Written By Tatyana Phelps

It seems like more and more cops have been using excessive force when it’s not necessary. Not only is it unethical, but it is costing lives.

Of course, the most recent incident involves Michael Brown, an 18-year-old that was fatally gunned down by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson in August. Sadly, Brown wasn’t even armed when he was killed. Two witnesses just came forward saying that Brown’s hands were raised in the air when he was shot.

So what would be the purpose in shooting six times a young teenage boy who clearly was no danger to society?

Just think about everything that’s happened in Ferguson following Brown’s death. The citizens experienced immense amounts of police brutality all because they wanted to have peaceful protests for something they felt strongly about.

Mike Brown hasn’t been the only victim. We’ve all seen those videos on YouTube and on the news in which cops pull people over (usually men) and for no reason decide to use physical force to show their authority. Not to make this into a racial matter, but usually the victims of excessive force are African American males.

The real issue here isn’t race, though. The real problem is that cops overtly abuse and take advantage of their authority. Most of the time, they’re not even punished for it just because “they’re cops.”

However, that is no excuse. When cops use excessive force, they violate the Fourth Amendment. By getting away with it, cops are basically sending out a message that it’s okay for them to disobey the law, but it’s not okay for regular citizens to.

People need the peace of mind that they’ll be protected by cops, not harmed. If we can’t even count on our law enforcement system to do right by the law, then who can we count on?