America's dirty little secret

Four years ago today, a Guinean immigrant named Amadou Diallo was aggressively confronted by four New York Police Department officers outside of his Bronx home. They opened fire on him. Forty-one shots later, Diallo was dead. The officers involved later said that they were looking for a serial rapist and that Diallo was "acting suspiciously." As it turns out, Diallo was not this suspect. He was an unarmed man with no criminal record.\nThe officers in this case were tried for second-degree murder and reckless disregard for human life. They were acquitted of all charges.\nPolice brutality continues to be a serious problem in our nation. There is currently a federal investigation underway in Miami against 11 Miami Police Department officers accused of planting guns at crime scenes to cover up fatal shootings of unarmed suspects. They were all members of a street team known as the "Jump Out Boys," a unit similar to the NYPD Street Crime Unit responsible for the death of Diallo. Although these police officers are currently on trial for conspiracy and perjury, federal investigators said there could be more officers involved.\nMiami Mayor Joe Carollo said police officers cannot be (effectively) judged by a jury. Federal investigations are gaining popularity in police brutality cases due to a high rate of acquittals in cases like Diallo's. State courts have sent a clear message: They will tolerate the murder of innocent human beings so long as the person behind the gun wears a badge. These cases are often granted a change of venue into jurisdictions with predominately white juries. The end result is a cycle of twisted forgiveness where murderers who happen to be cops are allowed to go free.\nSociety has been spoon-fed racism and taught to fear the supposed criminal nature of minorities. The media disproportionately portrays people of color as criminals, whether in our newspapers or in "reality" shows like "Cops." Racial profiling, especially in a post-Sept. 11 society, is becoming more socially acceptable. Police forces start up aggressive units like the "Jump Out Boys," who do more to terrorize individuals in the community than to prevent crime. We've created and accepted a system of harassment, casting a large percentage of Americans into what can feel like second-class citizenship. \nThe Web site, www.october22.org (022), is sponsored by a coalition that tracks police brutality. It said that in the last year 140 cases of excessive force and misconduct resulting in death by police officers occurred in the U.S. Media attention, if any, is generally sympathetic towards the officer involved, whose hectic job supposedly excuses him or her of any wrongdoing. Unfortunately, the nation as a whole only pays attention to high profile cases, such as the July beating of a handcuffed 16-year-old boy named Donovan Jackson in Los Angeles. But like the Jackson case, the stories are dropped from the headlines a week later and the portion of Americans who are not affected by racial profiling and police brutality go about their lives.\nWe like to brag about freedom in this country. We even like to send our military out to police international violations of civil rights. But we are hypocrites. People in our own country are being violated every day while those unaffected turn the other cheek. Those sworn to serve and protect us are abusing that privilege. It is no more forgivable than a parent abusing his or her child. This is a new era for our nation and if we are to heal properly, we need to start fixing our internal problems and give the victims of police brutality and their families some justice. Hopefully the federal justice system will send that message in Miami.