Category: Research/Audience Assignment

Blacks, Hispanics, or any other minority group is heavily impacted by government/political corruption. May it be police brutality, or even the disadvantage when it comes to work or school. There is a huge problem with corruption that occurs in the U.S. and heavily impacts not only minority groups, but as well as those who are seen to stand or believe that they are on top which would be white people. There is almost a night and day difference in the way the two groups are treated and this is a problem that needs to continuously be addressed in order for something to be done about it. There are many ways in which minority groups are negatively affected due to corruption which also benefits those who contribute to it. These groups have always been treated unfairly especially when it also comes to equal rights which is what the U.S. is built upon. I chose to write to minorities due to me being able to relate to them, and the government because I believe that they have to acknowledge the fact that they are hurting their people, and need to know that is must stop and it will. This topic was chosen because I feel government corruption is not spoken about too much and there is so much complexity to it which makes it hard to write in a way, but overall it is something very serious and is being used to abuse minorities.

 

Dear Minority Groups,

 

I hope to help to inform you more on how you are oppressed and how much bigger the government plays a role in that in which many may not know. According to the article “American Racial and Ethnic Politics in the 21st Century: A Cautious Look Ahead” by Hochschild, the article speaks about how blacks have lost their trust in the government due to the actions that they take. One example would be how government investigates black elected officials in order to make them lose their credibility therefore losing votes or the possibility to get a job and bring change that will truly bring equality. The article goes on further to speak about how the government purposefully make drugs easily accessible in black neighborhoods in order to ‘control’ them. Drugs are already a huge problem, but seeing as it’s actually being supplied by the government in order to keep black people from having the credibility or to be seen as equal is inhumane. My goal is to inform you guys of how the government is attempting to isolate you by making it more difficult, so I ask that you fight against it and not be tempted by drugs and such, and instead follow a different path that could lead to change and power

 

Minority groups also face the challenge of democracy. Even though everyone is able to vote there are still those in the government that are trying to suppress minority groups and prevent them from having the power or ability to vote. In the article “Systematic Inequalities and American Democracy” by Solomon, it speaks about the past and how people of color were unable to vote until much later on. When voting rights were available to all citizens there was no huge change until 2012 where there were more votes from those of color than whites. This caused the Supreme Court in 2013 to greenlight the suppression of voters of color. From that time to the present many minorities have had more racial discrimination when it came to them voting or using their voice to participate in politics. This is what the corrupt U.S. government wants. They want those with color to lose their voice/power in order to keep all the power to themselves and those who back them. I ask that you the people use your ability to vote and try not to let this stop you and know that no matter what you do have the same rights as that of a rich white person. Together you can stand on top and use your rights to fight and allow your voices to be heard.

 

Police brutality is a huge topic and issue that can be spoken about for a very long time. Police have become more and more corrupt over the years and have gone as far as killing innocent black people and even abusing their power and beating/harassing minorities. Moore the author of “Police Brutality in the United States” speaks about how here are so many people who have been victims of police brutality, but are unable to tell their story due to the lack of political influence or the lack of financial stability. In recent years there have been more protests which was sparked by the death of Michael Brown in 2014. This lead to protests against the police and the officer who killed this innocent young man in cold blood. Unfortunately, these protests have yet to have been held by more established groups which would help in the sense of demonstrating that the people have a voice and corrupt police officers have to be delt with in order to maintain a safe environment for the people. Police brutality also dates back to the 1900’s and have caused many race riots. Instead of the police force helping to ensure the safety of people they are basically encouraging violence and giving a bad example of how to deal with things. The police also have a lot to deal with drugs and getting minorities behind bars. They are known to set up people and even go as far as to plant evidence in order to convict someone, and they are not able to fight back due to lack of knowledge and their position as a minority. Overall, I am writing this in the hopes of minorities being able to gain a bit of knowledge on the truth of what is happening and pick something up may it be how to fight back, or even making it so you become interesting to the point that you do your own research to further gain knowledge on what to do and become a voice who fights back and helps others.

