Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,    

Black Lives Matter is a movement that was enacted after the murder of Trayvon Martin. Black Lives Matter supporters believe that African Americans are targeted by police to destroy the black community.

African Americans are discriminated against and experience police brutality. African Americans rights are limited and they are quicker to be convicted than any other race. They are immediately seen as a suspect of a crime they may have nothing to do with. For example, once an African American is convicted they receive harsher and longer sentences compared to white offenders. One in three black men can be expected to go prison in their lifetime. However, one in seventeen white men can expect to go to prison. This statistic clearly shows how black men are discriminated against. Due to the color of their skin and stereotypes they are immediately found as the guilty party.

Police brutality is experienced mostly by African Americans. I have heard many cases where they are not read their rights, they do not know what they are being arrested for, or they are shot without probable cause. When law enforcement officials dealing with an African American their first go to is to pull out their weapon even if they accused is not presenting any danger. This is the main focus for the Black Lives Matter movement.

To combat and fix all the problems that are being addressed in this movement I believe that all law enforcement officials should have to wear cameras on their uniforms. These cameras will be turned on every time an official is in contact with a civilian and the tapes and audio recorded will be able to be shown to higher authority and be shared with the public. This suggestion will be a solution to two things; the first is it will allow people to see that not all police are bad and they are following the laws and procedures taught to them while being in contact with a civilian and also it will whip any law enforcement official into shape if they were abusing the power granted to them by the government to uphold the peace in Rochester, New York and every other city or state throughout the United States.
 
Sincerely,

Stephanie Garrido