- During the early 90’s, 4 police officers were acquitted of excessive force chargers from a video that had been captured and spread, showing the officers graphically beat a black man, by the name of Rodney King, on the ground who was not doing anything wrong. During the riots many were killed, many more were injured, and almost anything lootable was looted. Korean immigrants as well faced hard times during the riots, with little police help when dealing with looters. This source speaks to racism in the modern era, dealing mainly with the police officers using excessive force against minorities, along with not providing help to minorities in trouble during the riots. This source is important for the same reasons, showcasing how we are dealing with racism at a time when there is supposed to no longer be racial discrimination, and setting up the stereotype seen by many Americans that police cannot be trusted to be truthful, and carry out the law as intended.
Stevieboy247. “WNBC 4 New York – Coverage of the Los Angeles Riots (April 29, 1992)” Filmed April 29, 1992. 9:41. WNBC 4 New York
- In this newspaper article, we learn that the current president of the United States has referred to primarily non-white countries producing immigrants as “shithole countries”, has made racist remarks against the citizens of these countries, and denies having said any of it even though there are audio recordings and/or videos showcasing the act. The president passes speaking like this off as putting Americans first in importance. In the past, he has stereotyped an entire nation as people who rape, murder, and a barrage of other insults. This source is extremely important as it shows how our country still puts up with racism today, and how extreme it is. It also provides an opportunity to compare today’s racism to that of the past to see how they are similar and different.
Mr. Trump asked why he would want “all these people from shithole countries,” adding that the United States should admit more people from places like Norway.
Davis, Julie Hirschfeld, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, and Thomas Kaplan. “Trump Alarms Lawmakers With Disparaging Words for Haiti and Africa.” Www.nytimes.com, January 11, 2018. Accessed November 15, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/us/politics/trump-shithole-countries.html.