Poice Brutality

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate October 2001

download word file, 12 pages 0.0

1 Taveras During the 1960s, when the Civil Rights Movement was in full bloom, and demonstrations were being staged against department stores, cafeterias, and other segregating institutions. The nation got a first hand look at police brutality. In our living rooms, through our television, sets we saw police officers dragging, beating, kicking, and hosing these peaceful demonstrators. That's because police brutality is not a new phenomenon it has been around for a very long time. In fact," it has been around since the first municipal police force was created in New York City in 1844" (Bomstein 25). But, it wasn't until the 60s that the media brought it to national attention by showing the nation televised scenes of police officers engaged in brutal mistreatment of nonviolent demonstrators.

Although many things have changed since the 60s, it's painfully clear that the problem of police brutality still persists and may be worse than ever.

Ironically, the victims of police brutality has not changed much either since the 60s, they still seem to be mostly African Americans. Like the 60s, many cases of police brutality have drawn media attention in the last few decades also. One such case, here in New York, was the Eleanor Bumpurs case. After ignoring demands to evict the premises where she lived, the police were called to evict her. Mrs. Bumpurs, a deranged sixty six year old woman was shot and killed in the process.

A Police Emergency Squad were called on October 29, 1984, when Mrs. Bumpurs Continued to ignore police instructions, officers broke in the door in order to Physically enforce the eviction.... Mrs. Bumpers was brandishing a kitchen knife.

Thinking she was threatening one of his colleagues, one of the officers fire a shotgun blast, blowing away two fingers from the ladies hand. According to...