 

Dear Government,

 

Your corruption will not stop the people you are trying to suppress from fighting back. Throughout all of history there is always someone or even a group that fights back and stands for the people and eventually wins, so my goal of this message is to stop trying to suppress us and just accept that more change will come and there is nothing that can be done about that. In Transparency Internationals article “Corruption in the USA: The Difference a Year Makes”, the article speaks about key issues being how wealthy/rich individuals and companies pay those who who in the government in order to have an advantage over others. These individuals and companies pay these people in order to abuse their power over minorities and people who live in certain areas in order for those people or companies to gain more money or simply for the pleasure of it. According to the article throughout the Trump’s presidency it is said that this corruption has gotten much worse than it was before. There is also a chart which shows the percentages of which people/departments are the most corrupt to least corrupt. Also note that pretty much everyone in the government is corrupt to an extent. The only action the people are able to take is voting, but even then there are restrictions of voting on minorities and the suppression of their voices. The corruption of government officials is further spoken about in the article “USA Corruption Report” by GAN Integrity. The article is really good in going into detail about the different types of corruption and gives examples/events in when the corruption has taken place and etc. Thus, my point in this message was to inform the pain and suffering corruption has caused to minorities and seeing the actions and how far you have gone to suppress these people is disgusting and actually shows that you are in fact scared of what positive change minorities are capable of bringing. I also wanted to inform that there are those who have the knowledge and know what is truly going on, so prepare for there to be change.

 

 

References

Hochschild, Jennifer L. “American Racial and Ethnic Politics in the 21st Century: A Cautious Look Ahead.” Brookings, Brookings, 28 July 2016, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/american-racial-and-ethnic-politics-in-the-21st-century-a-cautious-look-ahead/.

 

Solomon, Danyelle, et al. “Systematic Inequality and American Democracy.” Center for American Progress, https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/reports/2019/08/07/473003/systematic-inequality-american-democracy/.

 

Moore, Leonard. “Police Brutality after World War II.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 27 July 2016, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Police-Brutality-in-the-United-States-2064580/Police-brutality-after-World-War-II.

 

e.V., Transparency International. “Corruption in the USA: The Difference a Year Makes.” Www.transparency.org, https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_in_the_usa_the_difference_a_year_makes.

 

“USA Corruption Report.” GAN Integrity, https://www.ganintegrity.com/portal/country-profiles/usa/.

 

 

Letter to Trump

November 24, 2019

President Donald Trump

The White House

1600 pennsylvania avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

 

Dear President Trump:

 

I’ve decide to speak to you through this media with a lot of respect about that there is a wrong idea on going through the Americans thoughts. There is a misunderstanding about immigrants taking away jobs from Americans. All of us know that you goal is to make “America Great Again” as you keep repeating but, we already are one of the wealthiest countries of the world isn’t it crazy and those percentages on the economy don’t necessary comes from american workers only. They also came from immigrants that work hard to accomplish their american dream. 

Immigrants also need your help Mr. President!

This may sound pointless to you but did you know that there is over 40 million of immigrant residents of U.S.A which is equivalent to a 13 percent of the population and the majority of then are hard workers and there should be at least a law that give them some benefits and protection. Furthermore, according to the the EPI analysis of american community survey (2009-11) immigrants had a saher output of 14.7 % on the economy which a bigger percentage in comparison with the population percentage. In addition to immigrants outputs, they definitely don’t take away jobs from no one they just do the jobs Americans don’t want to do for  a minimum salary.

According to an article written by Julia Preston in the new york times in september 21, 2016 you “called for a crackdown on illegal immigrants, saying they “compete directly against vulnerable American workers.” He promises to cut back legal immigration with new controls he says would “boost wages and ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.” Let’s say that what you’ve said happens what would happen if Americans don’t want to do those jobs? who do you think is going to go and do them? Exactly, immigrants.

Felbab-Brown a senior fellow in the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings explains that many of the jobs occupied by undocumented workers in the United States are physically demanding jobs that Americans do not want to do, such as gutting fish or work on farm fields. Her argument is, “fixing immigration is not about mass deportations of people but about creating a legal visa system for jobs Americans do not want. This the opposite of what you want to do by just looking at the easiest solution for you but not at the most convenient for both sides. Think about your decision and help those who need it.

