Michael Brown case

On August 9 2014, the deadly shooting that aroused the whole nation into controversy transpired in Ferguson, Missouri where 28 years old police officer Darren Wilson shot 18 year old Michael Brown. Wilson fired 12 shots at Brown. About 7 or 8 of these shots struck Brown; the last shot is assumed to be the fatal one. The Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson heralded that Michael Brown robbed $48.99 worth of cigars from a convenience store 10 minutes before Brown confronted Officer Darren Wilson, who eventually shot Brown to death.

This shooting engendered controversial argument and immense protest both locally and nationally. The query is whether or not Brown did raise his hands up when Officer Darren Wilson fired 12 shots toward Brown or did Brown assail without complying Wilson and made the officer fired for a self defense. However, there are no accurate witnesses except Darren Wilson. A grand jury announced a verdict that absolves Wilson of shooting Michael Brown.

This somewhat incendiary decision engendered the protests that have been widespread throughout the nation. There are protests that started in many cities including New York, Boston, D.C., San Francisco, et cetera. Led not only by African Americans but also by White, Asian, and Latino, most of the protests have been peaceful, but some protests are violent. Those who are violent hit, throw objects at police officers, vandalize, and crush police cars. Some of them had lethal weapons such as molotov cocktails. Many were arrested. The most recent detainment was when 5 people were seized in Denver, on December 14th. These protests are still proceeding and their end is uncertain.

Eric Garner Case

On July 17, 2014, in Staten Island, NY, Eric Garner, who vended cigarettes illicitly on a street, died of chokehold from police officer Daniel Pantaleo. The main cause of this case was that Eric did not sell cigarettes with the tax stamp on it and was detected by NYPD police officers Daniel Pantaleo and Justin Damico. Then two police officers started a quarrel that Eric rebuffed as irritation. Due to his rejection, police officers tried to detain Eric and he refused the arrest. Then Officer Daniel put his arm around Eric’s neck and restrained Eric. Despite the fact that Eric frantically cried out “I can’t breathe” 11 times, the officers did not halt the restraint on him because they thought that he could not exhale any words if he truly could not breathe. Garner died in a hospital approximately one hour later.

There have been tremendous protests nationwide after Eric’s death. Tens of thousands of protesters marched from the streets of Manhattan to Brooklyn and chanted “I can’t breathe” for their mottos. Thousands marched in Boston, about 23 were arrested with their offensive conducts. Resembling the Ferguson protests, these protests were organized with diverse races involved and proceeded in peace with some violence. Protesters have advanced through the major cities of the U.S.: New York, Boston, Washington, San Francisco, and Oakland. Protesters demand the change for the treatment of African Americans in the American society. Nobody is able to presume when they will see this equality or an end to this long, grave fight.

Tamir Rice case

On November 22 2014, in Cleveland, Ohio, 26 years old police officer Timothy Loehmann and 46 years old police officer Frank Garmback committed deadly shootings that resulted in Tamir Rice’s death. Tamir Rice, who was 12 years old, took out his pellet gun from his waistband and played with it by waving and aiming at people. Two police officers arrived after the dispatch call telling them that the young male had a gun. Officer Loehmann fired two shots at Rice right after he arrived at the site and one shot lethally hit Rice’s stomach. According to the video, Rice was fallen after he was shot; he died that day. Rice’s gun was later identified as a replica that his mother offered him to play with his friends and the shooting was judged as a homicide in a trial.

The indignance also arouses from unwarranted actions from police. The accounts dispatched about the two officers. Officer Loehmann is a neophyte who has been unstable in his maturity and has conducted ineptly in his shooting training. Officer Garmback had a record of excessively harsh violence toward a woman who reported that the police car blocked her driveway by conducting an unreasonable chokehold. Moreover, after Rice’s death, his 14 years old sister was handcuffed by the police after she attempted to approach to her brother; police also menaced his mother who arrived later by coercing her with an arrest. With current appeal from Cleveland Browns player Andrew Hawkins, there are enormous protests in Cleveland. About two hundred protesters appealed for change in racial equality. These protests are closely correlated with Brown case and Garner case. It is still tentative when these protests will end.