Racism and the law

I follow a lot of political pages on Facebook to keep up on current events, and I saw the page I Acknowledge Class Warfare Exists post the article “How many New York police does it take to beat up a young black male?” on their website. It’s definitely worth reading – especially the infographic at the bottom of the page. Racial profiling and racism, despite the securing of equal rights, is still alive and happening daily in our world – by the very people that are supposed to protect us: New York’s Finest are at it again. If you live in New York City … you’re black, you’re male and you’re young – you are guilty. Congratulations – you win the prize. Unfortunately – these kids have to deal with being profiled every single day. They all get lumped in together. Now – being a police officer isn’t an easy job let alone in NYC but we pay them to be professionals. We don’t pay them to kick high school kids while they’re on the ground. This video appears to have happened in January of 2013. Three guys can’t restrain this kid? Give me a break. It shouldn’t be difficult and it does not require a kick to the face. The animosity in the black community towards the NYPD is well deserved; they profile these kids and beat them up with impunity like in this case HERE. Or who could forget this case HERE where the cops were recorded without their knowledge. It’s the norm and so it’s not surprising that the black community doesn’t feel like the police are there to protect and serve. Not to mention the collaboration with the FBI to spy on Occupy Wall Street HERE or with CIA to spy on Muslims HERE It’s important that we not lump all police together; many of these guys do a great job and they really do have to deal with a lot of bullshit. It’s a thankless job. Like this time when cops lifted a taxi off this guy HERE or the police officer that bought a pair of boots for a homeless guy HERE. Net-net … they don’t do the job the way it should be done. Their job is to protect and serve and it seems like their interests are to protect big banks in Manhattan with a few kind acts thrown in the mix meanwhile business as usual is to infringe on the civil liberties of anyone who isn’t white. That’s what life feels like if you’re not white and you have to live in NYC. As we shared HERE – 53% of all the “stop and frisk” busts happen to blacks despite only being 23% of the population.

About The Author

Patricia Colli, Editor of Beutiful Magazine, is a human rights activist, equality advocate, and promoter of health, acceptance and wellbeing. Having experienced disordered eating, unhealthy exercise patterns and poor body image, she is especially passionate about shedding light on eating disorders and the power of body acceptance.