Was the force used by police unwarranted? Faith Cleaver Period 4

It is painfully obvious that racism is still very prolific in society today. Even if many still choose to turn a blind eye to it. With multiple police shootings of unarmed black men in the past few months, saying that tensions are high is an understatement. With this in mind, pulling someone over (more specifically a white person,) wouldn't normally end in violence. Police brutality against people of color is such a important topic right now that nearly anyone you asked would be able to give you example from recent moths.
   The most recent story of apparent racism by police comes from a cellphone video taken from the backseat of a car after a family was pulled over by police for not wearing their seat belt. Jamal Jones, Lisa Mahone, and two children (one 14 and one 4,) were on their way to the hospital where Mahone said her mother was on her deathbed and they were rushing so that they could say their final goodbyes. After officers cited Mahone for not wearing her seat belt they then made their way to the passenger side where they demanded Jamal get out the car. It has been made clear that Jamal had done nothing to warrant the attention from officers and officials say he was in fact wearing his seat belt. So why then was he singled out? They demand that Jamal produce identification but when he attempts to give officers his identification through the window they refuse to take it unless he gets out the car. By this point, Mahone and Jones are both telling the officers that they do not want to get out of their car because they were fearful for their lives. Honestly, who wouldn't be? After seeing countless stories on the news about killings and abuse of people of color, and how the offenders often get little to no consequence for their actions, you become concerned for your safety and the safety of your children. It is also around this time that Mahone states she called 911 for help (which I really don't understand considering it's the police that are harassing you in the first place.)
   This is when things begin taking an even more serious tone. When Jamal reaches into the backseat to retrieve something from his bag again, officers break the window and shock him with a stun gun. Police then drag Jamal out of the car and charge him with resisting arrest even though officers never told Jones that he was under arrest. They simply told him to get out of the car for no reason. The video taken by Mahone's 14 year old son shows the panic that ensues after officers break the window. The heartbreaking cries of Mahone's 4 year old daughter could also be heard in the recording. Attorney Dana Kurtz stated that, “The officers from Hammond Police Department escalated the incident without any basis and without any cause."
    In my opinion, this reaction was completely unwarranted. Jones has filed a lawsuit against Hammond police department over abuse of power and unneeded force. The comments on the news stories and videos of the incident shared on youtube show the distinct differences in views and opinions held by different people. the latest comment reads,
"What an idiot father. Blame the police for your own disrespectful trouble making behavior. What are the police supposed to do? Sit and wait for him to comply? You don't know if he has a gun, drugs, or a warrant etc. Too many cops killed by negroes. Why don't those videos go viral?"
Someone then replied to the comment by saying,
"Please provide a video where a black man or woman shot a cop this year. Don't worry. I'll wait."



http://nypost.com/2014/10/08/officer-breaks-car-window-uses-stun-gun-on-driver/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InyCNDZJOGA