A Literature Review on Police Brutality in the USA

Injustice within the criminal justice system remains an important issue in the history and current times in the USA. This includes the prevalence of police brutality that has surfaced within the issues of racism and injustices. Bent-Goodley et al. (2022) describe this disparity by providing data that shows 23% of police shootings affect black people despite them accounting for 13% of the American population. The experiences are explained through the association of systemic racism as a major component of preserving the American heritage, as described by Iheme (2020). Such is a substantive claim in which current issues of police brutality would be defined as structurally designed to affect specific groups. Schwartz (2020) identifies the George Floyd murder as a historical event that sparked the reality that more killings by police officers are likely to happen. The foundation of America is based on the ethos of the American dream, where freedom and opportunities are availed to all. However, this code has been violated over time, with a strong link to promoting white supremacy and privilege. Colour and race have consistently been used to decide the fate of individuals within the community, with people of colour struggling to live free.

According to Bent-Goodley et al. (2022), a mass reaction towards police brutality has been experienced, given the nature of suffering experienced by the victims. This includes the trauma and the anxiety of being a black person who is on the verge of being killed by a police officer. The reality of police brutality, however, provides that states and government officials have been on the frontline to perpetrate violence against black communities and other people of colour (Ihaza, 2020). This is a contrary move that violates the requirement of the 14th Amendment that assures equal protection to people in America without discrimination (Ihaza, 2020). Iheme (2020) identifies Trump's mantra 'Making America Great Again' as one of the racist and oppressive declarations that have led to the suffering of the black community. This remains a concern given the influence of Trump as a modern leader who is supposed to set a stage for advancing democracy, freedom, and access to equal opportunities in the country.

The concept of white privilege is the core drive behind the racist actions of police officers who have mastered how to favour white people. This includes the issue of profiling, which has resulted in police officers treating white people with exceptional empathy and kindness (Iheme, 2020). Ihaza (2020) identifies these actions as a violation of the deliberation of the civil rights movements that sought to see black people have equal rights in American society. Police brutality remains an unacceptable practice that continues to extend the wounds of the African Americans subject to the historic slavery and racism experience that sought to make them feel inferior (Schwartz, 2020). Addressing police brutality is proposed as an important step towards sustainability within the political discourse and realising social justice (Bent-Goodley et al., 2022). This would, therefore, include American society's and leaders' commitment to embracing equality and justice as a new norm that goes beyond the use of race and colour to define people.