Since the police killing of George Floyd, the nation has seen thousands of people protesting, demonstrating and marching in cities and towns across America because people are fed up with a law enforcement and criminal justice system that constantly protects police in instances of police brutality. The system is so bad it’s hard to get justice, even when police officers are caught on camera killing unarmed, non-resisting African Americans. We don’t need any more studies about this issue, we need bad police officers fired, and in some instances, prosecuted for obvious instances of police brutality against non-resisting, defenseless individuals. Further, Police officers who stand by and watch a colleague abuse an unarmed person without trying to intervene and stop the brutality, should be fired and prosecuted as well.
Unless and until police officers responsible for brutalizing and often killing innocent, unarmed African Americans are charged, prosecuted, convicted and given serious time, nothing will change and the events of this week will happen again.
Police officers have to know and the public has to believe there will be serious consequences for their behavior. Today there are no serious consequences for police officers committing instances of brutality, especially police officers who brutalize black people. This has to change and the time for change is now!
Kerman Maddox, co-founder, Suits in Solidarity
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