Police Brutality Essay

Philadelphia is located in New Jersey on the eastern sea board of the United States. This makes it an ideal location for immigrants from Nigeria to choose as an entry point into the US. This inflows has led to an over stretch in the social amenities. In so far as Nigerians perform the jobs Americans do not want, the fact that they do not pay taxes means they cannot contribute to the growth of Philadelphia. The police force on their part is predominantly white. They are not trained on how to deal with the new population. How to be sensitive to their culture and beliefs. Since the arrivals are also not very at par with the American culture, this breeds a society that coexists but does not know how to interact and appreciate each other. This has led to an increase in police brutality especially among Nigerian males of ages 15-70. Both sides feel they are mis-understood-the police are trying to keep the peace, while the Nigerians are trying to make ends meet. While there are more obvious signs of harassments against people deemed black (African-Americans and Native Americans) as opposed to whites to begin with, xenophobia (undue fear or contempt of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples) is more prominent against those foreigners who also happen to have darker skins which naturally includes Africans, Mexicans, Jamaicans, Carib-Africans, Haitians, Indians (from India), So. Americans, etc. nd other non-Caucasian races. Africans, who naturally fit into the black quota, therefore get a double-whammy should they encounter a police officer who has xenophobia, and Nigerians who have encountered harassment incidences have noted this as a prevailing factor in the course of their being harassed. Distinct accents are a dead give away and a xenophobic officer would have a field day should he encounter one whom he fears and thus portrays hatred towards (www. igeriansinamerica. com). There is need to train the police force on the necessity to overcome Xenophobia amongst its officers. Also, more black offices must be employed and an effort be made to assign them to work in black communities and neighborhoods, to increase the acceptance of the police as a law enforcement agency.