Sincerrylly,

Steven Polanco

Open Letter To my Mom

Dear mom,

 

Beautiful mother, it’s been a while since I decided to leave you and my brother behind. I want you to know that I didn’t do it because I don’t love you or anything else I did it because I want a better future for me and for you and my brother that’s why I went in search of the “American dream”. But in reality what I found her was different from what I thought this experience would be, here they accuse us of stealing the work of the “Gringos”. When I found out that there are people who think like that I got sad and depressed because i’m not stealing from someone else I’m working with honesty. After i found that out I lasted a long time thinking and researching about it and it turns out that it is not like that Ma they are wrong I have read several articles where it says otherwise and that has made me feel much better because instead of stealing jobs, what we do is help the economy of this country and they don’t thank us or give us credit for anything they just discriminate against us. Also a few days ago I read an article written by Patrick Coate on February 22, 2017 where he explains that restrictions on immigrants hurt the economy and that’s exactly what ”Mr.President” wants to do with his policy on immigration. This makes me a little happy because in spite of all the bad things I felt I still know that there are people out there who support us even though we are always the inferior race for many. But well after having told you how I feel about that experience that happens to me I just want to tell you that I love you and my brother and do not worry about me because now I know that we are not alone, we just need to fill ourselves with confidence and say is enough. That’s all we immigrants need to know and do to end up all the discrimination against us. I’m so sorry for letting you back there alone but you know I had too. But the best thing of all this experiences I’ve gone through is that at the end of the day I’ll be by your side one day or another it could be in some year but it also can be tomorrow who knows? I’ll survive everything I have to but it’s hard with all the comments going around but you teach me how to be a Guerrero and I’ll fight back for my rights and I’ll be successful because because you and my brother and I’ll the thing that I left behind are giving me the strength I need to step up and fight.

 

Steven Polanco

Mohammad Andha

 

Video game addiction is a big issue, it’s a major concern for most parents. It’s about their children’s life after all. It’s important for both parents and young children to understand the meaning of what addiction is and how it can affect them in the long run. I chose to write to the parents who are concerned, teaching them how they can prevent this addiction and I wrote to the gamers, trying to awaken them before it’s too late. Gamers think video game is not an addiction and it’s nothing to worry about. But it’s important they understand how lethal it can be. I chose to write my audiences a letter because I want to create a sense of personal sympathy and express the importance by publishing it everywhere to quickly rise attention. 

 

Dear Parents, 

 

    I’m sure every parent is concerned about their children. Every parent is worried about what their future might be. Every parent has a dream to see their children succeed in specific careers. Some children succeed and fulfill their dream but the rest don’t succeed. The ones who succeed are the ones who try, the ones who care, and the ones you can make smart and responsible choices for themselves. The ones who fail are the ones who don’t care and who are ignorant of the world outside. One of the biggest issues in youth today is video game addiction. Parents that have children who play video games have concerning questions such as, “Does this addiction affect our youth today? If so, in what way?” And “How far can this addiction go?” 

    Children can become addicted to many things and gaming is one of them. What harm could this give, you might ask? According to an article called “Negative Effects of Video Games” states that “Video games can negatively affect the brain, memory, and vision. They can cause stress, anxiety, and even isolation if the addiction gets severe enough. Video games can even kill brain cells and interrupt a person’s sleep.” The amount of time spent into gaming can affect your brain in long term effects which can lead to many other problems. Kids get so involved in gaming that they don’t sleep or go outside and exercise. For example, playing shooter games can affect your hippocampus part of the brain. As the article states, “Studies show that people playing “shooter games” damage the hippocampus area of their brain.” This part of the brain controls spatial and long-term memories, being harmed, it can cause depression and anxiety. This addiction can also affect your sleep. Same article states, “Use of video games before bed does make it difficult for many children to get a good night’s sleep. 18% of parents in a recent study cited sleep issues with their children who played video games at night.” Now there are many ways it can affect your sleep. It can give nightmares, or staying up late playing leads to less hours of sleep, or hard to fall asleep. An article called “Violent Video Games and Aggression” states “Studies have shown that playing violent video games can increase aggressive thoughts, behaviors, and feelings in both the short-term and long-term.” Youth that grows addiction in such violent games can have a noticeable increase in their aggression. This can lead to many social problems. Such as, not feeling empathy for people around them. Also, yelling or screaming at almost anyone in public which can lead to violent action. 

