Shekoni 1
Folashade Shekoni
Rhetoric 105
Professor Mary Hays
October 2, 2015
Racial Profiling is the Leading Cause of Police Brutality
I: Proposal
My exigent topic is the influence and effect that racial profiling has on police brutality.
Police Brutality has become a major issue throughout the United States for many years, but due
to the recent availability to media more people are becoming more aware about it. The news and
other media outlets highlight the racial profiling in police brutality. Within the last two to three
years, more then five cases of police brutality have sparked the citizens in the United States. This
is a pressing topic because to many innocent individuals have been killed by police officers. On
top of that majority of the individuals has been black. Another reason why I believe it’s
important is because throughout all social media the hot topic is hashtags, i.e
#BlackLivesMatter. My research question is; How has the influence of the variety of media
coverage in today’s society brought more attention to the causation of racial profiling and police
brutality? I don’t really have any prior background knowledge on this topic. I do know there has
been numerous cases in which blacks were killed or mistreated by officers, while whites majority
of the time were given a chance to explain themselves.
Shekoni 2
My plan is to search mainly on the library databases. I plan on using articles that show
studies on police brutality, racial profiling and media coverage. I will use academic journals,
popular magazines, and maybe on video of interviews of victims who has experience police
racial profiling. In addition, I will go to the actual library and such for books on the leading cause
to police brutality. The different keywords I searched were police brutality, racial profiling, and
media coverage.
This particular research question will bring about various of challenges. One major
challenge will be finding articles that actually cover police brutality and media coverage. Even
though this is a great topic to research question, it will probably be difficult find to many articles
that shows people who don’t believe that racial profiling is parallel to police brutality. Some
other challenges that may come up with this topic are not finding a lot of academic journals on it
rather than popular magazines. The way that I can fix this is by not talking to many opinions off
papers that aren’t too creditable.
Working Thesis: After reviewing the history on police brutality, how officer’s actions
are justified when it comes to minorities, and the media bias opinions on the minority
communities. I assert that racial profiling is one of the leading cause in police brutality, and
media coverage has a huge influence on it.
Shekoni 3
II: Annotated Bibliography
Chaney, Cassandra, and Ray Robertson. "Racism And Police Brutality In
America." Journal Of African American Studies 17.4 (2013): 480-505.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.
This article, unlike others, talks about how the media influences police brutality. This article
believes that sense the media portrays black males “as studs, super detective or imitation. So this
justifies why police treat black males the way that they do.” It also touches on how police
officers are killing more individuals then the general public. This article has a unique thesis:
“What, if any, changes have occurred in the nation’s police departments 21 years after the
Rodney King beating?”
This source is scholarly because it has been peer reviewed. The authors of this article are experts
in this field. They have other articles that touch on African Americans and Caucasian, Prejudice
and much more. I know that I can definitely trust this article. I will use this article to help support
the solutions that I have to cease racial profiling and police brutality.
Doyle, Arthur, Lieutenant. "From the Inside Looking Out Twenty-nine Years in
the New York Police Department." Police Brutality. Ed. Jill Nelson. New
York: W.W. Norton, 2000. 171-88. Print.
This passage is about a black police officer who shares stories about his white co-workers. He
says that he believes by him being on the scene with some of the white police officers, that it
Shekoni 4
stops them from harassing other blacks. His feels as though by him being around it brings ease to
the situation.
This book is filled with personal experiences. I believe it’s creditable because it has first hand
accounts and not just someone summing another persons words. It’s not current because it was
published in 2000. But it will still be good source to use to support my paper because it has some
first hand accounts on police brutality.
Grigg, William. "Filming Cops." Cops: Brutality Isn’t the Problem, It’s People
Who “Disrespect Our Authority”. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
This article talk about how police brutality isn’t the problem but how disrespectful youth is the
problem. He explains how kids now and days don’t understand how to just follow instructions
and listen to the officers when they give them instructions. He also blames the parents for not
parenting right and compares youth today to the youth back in 1960s and 1970s. Saying how
teaching starts in the home about morals but most parents don’t do that today. They basically let
the children raise themselves with no discipline.
This source isn’t necessarily scholarly because it comes from a website that just have people
express their opinion with no accurate facts. This source will help my counter argument because
I don’t agree with the source.
Leonard, David J. "Police Abuse and Corruption." Social Issues in America: An
Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2006. 1343-349. Print.
Shekoni 5
This passage talks about the history of police abuse. It also focuses on how the black community
has lost trust in the police. One main statement that stood out from this passage was “police
brutality and corruption together represent one of the most important social issue of our time.” I
can not wait to include this passage in my research paper.
The passage is very much credible. It’s a scholarly book known as the Encyclopedia. Its full of
details about police brutality and the minority community. This passage is exactly what I need to
support my working thesis. The book is somewhat current because it was published in 2006.
Ludwig, Jack. "Americans See Racial Profiling as Widespread." Gallup.com. N.p.,
13 May 2003. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
This source is a chart that displays the police traffic stops and race. The chart has three different
time era on dating from 1999, 2001, and 2003. In which each of the years the black race has a
higher percentage. The percentage increases every year while the white percentage remained the
same. This explains how police do sometimes in fact dictate who they pull over, even if they do
not have a valid reason. I agree with these chart and can use it in my paper to prove my point of
racial profiling.
