The 92 riots were an outcry from a
community long trampled upon by unfair police brutality. The police wield a lot of power being “the
only institution in American life authorized to kill citizens.” Police have
shown a pattern of overusing this power and the actions that led up to the riots
of 92 showed the nation that police reform was needed, but todays prevalence of
police killings of unarmed black people and continued use of excessive force
have showed us that this change has not yet come about.
In the years following the riot, and
specifically after the LAPD’s Rampart Division was revealed to have been
involved in serious malpractice, such as evidence tampering and brutality, so a
consent decree was placed on the LAPD due to the pattern of misconduct seen,
mandating investigations and surveillance.
These consent decrees let the Department of Justice monitor police
departments and help them enact changes to improve policing. While these decrees helped Los Angeles a
little, there is a current movement to repeal these decrees nation wide. Since the election of trump and his
appointment of Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General, these decrees have
started to be lifted and suspended.
Trump’s office is pushing for less federal control over many of these previously
monitored police departments while spewing a rhetoric of letting police handle
problems by being “tough” and bringing order back to America by letting police
do their job without the DOJ intervening.
Events such as those that led up to the riots of 92 as well the events
that continue today continue to illustrate that the move to stop policing
police will not generate the change our country needs in the way we deal with
crime.
Source:
Donald Trump Is Serious When He “Jokes” About Police
Brutality by Jelani Cobb
Will Jeff Sessions Police the Police? By Jelani Cobb
-Emma Kirkegaard
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