    Parents are responsible for their children’s behavior. Parent’s actions lead to their children’s behavior. You parents must control your children because as weird as it may sound, they will become addicted to video games. You might ask, how can I tell if they are addicted to gaming? Answer is very simple, an article called “Video Game Addiction” states few symptoms of an addict. These symptoms include, “Not being able to quit or even play less” or “Not wanting to do other things that you used to like” or “Having problems at work, school, or home because of your gaming.” All of these are signs of video game addiction. Look at the amount of time they spend playing video games, if it’s more than a few hours a day then try to lessen it. Don’t completely remove video games from their life, this will make the situation worse. Video games are a key factor of mind relaxation. Obviously too much is harmful but a little bit of it is needed. It’s never too late to break the addiction. Just like any other addiction, it can be cured. Consult a doctor or therapist as soon as possible. It’s a parent’s duty to get any help necessary because the child might now even feel he’s addicted.

 

Dear Gamers,

 

    Video games can be addicting. It’s a lot of fun to play, relaxes your mind. Great temporary distraction from school work. Even I play video games for about 1-2 hours every weekend to relax my mind and to enjoy my free time. However, letting gaming become an addiction can be a really a horrible thing. It can go from relaxing your mind to killing your mind. Temporary distraction to permanent distraction from school work. Playing more than a few hours a week is considered addiction. If not addiction then definitely a start to one. First it will be 3-4 hours then 4-6 and then 10+ hours. Eventually, you will start to skip sleep or school so you get more hours to play. This will affect you in the long run. You won’t be able to progress in school because you won’t feel like doing any of the given work. Instead, you’re going to find yourself playing video games. Then after you graduate from school, you’re going to end up working in a fast food restaurant but still playing video games. That’s not even the worst part. Video game addiction will affect your marriage life. 

    An article on the New York Post, called “Video Game Addiction Ruined My Life” gives an example of a wife tired of her husband playing video games all the time. The wife says “I would go to sleep, and he’d be up gaming”. No life partner wants their partner to be away while they sleep all alone. They probably won’t have any kids if her husband doesn’t leave video games even when it’s bedtime. She also says “He just wasn’t around, he wasn’t there … I was a video-game widow.” She felt lonely, so lonely that she describes herself as a widow. This was just the start, the wife got so sick of it that she hammered his computer. I’m sure the husband wasn’t very happy about it. They will have arguments and fights daily. Why? All because he decided to play video games day and night. It may even lead to divorce, which you better hope doesn’t happen. 

    You might ask, how can I tell if I’m addicted? It’s very simple. According to an article called “5 Signs of Video Game Addiction” there are 5 ways you can tell if you’re addicted to video games. These are anger, problems socialising, neglecting other activities, lying about gaming, and physical neglect. As the article states, “Irritable when they have to stop playing to engage in another important activity.” If you see yourself getting angry because you’re losing or you have to stop playing, it’s a sign you’re getting addicted. According to the article, “addicts to video games do not have close social relationships, and often become isolated from society, preferring to spend long hours in front of the screen.” If you find yourself playing video games all day and not socializing with anyone in real life, it’s a sign you’re addicted. Refusing to do any other activities such as hanging out with your friends and family or to focus on your studies is also a sign you’re addicted. According to the same article, “people with a video game addiction usually end up neglecting other aspects of normal life such as their studies or their work, in addition to their family and friends.” If you are lying to your parents about the amount of hours you play video games to defend yourself, then it’s another sign you’re addicted. For example, playing 8 hours a day but telling your parents you played 2 hours. Also stated in the article, “people with an addiction to video games try constantly to defend themselves, and lie about the number of hours they spend playing games.” Finally, not doing any form of exercise or cleaning yourself or taking care of your health is another sign you’re addicted. According to the article, “addiction can lead them to stop paying attention to personal hygiene.” This isn’t the time to panic, you can still divert from this addiction, you may not even be addicted yet. Having one or two symptoms doesn’t mean you’re addicted but it does mean you’re getting there. Even if you’re addicted, you can still eliminate this addiction. 

