On December 7, 1993, a Long Island Rail Road train carrying commuters home at 5:33 pm, was interrupted by a man walking down the aisle train shooting people as he passed them. The shooter was wielding a 9mm handgun, and when he stopped to reload the weapon. That is when some terrified passengers utilized the opportunity to wrestle to the ground until police arrived. The gunman had fatally shot six people and left nineteen more seriously injured. The shooter is then identified as Colin Fergurson, a 36-year-old well-educated, unemployed immigrant for middle-class Jamaican family. Fergurson’s defense surrounded an elaborate conspiracy and mental illness. His erratic behavior created an unusual setting for legal proceedings to follow. After firing …show more content…
It is the product of long-term exposure to racism. It refers to a coping mechanism that blacks in America have developed to handle constant racial stress. The understated racism such as being followed in a store unwarranted, then being accused of shoplifting. Or as some African Americans have referred to as driving while black (DWB) another term for racial profiling, which some African Americans believes have attributed to the mass amounts of blacks being victims of police brutality. Black rage is not separated by class as successful blacks also harbor feelings of frustration, anger, and isolation. As their success insufficiently protects them against the “good ole boy” network that prevents promotions and raises the corporate glass ceiling. Authors of books such as the Native Son by Richard Wright or The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander have raised awareness od the sociological feelings and expressions related to black rage. (Snierson, 2017). When it comes to cultural variability, an individual must be able to recognize that there are differences or variations with the norms, customs, habits, and spiritual beliefs within a culture or society. These variables along with an individual's societal environments influence their action and state of mind (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). Our morals and values tend to reflect our social groups and time periods. The fact that Mr. Fergurson did not accept black rage as a defense for his actions leads me to …show more content…
V. (2009). Jim Crow Ethics and the Defense of the Jena Six. Iowa Law Review, 94(5), 1651-1701. Azibo Interviews Attorney Paul Harris on Black Rage Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2017, from http://www.jpanafrican.org/docs/vol7no5/6-Nov-PaulHarris.pdf. Colin Fergurson: 1995. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2017, from http://law.jrank.org/pages/3671/Colin-Ferguson-Trial-1995.html. Sneirson, J. F. (n.d.). Black Rage and The Criminal Law: A Principled Approach to a Polarized Debate. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from http://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3585&context=penn_law_review. Williams, C. R., & Arrigo, B. A. (2012). Ethics, crime, and criminal justice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
As each new member of a police department officially becomes a sworn member, friends, family and other members of the public gather as they speak an oath. The oath these officers take, promises their commitment to ensure the safety of the public they serve. This means more than protecting civilians from individuals who may stray from the law, but to also ensure the protection of basic human rights. Police and other public servants are given a great deal of trust and power, what they do with it is based on the ethics they choose to uphold. In this paper we will look at why it is important for these justice professionals to study ethics.
The following piece of work will discuss racism within the criminal justice system by viewing the Black Lives Matter movement, the roles of law enforcement and how that effects citizens, and potential solutions to the problems in the system. Within our criminal justice system, it is evident that there is a problem by the ratio of blacks in prison, and the number of police brutality cases in the country.
Have you ever wondered how far back in our history the world has been full of hate, prejudice, and rage? It has been seen in the form of war, mass genocide, enslavement, and even something minimal compared to the others, like riots and looting for centuries. Despite this common knowledge, there are many forms of violence, injustice, and rage that go unseen. Carol Anderson’s, White Rage, dives deep into the idea that maybe the worst forms of rage do not come from the most obvious and attention-capturing events, but the ones who stay hidden and subside deep in their privileged and ‘noble’ positions. She wants to show you, through the eyes of a minority, what it is like to constantly be looked past and looked down upon. Anderson argues the fact that no matter how many laws and regulations are put into place to cease the existence of racism, the rage in America continues to thwart African American advancement. Through precisely compelling choice of words and a structural design that pulls everything apart only to piece it back together to form a much larger picture, Anderson brings rage, the white rage, into a new and different light. This shows readers the depth of the racial problems in our country through a recap of groundbreaking historical events, advancing or obstructing African Americans, along with the white backlash.
