Police Brutality- When will we move on?

by David Ortiz, 11th grade

My advisory has been looking at the role media plays in affecting how we perceive certain events in history. For this post I want to focus on police brutality in the 1960s and how it compares with the situation today.

I found an article that talks about violence and intimidation in Mississippi since 1961. Reading the notes about violence towards African Americans over 50 years ago made me feel like nothing has really changed.

Let me show you a couple quotes from this article:

“August 29 McComb Pike County- two negro leaders were arrested in Mccomb as in aftermath of the sitting protest march on city hall charged with contributing to the delinquency of minors.”

“Negro citizens attempt to cast ballots in Greenwood August 1963. Policemen photographing each of them as they enter the courthouse. The photographs can later be used to intimidate and perhaps to force them from their jobs or homes because they tried to vote.”

How are theses events compared to what we see today? Have we really evolved collectively as a society? Here is something I found on Fox News just a few days ago:

“You had him restrained and you kept beating him,” said Rev. W.J. Rideout III of All God’s People Church. “You beat him unconsciously so now you’re bringing an excuse and lie as they always do to cover this up and brush this under the rug.”
“He had four officers, five all around him, surrounding him,” Riddle said. “You can’t even see Frankie because of the officers surrounding him.” Taylor ended up in the hospital the next day – had to have surgery on his eye – police say in the report they only restrained him because he was trying to hurt himself.