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English 111

Mrs. Lee

December 9, 2015

Say Their Name

Michael Brown. Sandra Bland. Tamir Rice. Eric Garner. Laquan McDonald. This list

goes on as black lives continue to be taken at the hands of police brutality across America. Since

the tragic shooting of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, police officers have killed more than

1,000 Americans, most of which were unarmed (Fields). Not only are these lives taken in vain,

but most of the officers have not even had to worry about facing trial leaving family and friends

of the victims betrayed and heartbroken. Movements such as “Black Lives Matter” have

uprooted from the injustices seeking to raise awareness for police brutality and racism toward the

black community. I believe this problem stems from an attitude of white supremacy present in

our country since the white man stole it from the Native Americans. I am white and with that, I

live in a world of privilege where I will never experience racism. I will never be called a name

that equates to the hundreds of years of institutionalized, systematic hatred and oppression the

term “nigger” or “negro” encapsulates. My skin color will never put me in a position where I am

turned down for a job interview, or followed up and down aisles by a store employee, or even

walk down the street and fear for my life from law enforcement who took an oath to protect all. I

will never experience racism and what it means to be a black in America. Since I cannot speak

from a place of experience my position is solely based on observation. Recently, I’ve seen a

trend of cultural appropriation and glorification of the very features people of color embody that

white culture has demonized for hundreds of years. This means white people want to adopt the

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qualities of black culture without the responsibility of being black in America. For example,

Kylie Jenner’s dreads are edgy, but the majority of African Americans with dreadlocks are

forced to cut their hair just to get a job. This is the same society that paints Dylan Roof, a white

young man who walked into a black church killing 9 people, as a troubled boy but justifies the

death of unarmed Michael Brown because his skin color was evidence enough that he was a

“thug.” This is the same society that takes real criminals like Dylan Roof into custody alive but

shoots 12 year old, Tamir Rice, to death for having a toy gun. Body cameras on police would

help to hold officers accountable for their actions and in turn could even prevent poor decision

making in confrontational situations (Stanley).

Apparently since addressing the entirety of racism in our society head on is too much to

swallow, police reform would be an ideal start for progress. Implementing body cameras on

officers would do justice to all parties involved in any altercation with the police (Stanley). Many

officers feel this is a violation of their privacy, but if one truly has an intention to serve and

protect, their actions should also reflect as so. Any officer who refuses to wear a body camera or

stops recording around any time of conflict should be of questionable credibility. Footage from

the body cameras can be used as evidence in trial to give a voice to victims since a dead man

can’t speak and also help obtain witnesses. In the words of Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst

with the American Civil Liberties Union, “You can’t just slap cameras on police officers and

think you’re done.” I would encourage others to record any incident involving law enforcement

in which they believe their or another life is in danger. Jay Stanley also states, “The courts have

been crystal clear on this matter. You have a right, under the First Amendment of the

Constitution, to take photographs or video of anything in public…the police certainly don’t have

the right to look at your camera or seize your phone without a warrant (Democracy Now!).” By

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obtaining video footage, we can help better hold these people accountable for their behavior

especially in light of the traditional court bias taking the word of an officer over a defendant.

Body cameras are no substitute for real police reform. Another improvement in law enforcement

would be a call for more extensive training and funding for more police education and

employment opportunities. Footage from cameras are a potential learning tool for officers in

training. The officers should be taught to handle situations in an alternative manner rather than

being trigger happy, especially facing someone who is unarmed (Ludwig). It is not necessary for

law enforcement to compromise their safety, but to be more conscious of their actions and put

away any bias that may cause them to compromise the safety of someone else.

Though reducing complaints on officers is a great benefit, it is not the true intention of

body cameras and should be taken into little account as compared to other advantages. Another