I believe that this article is credible because had citied the pictures and charts that it used. By
adding the original site that they had took the image from. Although it is not that current the facts
that it shows are important and can be used. This chart will help support my thesis.
Shekoni 6
Mac Donald, Heather. "The Myth of Racial Profiling by Heather Mac Donald, City
Journal Spring 2001." The Myth of Racial Profiling by Heather Mac Donald,
City Journal Spring 2001. City Journal, 2001. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.
This particular article isn’t like the other articles; this author argues that race profiling can’t be
proved with police brutality. It says how people don’t think about other things that police officers
give through. Although it was a short article it was in favor of The Justice Department, therefore
it would fit right in with the counterargument.
This source is off the web, it’s a journal that has a .org ending. Its also not that current it was
published in 2001. This source would be a spring board in which disagree with my argument.
Russell, Katheryn K. ""What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue?" Police Violence
and the Black Community." Police Brutality. Ed. Jill Nelson. New York:
W.W. Norton, 200. 135-48. Print.
This story is about a black male telling his story about being beaten by the police. He also shares
story of other people that he saw get abuse by police officers. He explains how the story is
always the same when it comes to how the police officers try to cover up the story of an incident
to the public. Explaining how in most cases the jury always let the officer go with no trail.
This book is credible because it’s an anthology. Its not so current because it was published in
2000. But it will still be a good source to use to support my paper because it has some primary
sources of police brutality.
Shekoni 7
Schatmeier, Elliot Harvey. "Reforming Police Use-Of-Force Practices: A Case
Study Of The Cincinnati Police Department." Columbia Journal Of Law &
Social Problems 46.4 (2013): 539-586. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2
Oct. 2015.
This article gives insight into how the Department of Justice (Police Officers) taken their power
of correction to the extreme. The thesis is “The use of force by law enforcement is an integral
and problematic part of policing. It focuses on one particular city and that is Cincinnati. Talks on
how the city police officers has certain rules and guidelines that they have to follow when
approaching individuals. The rules are “The principles of democratic experimentalism- including
a flexible and goal- oriented approach, stakeholder deliberation, regulating transparency…” With
these guidelines, the city of Cincinnati hopes to lead by example and have other cities police
officers follow these same approach.
This source will bring great support to my paper on how finding solutions in order to prevent
racial profiling among police officers. This source comes from an academic journal. Its very
scholarly because it was published by Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems, it also has
been peer reviewed. The bibliographic record says from 1996 to present but it doesn’t give a
specific year in which this particular article was published. The article is also fully detailed on
what precautions the Cincinnati police department is taking in order to cease police brutality.
"Traffic Stop." YouTube. Ed. Gina Kamentsky and Julie Zammarchi. Lospotreros,
2015. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.
Shekoni 8
This video is about a black boy who was adopted by a white family. While in college he was
beaten badly by police officers during a traffic stop. The boy explained how from this incident it
changed his life. The boy had just asked the officers for a warrant before they continued to
search his car, from there the officers began to beat him. But just two minutes before his white
friend had given the officer some weed that he had, all they did to him was arrest him.
I believe that this video source is credible because it was funded by CPB, Corporation for Public
Broadcasting. Its also very current it was published in July of 2015. This will also add as support
to my working thesis.
Walker, April. "Racial Profiling-Separate And Unequal Keeping The Minorities In
Line-The Role Of Law Enforcement In America." St. Thomas Law Review
23.4 (2011): 576-619. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.
Within this source is numerous examples that will support my working thesis. At he beginning of
the article it tells a true story on how a police officer in Dallas withheld a black man and his
father in law from seeing the dying mother in law, all because he ran a light. This article also
shares some solutions on what police can do. The thesis “Policing generates powerful distinctive
ways of looking at the world, cognitive and behavioral responses, which when taken together
may be said to constitute, a “working personality””. The media played a huge role in the story
that this article provided. Since the story made it on the news, then the police Chief of that
county had no other choice but to do a press conference.
Shekoni 9
This article is periodical; it comes from a Law Review. I will pull from certain sections of the
order to help with my thesis about the media coverage. I believe the information that I take from
these sources are going to be creditable because it has peer review. Its also current because its
dated from 2009 to present. It is also very detailed with police brutality and racial profiling.
Weitzer, Ronald, and Steven A. Tuch. "Race And Perceptions Of Police
Misconduct." Social Problems 51.3 (2004): 305-325. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.
In this article we are given a study that was taking place. The experimenter gave a survey to
Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. The survey wanted each person to explain their experience with
police misconduct. Also this article will answer the question on “why does racial profiling
happen with citizens and police”. The thesis of this article is “We investigate whether and how
citizens’ perceptions of the police are affected by their personal and vicarious experiences with
officers, exposure to media reporting on police abuses, and neighborhood conditions”.
This source is excellent for my research paper because it gives real view points on racial
experience with police officers from real people from diverse backgrounds. This will support my
thesis in a great way, it will also help me prove the point, This is scholarly because it comes from
an academic journal which was publish from Oxford University Press. So this source is very
creditable, and it has been peer reviewed.
Shekoni 10