timeline distinctly and I think it'll help you hone your research!