Racism and Violence

HISTORY 1700

Tiara Workman
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Since first explorers first came to the New World, there have been use of weapons for

hunting and issues involving race. Native Americans received much tribulation and violence as

settlers invaded their land. Continuing through time, African Americans became slaves and for

many years fought for their freedom. Violence is seen throughout American history as citizens

disagree and as the desire for power has increased. Since the early 2000’s the issues of race are

still prevalent and violence within the country has been on the rise. Many of the citizens in the

United States were at one time immigrants and now are often profiled based on their race. Over

the years the issue of racism has failed to be address as new laws allow law enforcement to

racially profile innocent citizens and travel bans from Muslim countries are enacted. The United

States has become the more violent than ever before as shootings at schools, ISIS related crimes,

and the law enforcement abusing their authority have become to daily life.

In Arizona many civilians face discrimination and questioning from law enforcement

based on their race. On April 23, 2010, Governor Jan Brewer signed in the Support Our Law

Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (SB 1070). This act gave Arizona police were given

the right to ask for documentation from civilians if they had any indication that the person was

working or residing in the state of Arizona illegally. Illegal immigration into the state of Arizona

was on the rise and civilians were no longer feeling safe. “…there is an "epidemic of crime,

safety risks, serious property damage, and environmental problems" associated with the influx of

illegal migration across private land near the Mexican border.1” The illegal immigration into

Arizona led to an increase of crimes and a decrease of safety; the state felt the need it intervene

in order to protect the citizens. The state’s decision to intervene and give extra authority to law

1. "Arizona SB 1070." Ballotpedia. Accessed December 1, 2018. https://ballotpedia.org/Arizona_SB_1070.

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enforcement regarding the issue led to innocent, legal citizens to become victims of

discrimination, when asked for proof of citizenship if there were an inclination of being in the

state illegally. Arizona was trying to prevent the crimes done by illegal immigrants and protect

the safety of citizens as the number of crimes began to increase.

The state of Arizona is not the only state to see an increase of violent crimes. Since

September 11, 2001, the tensions with Syrians and ISIS have been on the rise. Islamic State of

Iraq and Syria or Islamic State of al Sham (ISIS) aimed to create an Islamic state under the

direction of a caliph, a person who is a successor of Prophet Mohammed. Abu Ayyub Al-Masri

led to group with Omar Al-Baghdadi as the public face for the group. Originally, they had ties

with Al-Qaeda, however, in 2014 Al-Qaeda cut all ties with ISIS due to their extreme violence.

In 2011, the number of Isis members began to increase as many immigrated to Iraq and Syria

from the Middle East and North Africa to Syria when war broke out.2 “Today, ISIS has occupied

large areas in Iraq and Syria, creating chaos and murdering and terrorizing thousands and driving

many more from their homes.3” ISIS stated targeting recruits from the United States, focusing on

those who were considered outcasts in society. Since 2014, “U.S. federal prosecutors have

brought ISIS-related terrorism charges in 135 cases.4”

Tashfeen Malik and Syed Rizwan Farook pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2013. On

December 2, 2015, in San Bernardino, California, the couple opened fire on a local government

2. "An Overview of ISIS." Islamic Networks Group (ING). Accessed November 15, 2018. https://ing.org/an-
overview-of-isis/.

3. "An Overview of ISIS." Islamic Networks Group (ING). Accessed November 15, 2018. https://ing.org/an-
overview-of-isis/.

4. NewsHour, PBS. "What We Know about ISIS-related Crimes in the U.S." PBS. September 16, 2017.
Accessed November 15, 2018. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/know-isis-related-crimes-u-s.
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gathering killing 14 people and injuring 21 others.5 "This attack was the first al Qaeda- or ISIS-

related in the U.S. by a skilled shooter team using both guns and explosives." The attack is

believed to have been inspired by ISIS.6” This is just one of the many attacks of pledged ISIS

members have done on US soil. ISIS related crimes began to rise as shootings within educational

buildings began to increase.

December 14, 2012 became a nightmare for many families in Newton, Connecticut as

Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. On the morning of December 14,

2012, Adam killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, before heading to the local elementary school.

Adam, then 20, was a troubled child with a criminal history including hacking into a government

system.7 He entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire killing 27 students and

teachers before turning the gun on himself.8 This incident marked the start of the ever-rising

school shooting incidents. Since 2012, 1,518 school shootings incidents have occurred.9 Since

5. Lister, Tim. "ISIS: 143 Attacks in 29 Countries Have Killed 2,043." CNN. February 12, 2018. Accessed
November 15, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/world/mapping-isis-attacks-around-the-world/index.html.

6. Lister, Tim. "ISIS: 143 Attacks in 29 Countries Have Killed 2,043." CNN. February 12, 2018. Accessed
November 15, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/world/mapping-isis-attacks-around-the-world/index.html.

7. "Connecticut State Police Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Report." Connecticut State Police
Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Report. Accessed November 25, 2018.
https://cspsandyhookreport.ct.gov/.

8. "Connecticut State Police Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Report." Connecticut State Police
Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Report. Accessed November 25, 2018.
https://cspsandyhookreport.ct.gov/.

9. "Incidents." Gun Violence Archive. Accessed December 1, 2018.

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/query/791bbc61-ae61-419a-82a9-03b371e46a47?page=17.
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the Sandy Hook shooting 1,700 deaths have been related to mass shootings with nearly one mass

shooting per day since December 14, 2012.10

Not only have mass shootings becoming more prevalent in the United States, there was

another issue of law enforcement abusing their authority and have become quick to pull the

trigger. On August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown, an 18-year old African

American male, was a suspect in a robbery that happened near to his location. Officer Darren

Wilson approached Brown for questioning. After feeling threatened by Brown, Wilson fired his

weapon and killed Brown. Sources share opposing accounts of what really happened that day.

