"Don't Shoot My Dad's He's A Police Officer”: Is This Law Enforcement or Racism?

Allegations of racially influenced law enforcement by the police in United States are regularly grabbing headlines around the world. The riots in 1992 in Los Angeles brought this issue to the publics notice and forced actions towards some change in the law enforcement in use.

Recent deaths of blacks by the hands of police have fuelled an intense debate all across the United States. In many closely watched incidents involving the cops in America where they have acquitted them of the death of the blacks has led to a nationwide uproar. Concerns have been raised on equality of justice in cases like the death of Eric Garner, in July 2014 on Stated Island, New York.

After a month there was another incident in that ignited furor nationwide, fatal shooting of a teenager Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. He too was acquitted of the charges by the grand jury. Few months later in Cleveland, Ohio, 12-year-old kid Tamir Rice who was plying with a toy pistol was shot dead. These deaths have triggered angered in the minority communities and especially among the blacks asking the court of law for justice. Fatal incidents like these have begun to happen so frequently that one is not far from hearing another child cry out …“Don't Shoot My Dad's He's A Police Officer”!

There is a nationwide awareness being raised about the injustice being meted out by the law enforcement in America. This rise in awareness has led to the rise of the movement #BlackLivesMatter. The incidents of Tamir Rice, Walter L. Scott and Eric Garner among many others has raised two very pertinent issues that needs to be addressed and reformed: use of excessive force by the cops and racial profiling.

Racial profiling and excessive use of force by the cops are two common practices in the law enforcement department of the country and often leads to the tragic results, one that hears a kid cry "Don't Shoot My Dad's He's A Police Officer”.

For instance, in Eric Garners case, he was caught committing a petty crime of selling loose cigarettes. The cops tried using a chokehold to arrest him that is banned by the law enforcement department. This blatant use of force against an unarmed man has happened to often in the country to be ignored and needs some stringent action sooner than later. If not, we may soon hear another cry of "Don't Shoot My Dad's He's A Police Officer”.