I commence with this anecdote for several reasons one of which is to humbly acknowledge my unique, and privileged position as a Black female scholar in the midst of a war waged against Black bodies. Another reason is to recognize police brutality as a national endemic that plagues Black communities, unveiling remnants of anti-Black racism that legitimately suppresses the lives of Blacks in America . The non-indictments in each case concerning the sanctioned murder of Black youths evoke a
For example, in Orange Country Florida, where black students only make up 27% of the public school’s population, black students represent over 50% of the students getting suspended (Lynch, 2016). This can be the effect of discrimination in the school system as young black males are already viewed as “trouble makers.” This alone can also create violence in black males because they recognize the unfair treatment which leads to resentment and anger. This soon manifests into even bigger problems within the self. "Exposure to aggressive experiences, in school and outside school, can profoundly affect mental health, including adjustment at school,” (Basch, 2011). Also found in this article, a recent study showed more than 42,000 11-17-year old’s that were affected by school violence were associated with having experienced internalizing behaviors such as depression, anxiety, sadness and more. Depression, anxiety, sadness are all ways for a child to cause aggression behavior because that's the only way they know to express themselves. This all stems back to the environment in which these young African American males are subjected to (Farrell et al, 2010) as well as their place in society and how they are viewed. If all they see and experience is negativity in their communities, homes and schools, it is what
Chapter 4 in The Color of Justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America, was about the relations between society and law enforcement officers. This has been a major topic, especially in the United States for a long time. The unfortunate statistic that minorities are more likely to encounter being killed, arrested, and victimized by excessive physical force; has been a real issue even in today’s society. However, police departments are trying to combat the way police officers interact with the community; especially those of color. Although steps have been takes there are still some instances where police aggression happens. With all of the issues that arise between certain minority populated community’s police it is evident that conflict
Over the past five centuries, black people have endured violence in many different ways. Today, police officers use deadly, excessive force that leads to inexcusable assaults, beatings and shootings. This demonstrates the governmentТs role in initiating and prolonging racial suppression and provides the explanation for police brutality to become a federal crime(Black Radical Congress, 3). In history, racist violence, police brutality, has been used to suppress the racial blacks and to preserve power and privileges for the white race. This was done for five primary purposes. First, it has forced black people into slavery or low wage situations. Secondly, to steal land and other resources. A 3-rd was to maintain social control. A fourth
Chapter one covers the history and definition of racism. It also covers different pathways of racism and how racism is manifested. Within this chapter the impact of racism of people of color is discussed and its effects, such as depression. Symptoms beyond the mental and physical aspects are also discussed such as incarceration.
Champion, D.J. (2009). Leading U.S. supreme court cases in criminal justice: Briefs and key terms. Upper Saddle river, NJ: Prentice Hall.
As Metzl highlights, the misdiagnosing of schizophrenia was used as a tool of social control in the 1960s and 1970s. Racist bias structured in social and political institutions pathologized the unrest and anger felt by African American communities and thus incarcerated disproportionally high numbers of Black men under the guise of mental illness. Ultimately, this pathologizing of emotions felt by African American communities persists today. The manner in which Black men and women express anger is pathologized by society and it warps how the public perceives unrest in the Black community, especially in interactions between protestors and
African American Criminological Thought was published September 15, 2000 by Helen Taylor Greene and Shaun L. Gabbidon. In this book, there is ten African American criminologists presenting different research studies in regards to many different reasons and possible conclusions as to why crimes are committed by African Americans. For the most part, the criminologists all take an approach on how racism plays a huge role in the criminal activity of African Americans. However, they all have different perspectives on why and how criminal acts come about, but mainly are having the same conclusions from their evaluations at the end of their research and studies. In addition, they try to find ways to decrease blacks’ criminal activity. For
“There have been some tragic events lately involving black men and the police. While the jury is still out on some of those incidents, some appear to have been real travesties of justice” (Matthews & Wendell 4).
problem in today's society, but it is not dealt with the same violent manner as
Pop culture has enlightened and exposed the world to the good, the bad, and the ugly under every circumstance, and people tend to be more provoked, influenced, and intrigued by the bad and the ugly rather than the good. One topic of pop culture that never fails to gain attention is violence in its many forms. While at a state of constant social change and adaptation, the population finds more and more disagreements on the ever-changing and conflicting views and beliefs of each individual, which can lead to violence in some, if not most cases. Hate crimes are crimes or actions motivated by certain disagreements among groups that typically involve some form of violence. This essay will discuss the violence in racial hate crimes against African Americans, because the violence in these hate crimes, both past and present, will help educate individuals about different racial perspectives on the claimed “unfair” or “unequal” treatment of the African American race compared to the treatment of whites in all aspects of society and life. In the United States, African Americans as a race haven been one of the main targets for violent racial and hate crimes. Racial violence and hate crimes against African Americans have been a part of the United States since the very beginning, with a spike in conflict around the 1960s era of the African American Civil Rights Movement, and are even portrayed now in current pop culture sources. Violence against African Americans in films like The Help (a
Ethics by definition states that it’s the study of morality. Ethics are the basis of our criminal justice system. From the arresting officers who take an oath to serve and protect, to the attorneys and courts, we assume the behavior and rules are ethically and morally sound. We as the public should think we are in good hands when it comes to the Criminal Justice System. I think we should have people in the system with good morals and great values. We want to be assured that our laws and those enforcing them are supported.