After Breonna Taylor’s Death, a look at other Black Women Killed During Police Encounters
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After Breonna Taylor’s Death, a look at other Black Women Killed During Police Encounters
Race is the physical identification of people across the globe based on skin colour. Race can be a biological concept, but sociologists term it as a social concept. In the article, “After Breonna Taylor’s Death, a look at other Black Women Killed during Police Encounters,” it is clear that women of colour face brutality from the police, but their cases are never taken with the same weight as that of the other gender. Some of the deaths are reported to have occurred due to state judges giving controversial of “no-knock” warrants. In contrast, others have resulted from excessive use of police force, as well as a mental illness in police custody. However, these cases often go unaddressed effectively, and the offenders are never brought into justice. Looking closely to all the black women cases discussed in this article, the offenders are never brought into justice, raising the issue of race and ethnic inequality, which greatly affects the outcome of the cases described in the above-mentioned article.
For many years, many black women have been reported dead at the hands of brutal police officers or die in police custody as a result of mental health issues. All of the murders mentioned in the article are deviant as they the offenders violate formal rules which in turns results to death. In a sociological context, deviance defines behaviours or actions that go against formal or informal social norms. From the case of Eleanor Bumpers to the issue of Breonna Taylor, most of these murders happen due to the controversial “no-knock” warrants, which allow the police force to enter someone’s property without the consent of the owner, resulting to unlawful murder. As reported, these cases portray the ideology of racial discrimination as the victims face their death due to misinformation. The police informants place fake allegations on the victims, and then the court gives them the “no-knock” warrant to search the premises of the victims forcefully.
The crimes committed to the series of black women as Carrega elaborates in her article have never received the same justice that male victims receive, thus unveiling a series of gender inequality in the justice system. In the cases reported, it is evident that for honour and justice to be applied to the Breonna case, Kimberley Crenshaw had to introduce the hashtag “Say her name” in 2014 as the director of African American Policy Reform when she realised that black women murders were being ignored. Young states that this hashtag aims to ensure black women deserve the same energy as black men when killed by the police. She argued that there was a need for gender equality, which fair treatment between men and women on brutal murder cases among the black population.
A report published in 2014 by the national academy of sciences indicates that people of colour, including African Americans, Latinos, American Indians, and Alaska Natives, are more likely to be killed by the police than whites, which reflect racial and ethnic inequalities, that can be defined as unfair treatment along across race and ethnic lines, which exists among Americans. The jurisdiction in the US is taking its course but at a slowed rate, and justice delayed is justice denied. In the case of the 7- year-old Aiyana, Weekley is charged with manslaughter, but the case was dismissed after the jury deadlocked. Later on, the family was compensated without any admission of wrongdoing, an act that deprives the victim, Aiyana, of her rights. Also, the case of Breonna forces Senator Kamala Harris and Cory Booker to join national urban league leaders and Rev. Al Sharpton to campaign for the abolishment of “no-knock” warrants. The leaders used their power to propose for the banning of the “no-knock” warrants, which, however, cannot change what has already occurred to the victims of unlawful death for years.
Additionally, the media herein is neutral when addressing the cases and does not seem to support either side. This approach of media in reporting a case without being biased is referred to as the media lecture. The information available is not biased and tries to tell the story as it unfolded, without expressing feelings about the cases and the actions taken. The press is also advocating for gender equality and against racial and ethnic inequalities, and using their corporate power to elaborate on issues affecting the population without being manipulated.