The future of police brutality in America, explained

What impact will the #BlackLivesMatter protests actually have on police brutality?

By Simon Lin

Although the #BlackLivesMatter movement has brought mainstream attention to police brutality, the excessive and unjust use of violence by power-drunk police officers has been an ongoing problem within the United States for a while now. The rise of awareness and media coverage for the BLM organization has helped grow the movement and gain public sympathy.  Given all the factors affecting America’s political climate, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how current events will shape the future but an outline can be predicted. 

Understanding police brutality in America

George Floyd, an African-American man, was violently murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, while three other police officers stood by to assist him and deter onlookers on May 25th, 2020.  A video of the gruesome scene was posted onto various social media platforms, sparking mass outrage. Protests held in solidarity with the African-American community erupted across the United States. People wanted change. The future of police brutality was at stake. 

Many people adopt the mindset that the issue of violent police officers is a problem that has arisen recently. However, the truth is that police brutality has always been an issue, and it’s only being recognized now because of social media. In the United States, police officers are able to kill without being held accountable. In fact, 99% of police officers involved in killings from 2013-2019 (statistics from https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/) were not charged for their crimes. Other factors that contribute to police brutality include a lack of training, over-funded police departments, the enforcement of drug laws, and too many responsibilities. 

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Why are we more likely to see change now?       

Simply put, political pressure is at an all time high. Major media outlets have reported heavily on Mr. Floyd’s death and the protests that ensued shortly after. Public influencers have taken to social media platforms including Instagram and Twitter to voice their opinions. However, the most important fact is that the average person now cares about America’s issues. People now actually understand and care about the future of police brutality in America.

Ordinarily, when a political event happens, only the people who are already invested into politics will be compelled to care.  However, George Floyd’s murder was no mere political situation; it was a shocking, cruel act of violence that spoke to the hearts of many viewers.  People who choose not to care about politics do so because ultimately, they believe that politics will not affect their lives.  However, seeing the outright murder of someone based on race has shifted the perspective of many apolitical people. Because this large demographic of people is in support of the BLM movement, the possibility of political change is much greater.       

Who holds political influence in today’s society?

In order to have an idea of what the future may hold, we first must understand who holds the power to change the future.  Many different actors hold power and influence in America’s political climate, but the death of George Floyd has helped shift these positions.

Media outlets broadcast their stories to millions of American viewers every day, effectively influencing how their viewers think. Mainstream media operates for profit; they tend to report whatever their viewers will agree with.  Fortunately, this means that most media outlets (with the exception of conservative news sources like Fox News) have sided with the BLM movement, reporting the cases of police brutality that have only increased since the protests. While their support is beneficial to the movement, it is important to keep in mind that they would switch sides and support the police if doing so was politically convenient. 

With the rise of social media, young people all over the world are able to access news without having to depend on mainstream media.  The difference between watching news on television and reading a political post on Twitter is the fact that on social media, users are able to upload their own content and easily reply to posts. 

This means that the current generation of teenagers and younger adults will be able to post their own opinions and organize protests instead of having their political opinions spoon-fed to them by a few sources. The death of George Floyd has further contributed to the popularity of social media as a place for young people to express their political views. To conclude, although mainstream media networks still hold a great deal of political power, younger generations are well equipped to make political change with social media.  

What kind of change are we likely to see?

It’s obvious that these protests will incite changes within America’s police system.  What is less clear is the amount of change that will happen.  Will the government grudgingly pass laws that make it more difficult for police to behave violently, or could this be the beginning in a series of revolutionary changes to police departments? 

Although one can’t accurately predict the potential outcome of the protests, one can deduce what possibilities are the most plausible.  All of this being said, I think that the most likely result is that some change will be made, but not enough.  The government, fearing massive public backlash, will likely try to appease the population with acts of reform. 

If the protesters continue to protest, while pushing for specific changes, it is possible that police departments will receive less funding, police will have more accountability in court, and police will become less militarized.  All of these changes, once implemented, are steps in the right direction.  However, these changes are not enough to ensure that people will be treated fairly by police and that police brutality will be quelled in the future. 

Although police reform will likely take place after the protests, the government will only make the changes that are politically convenient.  Police officers will still be fairly militarized, and will still use violent force when no one is able to record them.  What’s worse is the fact that even after reform happens, the government is free to undo the changes brought by reform as the public forgets about police brutality. In a few months from now, the protests will have died down, and mainstream media will find another topic that they will use to distract the population with (the object of attention will likely be the upcoming election in the United States).     

Conclusion

America’s current political situation is bleak; police enforce unjust laws whilst excessively using violence against those that resist.  The corporations and media that claim to oppose this violence only do so for political gain. However, even in this seemingly hopeless time period, citizens continue to march on the streets in support of the many victims of police violence. Now that police brutality is in the spotlight, it’s time to make sure that it doesn’t continue into the future. Even if true victory is impossible, it is still the duty of the American people to resist the establishment and push for positive change.