Same Old America

There is clearly a problem with the police in the United States. The problem in Ferguson is just the maxed out example of their brutality. Police should not be an army that have tear gas, and shoot on unarmed citizens. People should not be shot and killed for being in crowds. Since the start of the police department racial profiling has been a huge problem. According to Head-Roc the police were started by white communities to keep an eye on the black neighborhoods. Racial profiling just allows for police to attack black people for being black. Basically this means that being black is reasonable suspicion. I talked to a man today who lives in Olney, Maryland. Maryland is a state with great diversity and you expect the average person to be used to their neighbors being from all over. But, the man I talked to had lived in the U.S. for 21 years, and he had worked his whole life. He also, lived in London for 14 years, but is originally from Ghana. This man who has done nothing wrong was once stopped and told to get out of his Mercedes and was pushed face first towards his car with his arms sticking directly behind him. The police illegally searched his car, and did not tell him why they were doing anything until he had asked. They eventually said that his car was similar to one that had been reported to be stolen, but he should never have been detained unless they could confirm that it was the stolen car. Which it wasn't. Luckily, he was able to just go home. But Michael Brown will never go home again. The police are often under order from a higher officer. Or they sometimes make gut calls. But either way, it's clear that if unarmed people are being killed in our country, someone has to do something. It may be controversial to start the racial debate, but something has to be done.