Some say Brown was compliant with officers while others state that he tried to take Wilson’s

weapon from him.11 Following this event, riots ensued throughout Ferguson, Missouri fighting

that Brown was killed unjustly due to his race. “Multiple protests occurred with escalating levels

of violence in police response. Tears gas was used in combination with rubber bullets, smoke

bombs, and flash grenades to disperse crowds of protesters.12” These riots continued until the

Grand Jury came to a conclusion and decided not to indict officer Darren Wilson on November

24, 2014.

This event was a key component to starting the “Black Lives Matter” movement. This

movement has raised awareness that even in the 21st century African Americans still feel the

power of racism in the United States and feel as if police and white race failed to see their worth

10. Schapiro, Rich. "Over 1,700 Dead and Nearly One Mass Shooting a Day since Sandy Hook, but Congress
Has Done Nothing - NY Daily News." Nydailynews.com. April 07, 2018. Accessed December 10, 2018.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/1-700-dead-mass-shooting-day-sandy-hook-article-1.3539717.

11. Boley, Oklahoma (1903- ) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Accessed December 10,
2018. https://blackpast.org/aah/ferguson-riot-and-ferguson-unrest-2014-2015.

12. Boley, Oklahoma (1903- ) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Accessed December 10,
2018. https://blackpast.org/aah/ferguson-riot-and-ferguson-unrest-2014-2015.
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as humans. Black Lives Matter has brought the media and much of the world to the attention that

though it is claimed that all citizens are treated equally, it is not always the case. Muslims feel

much of the discrimination that African Americans feel.

On January 20, 2017 President Donald Trump gave his inaugural speech. “… a nation

exists to serve its citizen. Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods

for their families, and good jobs for themselves. These are just and reasonable demands of

righteous people and a righteous public. But for too many of our citizens a different reality

exists…13”As previously discussed, ISIS has made an impacted on American Society with 135

cases since 2014. President Trump recognized these attacks and in order to protect the citizens of

the United States, he ordered a travel ban on from seven countries that were predominately

Muslim oriented on January 28, 2017. These countries were Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia,

Libya, Chad, Yemen. Individuals from these countries were unable to receive a visa, including

work visas, for the United States.14 This created a lot of uproar throughout the nation. Claims

stating this travel ban violated the first amendment which states, “congress shall make no law

respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof15”, as well as the

fifth amendment which “guarantees of equal treatment under the law.16” The original travel ban

13. News, ABC. "Trump Inauguration Speech (FULL) | ABC News." YouTube. January 20, 2017. Accessed
December 10, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRBsJNdK1t0.

14. "Why Trump's New Travel Ban Included These Eight Countries." The Washington Post. Accessed
December 10, 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/national/permanent-travel-
ban/?utm_term=.888a13e4de97.

15. Khiggins. "The First Amendment." Bill of Rights Institute. January 11, 2018. Accessed December 10,
2018. https://billofrightsinstitute.org/the-first-amendment/.

16. "Timeline of the Muslim Ban." ACLU of Washington. November 26, 2018. Accessed December 10,
2018. https://www.aclu-wa.org/pages/timeline-muslim-ban.
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proposed had been revised several times before it was passed. President Trump argued “We need

to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the

Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!17” Though, President Trump was trying to fight for the

safety of Americans from recent attacks, many felt that it was discriminatory towards Muslims.

Many civilians and organizations feel that a travel ban is not what was needed to ensure

safety. Quickly, arose the fight against guns. The issue began rising in the early 2000’s and has

continued as the terrorist attacks, school shootings, police violence, and crimes involving illegal

citizens have increased. “The United States has 120.5 guns per 100 people, or about 393,347,000

guns, which is the highest total and per capita number in the world. 22% of Americans own one

or more guns (35% of men and 12% of women).18” The first target became the National Rifle

Association (NRA), a non-profit organization that fights for civilians’ rights involving firearms.

The second amendment, the right to bear arms, ratified on December 15, 1791, has become to

main argument for both sides. Some saying that controlling guns interferes with American’s

rights. With the increase of gun violence within the United States, some feel that the only way to

ensure their safety is to ban guns entirely, where other believe that the only way is to protect

ourselves from others is to ensure the right to carry a concealed weapon. This argument has the

nation divided19.

17. Hamedy, Saba. "Everything You Need to Know about the Travel Ban: A Timeline." CNN. June 26, 2018.
Accessed December 10, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/26/politics/timeline-travel-ban/index.html.

18. "Background of the Issue - Gun Control - ProCon.org." Gun Control - ProCon.org. Accessed December
10, 2018. https://gun-control.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=006436.

19. "Gun Control - ProCon.org." Gun Control - ProCon.org. Accessed December 10, 2018. https://gun-
control.procon.org/.
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The violence seen within the country no longer phases its citizens. Most violence seen

within the United States has ties to racism or the belief that they are superior to the rest. Laws

trying to protect US citizens, such as the Arizona 1070 law and the travel ban, are often times

misinterpreted as being desquamatory towards a specific group of people. This ever-changing

country is becoming increasing violent and unsafe. Shootings taking place within educational

buildings have become the norm. Children are losing their lives in the exact places that are

supposed to keep them safe. Law enforcement, who are supposed to protect the citizens, are the

ones who are taking the lives of many citizens. The United States has seen a lot of great

advancement but it quickly going down the road of destruction.