    You still have time to change yourself, you’re not alone in this. Article from the New York Post, called “Video Game Addiction Ruined My Life” gives an example of a man named Tim Walrod who overcame his addiction. He says, “It felt so much easier to go home, flip a switch and play a game, instead of dealing with real-life issues.” He’s not wrong, playing video games is easier than dealing with real-life issues but you shouldn’t hide from them. According to the article, “Things “spiraled” out of control four years ago: He was so engrossed in his video games that he missed a deadline to apply for nursing school. It was a “big wake-up call,” says Walrod, who was unemployed at the time and dreaded breaking the news to his mom.” He played so much that he forgot about his deadline to apply for nursing school, he was unemployed and scared to tell his mom. It says it was his “big wake-up call”, it reminded him of his career and dreams. He started by cutting down an hour a day as the article stated, “he cut back on his game time to just an hour a day and was eventually accepted into a nursing program from which he graduated earlier this year.” He also reveals his secret to success. Article says, “He’s now game-free and credits his success to therapy and pursuing other interests such as meditation, guitar lessons, learning Spanish and running.” Consult a doctor or therapist, they will guide you. Do something else you like, you don’t have to do what he did. Therapist will help you find what else you like if you can’t figure it out. Before gaming gets even worse and harder to control, it’s your job to make sure you handle it. 

 

References: 

 

P., Kim. “Negative Effects of Video Games.” CreditDonkey, 31 Mar. 2019, https://www.creditdonkey.com/negative-effect-video-games.html

 

Goldbeck, Lauren, and Alex Pew. “Violent Video Games and Aggression.” National Center for Health Research, 21 Aug. 2019, http://www.center4research.org/violent-video-games-can-increase-aggression/.

 

Ratini, Melinda. “Video Game Addiction: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention.” WebMD, WebMD, 19 Mar. 2019, https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/video-game-addiction.

 

Lewak, Doree. “Video Game Addiction Ruined My Life.” New York Post, New York Post, 25 June 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/06/25/video-game-addiction-ruined-my-life/. 

 

“Home.” Triora, https://triora.uk/the-latest/blog/5-signs-of-video-game-addiction. 

 

   

 

Domanique King

@D_kingg

@realDonaldTrump as I speak out to you I also voice my opinion for the other women out there who cannot. Your choice for banning abortions is unreasonable and this isnt something that you should have a say on. 

10:00am  12/3/19 Twitter for iPhone

1k retweets 142 likes

 

Domanique King

@D_kingg

@realDonaldTrump As a female being told what I should and shouldn’t do to my own body is offensive and degrades us. We shouldn’t have to live with a fear of being told to do something when we have no control over how it happened. 

10:10am  12/3/19 Twitter for iPhone

700 retweets 300 likes

 

Domanique King

@D_kingg

@realDonaldTrump A lot of females cannot financially and or mentaly take care of baby, many females get pregnant due to rape and some are too young to even take care of themselves. Its extreme to penalize them for the decision they want to make.

11:05am  12/3/19 Twitter for iPhone

900 retweets 50 likes

 

Domanique King

@D_kingg

@realDonaldTrump you once said in an interview that your view on abortions were shaped because of when you use to live in manhattan and the abortion rights “overwhelmingly favored”

12:00pm  12/3/19 Twitter for iPhone

300 retweets 64 likes

 

Domanique King

@D_kingg

@realDonaldTrump facts over opinions! And the fact is that just because you felt that a borough in NYC didnt feel the same way as you about abortions does not entitle you to start enforcing it!

12:07pm  12/3/19 Twitter for iPhone

2.5k retweets 1k likes

 

Domanique King

@D_kingg

To all the women who are scared about the future of their lives and are even scared to enjoy intimacy with their partner i want you to hear me and listen. There is no reason to second guess your decisions, it’s your life and your body!

