With everything going on these days, I wonder if there's actually more brutality, or if it's just that ubiquitous camera phones and Internet distribution have made us more aware of common police brutality. Like Rodney King was a pivot point for publication of clandestine acts. Or are we more racist as a society? Is violence just less tolerable? I don't know.

*edit* Compared I suppose to the 80s or 90s. I don't think it's fair to necessarily compare today's police brutality with the 60s or 70s, where it was sort of an institutional imperative, to now, where's it's generally frowned upon in public venues.

i'm inclined to say tech makes it more visible. i mean i remember getting fucked up as a kid with a beeper. lotta good that shit did me.

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we more are more racist as a society.

and violence is becoming more tolerable...

I mean there are more cops on the street than ever before so I think the actual number has probably risen.

However, I think there is more awareness about police brutality since Rodney King and there has been more of an effort to diversify the force, at least that is what I have seen in NYPD (and I do firmly believe diversifying the force contributes to lowering instances of police brutality).

So I think the percentages of cops committing brutality has dropped, I think the instances of brutality has either remained steady or risen with the rising number of cops.

Reported instances is directly related to the proliferations of cameras.


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If anything I think the most brutal stuff might have declined a little, because there is at least *some* review whether public or internal today. By the most brutal I mean like death and disfigurement. Garden variety beating and sexual abuse is probably the same as ever.

terrorism has people afraid in general so any threat-whether it be a major event or just being mugged on the street-people would rather see dealt with using brutal force for a false sense of security

a lot more 'us vs. them' and the definition of them seems to expand every day.

i also think that white flight is a contributing factor-in NYC, you used to have to live in the city to work on the force. once that was lifted, i think that changed policing a lot. not to say that po-po were actually living IN the areas they policed but there's a familiarity that was lost and definitely more of an understanding that keeping an area safe keeps surrounding areas (where they likely live) safe.

not to say shit was all peachy but things you hear older cops say now about how these young cops aren't really being introduced to the community like they were when they started. older cops would ride them around and point things and people out and it doesn't look like these young cats are getting that. i'm sure a lot of these older guys still working were around when crack was at its worse so they likely regard the people they police as savages not worthy of interacting with which is sad.

this isn't to say that there's more brutality now. i really don't think there is-killing perhaps but i think it's just an issue of it being more high profile and with evidence that clearly backs up how unwarranted the situation was. a black man getting lumped up in custody or while being taken into custody isn't something new.