Letter: Improper use of authority must stop
Police brutality is wrong. Because when you have to use the word brutality, it’s usually unjustified. The four words, “police brutality is wrong,” have caused a lot of stir in the last couple of months. I’ve seen countless videos on the internet and the news of police officers using their authority incorrectly.
The campaign “Black Lives Matter” started because of police brutality. Not all police officers are violent but enough are to make people scared for their lives. There are enough corrupt police officers in the world to make people worried for their safety.
Have you ever been worried that you will get shot after getting pulled over for speeding? How about not knowing if you’re going to be faced with violence when meeting with a police officer? Not everyone is going to be able to relate with those last two scenarios, but it is a reality for many people in America.
You can not turn a blind eye to the events that are occurring in the real world. The fact that people are scared of the police is not good. They are here to aid and assist us, not make us scared. I appreciate everything police officers do, but the abuse and brutality is getting out of hand.
If we don’t see people in authority take care and respect people of color, how are we to teach our children to respect the children who are different than them? Yes, I know the police officers go through countless hours of training to become a part of the law; hours of training won’t stop anyone with racist intentions.
Just because someone has had many hours of training does not mean they will not use their authority incorrectly and open fire on someone innocent.
If the word brutality is used, it’s never a good thing. No one says “the principal brutally punished his student for cheating” when they mean “the principal suspended the student for cheating.”
The word “brutal” has a very negative connotation. If that word has to be used for an issue that is going on in America, something needs to change. You might have heard other words describe those situations such as “excessive force,” “abusive” or “harsh.” Those words do not diminish the fact that police are hurting innocent people based on the color of their skin.
No one should be treated differently for the amount of pigmentation in their skin. People of color aren’t scary; they aren’t evil. There is no reason to treat someone different because of how they look. Police officers should be held to higher standards than most other people.
When I was a kid, I was told police officers were your friends; they were safe people. Today when I look at the news, that is not what I see. I do not see the warm friendly smiles or the friendly people. The news is covered with unjustified violence toward innocent people; it needs to stop.
Madeleine Kirkbride
Orrville