1:30am  12/4/19 Twitter for iPhone

4k retweets 2.8k likes

 

Domanique King

@D_kingg

Us females don’t tell men what they should do with their body so why is it ok for them to tell us what to do and create a law?!

1:55am  12/4/19  Twitter for iPhone

560 retweets 700 likes

 

Domanique king

@D_kingg

We must step out and talk loud, in order to prevent things from getting too far we have to make a movement NOW! #ourbodyourrights

2:00am 12/4/19  Twitter for iPhone

9.9kretweets 7k likes

 

Citations

 Michael Tackett May 16, 2019

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/us/politics/trump-abortion-evangelicals-2020.html

 

Ritu Prasad BBC News, Alabama 18 May 2019

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48262238

 

Heather TimmonsMay 20, 2019

 

https://qz.com/1623437/trump-shifted-from-pro-choice-to-pro-life-as-he-planned-a-presidential-run/

 

Michelle Oberman and W. David Ball june 2, 2019

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/02/opinion/abortion-laws-men.html

 

Philip Bump May 15, 2019 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/15/how-trump-became-an-abortion-hard-liner/

 

The president of guinea should not have the power to change the constitution.

Guinea is a democratic country where the population vote to elect the president of their choice. Every president has two presidential terms that’s the rule written in the Guinean constitution. It’s been now 2 months since the actual president Alpha Conde, made a declaration of him wanting to change the constitution in order to have a third presidential term. Since that, the population has started doing riots against that declaration. in this speech, i will be addressing 2 important messages to the Guinean population and the Guinean police because they are the two communities going out in the streets during riots and killing each other. I choose a genre of speech which i will be given during a riot because that’s the only time the two communities i want to speak to meets.

Today November 19 ,2019 i am standing in front of all of you parents; children; women; police; population of Guinea in this memorial place for all of us “the stadium of September 28” To tell you ENOUGH!!! Enough of hating each other Enough of killing each other just ENOUGH. To the Guinean police, i will first remind them that they are the one who are supposed to secure the country and the population as they swore in their oath. I understand that they have to respect orders from their superior but they can do that by going in the street and making sure the population have nonviolent riots or even support them in their fight against president Alpha Conde. Instead they go in the streets with fire arms and kill the people they are supposed to protect and when the population see these fire arms, they feel attacked and try to fight back that’s how innocent people die every time we have a riot.  According to France ”24 the international news channel on October 15 ,2019”.  <4 teenagers and 1 police officer died during the riot>. This has been going on for too long and this Not helping the evolution of our beloved country. According to “Buisinessinsider “<out of the 20 most dangerous countries guinea rank 17> and if this does not change, if president Alpha Conde get to change the constitution we will keep sinking or eventually have a civil war between the population and the police. The president who’s giving orders and making laws to allow the police officers to go out in the streets with guns should be the one to be blamed for all these deaths and for the hate that exist now between police officers and the Guinean population. The president has given police officers too much power that now they go into innocent people houses and rob them. All these deaths are proofs to the police officers that this president should not have the chance to change the constitution neither have another presidential term, because he is pushing them to do things that are against the oath they took. Police officers exist to protect the country and there is no country without a population. So the police should protect the population not kill them.

And to my GUINEANS my brothers, my sisters, i am more than proud for all the efforts the strength that you have been showing since the start of this nightmare for our nation. women and Men are out to fight for their rights, the right to choose what is good for their country. if democracy is the power of the people by the people and for the people. then us the people say NO!! NO to the change of the constitution. It’s in front of the whole nation and the presidents of 13 African countries, that president Alpha conde swore on the constitution of Guinea the day of his second presidential investiture in December 2015, he swore to respect the constitution and make the constitution respected by everyone. But yet, he is the one who wants the change the constitution for his own benefice. People of Guinea we have been fighting against president Alpha Conde for 3 years now and we have lost more 100 people. According to “Amnesty international for west Africa”<at least 18 people have died since the beginning of 2018> and the president still do not want to listen to us. We have been supported by our GUINEAN brothers and sisters all around the world. According to “Tshello tv”<hundred of people went out to protest in front of the embassy of guinea in Belgium> and hundred others went out in Canada Montreal  to protest last month ,same in Paris and new York .The only difference is that they don’t get killed like us here when they do their non violent protest . Instead they are secured by the police even though they are foreigners . Since the president does not want to listen to us, i will not ask you to stop , i will ask you to continue fighting but fight smarter. By that i mean, during riots if the police start attacking with fire arms  leave do not fight back we have lost so many people already. But if we decide to do another riot be present. We have to show to president Alpha conde that we are against the change of our constitution and we will not stop fighting for our country until he listens to us and leave at the end our his 2^nd presidential term.

