The video describes a situation of an unjustified treatment of four black men by white police officers (Four Black Males 2015). As for me, this is a clear example of racism. In my glossary, I define this phenomenon as “unfair, biased, or violent treatment of people on the basis of their belonging to a race different from one’s own.” With this definition in mind, it becomes evident that police officers in the video were not behaving correctly.
They stopped a car and made everyone go out of it merely because the driver and all the passengers were black. The officers had no grounds to do so, and it seems that their conduct was driven only by racial views rather than professional opinions. Therefore, this YouTube video of stopping black men in Hannahan County, South Carolina, is an example of such racial practice as the biased behavior of police officers, and it demonstrates that being black serves as an obstacle to receiving fair treatment and be considered as an equal member of society. Such cases harm people psychologically and make them feel limited in actions. In the context of police brutality, officers deprive black men of their humane features and treat them as the ones posing a threat to other members of society.
The question raised in this piece of media is that of race discrimination. It is not new, but, sadly, the cases like the one captured in the video occur too frequently in modern society. It seems that it is high time for people to realize that no matter what someone’s skin color is, they are just as much people as anyone else is. In the video, police officers ask people from the car many irrelevant questions and cannot even explain why they are so suspicious about the men (Four Black Males 2015).
Such behavior makes one think of why the officers believe that they are allowed to behave like that. The men in the car did not violate any rules. They did not behave in a way that put anyone under threat. Neither did they express any disrespect towards the officers. Taking into consideration the black men’s manner of conduct and the officers’ reaction, it looks as if the police considered the very fact of being black as something illegal and threatening.
Such an attitude cannot be justified and should not be ignored. Every person deserves to be treated equally, irrespective of their skin color. People’s attitudes should be based not on one’s race but on correspondence to social norms and legislation. The video demonstrates that there were no legal premises for making the men walk out of the car and have it checked by a dog. Unfortunately, such events are not rare.
In her article, Morales (2015) discusses the same issue that is showed in the video. The author remarks that cases of police departments being biased against black people are too frequent and unexplained (Morales 2015). Moreover, Morales (2015) mentions the instances when police killed black people merely because of suspecting them of being dangerous even though there was no proof of that. Therefore, it is crucial to raise the question of racial equality more and more often. Despite decades and even centuries of fighting for justice, black people still experience many unpleasant situations, offensive behavior, and even cruelty from police officers.
The case is ironic because police inspectors are the ones who should take care of keeping the community safe and peaceful. However, many officers have their own opinion of what is just, and in many cases, that opinion differs from what the majority of people think. Therefore, the video is a clear example of racism, and it is necessary to reveal such cases as much as possible to make the public aware of their existence.
In conclusion, I would like to say that instances captured in the video are appalling, and it is the duty of every citizen to eliminate them. No one has a right to judge people by the color of their skin or any other criterion that cannot be explained objectively. Humanity, and not cruelty, is what should be cultivated most of all. It is the responsibility of every individual to report any biased conduct of police officers and try to prevent unjust treatment of others because of their race. People’s thoughts and actions towards others are the only objective criteria that should be employed when making conclusions about anyone’s behavior. Police officers’ biases against black men should be ceased in order to reach equality and peace among citizens.
References
Four Black Males Harassed by Police. 2015. Web.
Morales, Alba. 2015. “Why Are US Police Departments Still Race-Biased?” Human Rights Watch.