References:

Bangaly Toure, France 24news,  October 15 2019

https://www.france24.com/en/tag/guinea-conakry/

 

Youssouf Bah, Buisinessinsider , November 1 ,2018

https://www.businessinsider.com/what-life-is-like-in-some-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-countries-2018-10#18-nearly-one-third-of-the-population-in-the-dominican-republic-lives-in-poverty-3

 

Serge Melingue , Tshello TV , October 27, 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx4mVycxjQA

 

Ilhame Taoufiqi , TV5MONDE – Informations, November 01, 2018

https://afrique.tv5monde.com/information/manifestation-reprimees-en-guinee-au-moins-18-morts-en-2018-selon-amnesty-international

 

Cellou Binani , RTBF INFO , December 21, 2015

https://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/afrique/detail_guinee-alpha-conde-investi-president-prete-serment-une-deuxieme-fois?id=9170416

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRO

Police Brutality is an important issue that needs to be acknowledged and can be associated with racial profiling and commonly young teens. It involves police misconduct and officers who abuse their use of authority with innocent citizens. The New York Police Department Headquarters was my choice of audience because they can enforce a law and have the authority to make an actual change to society. My second audience being New Yorkers, the commuters of the big city, giving them the motivation to continue to protest and making their voices heard with suggested ways. I chose to write a letter to the NYPD Headquarters because it was the most professional option. As for the genre of the message for the New Yorkers, I wanted it to be a news article because the media nowadays is most commonly used by everyone and captures their attention.

Samantha Toro

Bronx, New York, 10465

December 1, 2019

 

New York City Police Department Headquarters

1 Police Plaza Path, New York, NY 10007  

 

   Dear New York City Police Department Headquarters, 

       I am a student at New York City College of Technology and I would like to reveal real facts of abuses, injuries, and violations conducted by police officers. We have a problem in our country that remains alive as we speak, that problem is police brutality. What is Police brutality you ask? It is an abuse of authority by the unwarranted infliction or physical violence of excessive force by a person involved in law enforcement while in their official duties. According to The Washington Post, there are currently 829 people in the United States who have been shot and killed by police in 2019. However, out of that percentage, statistics show 482 were shot or killed without trying to flee. Coincidentally, out of those same 829 cases, 726 of them involved a police officer with no body cam recording. These numbers are important because it isn’t one case in a single state, it’s multiple cases across the country, happening to innocent people. The citizens in this country are supposed to feel safe and secure by their police officers, NOT a target. I witness first hand, as a commuter, how police brutality doesn’t just affect citizens but young people and people of color specifically, in open environments such as subways. According to News 12 Brooklyn,  a video went viral showing a violent incident, after learning teenagers who allegedly fought before the video began, a group of officers brings a few of the teenagers to the ground at the Jay Street-MetroTech stop in Brooklyn. Another officer walks up to a black teenager, who did not appear to be involved in the initial fight, and throws a punch at his head. When that teen gets pushed back, about six cops tackle him to the ground and pressed his face into the subway station floor. Five teenagers were arrested in connection with this, including the teen who was punched by the officer. He was charged with assaulting a police officer however the teen and his family claim the police lied to them about the teen initiating a fight and that the officers use of force was unjustified. This is only one of many cases of police misconduct. The officer who punched the innocent teen in the face will be placed on a “non-enforcement assignment” but not removed from duty. Police officers who are involved in cases like this almost never fully get “punished” for their actions or hold accountability for them. It’s more like “probation” or temporary time taken off of work. It is important, as you hold the role for public safety, to reassure citizens that when something like this happens, the officer involved will be held responsible for their actions and face the PROPER consequences that follow. We tell protestors to not protest violently, yet, our officers chose the violent answer when dealing with citizens. Police should only harm or shot when their life is in danger. It is a threat to the country and to citizens, that more police are being hired without improved accountability mechanisms to try to prevent more cases of police misconduct.

                                                       POLICE  BRUTALITY

                                                                  BY: Samantha Toro 

                          We as New Yorkers see police everywhere we go, whether it’s in their police cars driving around in the streets , or in the subways posted up against the walls patrolling, they have the responsibility to keep New York City safe. However, we often see the excessive use of their power as police brutality is one of the biggest problems in our society today. Several videos went viral showing violent inflictions between officers and teenagers , these videos mostly being recorded in subways stations all over New York City. We see a recurring problem that must have an end, way too many cases have been filed about police brutality and too many have no justice. NEW YORKERS , IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE! Nothing will be done if nothing is said. A few weeks ago, on November 1st , according to the New York Post, about 1,000 protesters marched through the subways in downtown brooklyn addressing police brutality. They chanted “NO justice NO peace/F–k these racist police”. Some were even calling for violence as they said “punch a cop in the face/every nation, every race” with banners that read “Ante up! Punch that cop!”. They went as far as to tagging cop cars that said ‘NYPD KKK’ and throwing eggs and garbage at them. This is important to know because as a US citizen, it is important to make sure your rights are protected and that your voice is heard. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTEST. This is a situation worth protesting for, too many officers are getting away with misconduct and too many innocent people paid the price for it. However, there are different ways to protest, or address this situation, meaning the way those protestors addressed everything was not ideal. You cannot solve violence with more violence. The whole point of ending police brutality is to end the violence officers inflict on us and the misuse of their authority. If you approach this situation with nothing but violence intended then don’t be shocked when police have the same in mind. At the end of it all, police are citizens with families as well and want to make sure they return home safely. Violent protests are bound to get a different approach from police than peaceful protestors. This leads to what im here to tell you today and what YOU should do as a citizen. Make your voices  heard and protest with keeping in mind that the way you approach situations affect the outcome greatly. We don’t just need a change for New York but a change for the country. Police brutality happens across the US and we don’t just need New Yorkers to stand up for their rights, we need every citizen. This is a matter that affects everyone, police are responsible for public safety and hold most authority. If WE don’t act now, the Police department won’t ever change or acknowledge the situation, and police brutality WOULD continue.

2019 police shootings database – Washington Post

“Fatal Force” (Updates daily)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/police-shootings-2019/

 

Viral video shows brawl between police, teens – News 12

“Viral video shows brawl between police, teens” By News 12, October 28, 2019

http://brooklyn.news12.com/story/41240998/viral-video-shows-brawl-between-police-teens

 

Politicians must stand up to NYC’s anti-cop movement, or we …

“Politicians must stand up to NYC’s anti-cop movement, or we’re in trouble” By Seth Barron, November 5, 2019

https://nypost.com/2019/11/05/politicians-must-stand-up-to-nycs-anti-cop-movement-or-were-in-trouble/

    The purpose of DACA is to protect eligible immigrant youth who came to the United States when they were children from deportation. Since the Trump administration announced on September 5, 2017, that it was ending DACA, several lawsuits have been filed against the administration for terminating it unlawfully. The supreme court stated that DACA recipients who currently have or previously had DACA can continue to submit applications to renew their DACA.  I’ve decided to reach out to the Supreme court because even though they’re not the reason for why this became an issue in the first place but because they have the final say in all of this. I’ll also be talking to the Dreamers because we are the ones who are being affected most by this act that the Trump Administration has made. 

    The only reason I’m saying “we” is not because I’m part of the immigrant youth but because I have family members who are immigrants and whose life will be changed and affected by whatever decision the Supreme Court decides on. Not just their life will be affected but also mine and other people who will be forced to say goodbye to family members. Think about your decision carefully and cautiously. Please don’t take DACA away, it gives them the opportunity to further their own development, provide for themselves and their loved ones, and participate in their communities without fear of deportation. These individuals are called “Dreamers”, named after the DREAM Act, a piece of legislation first introduced in Congress in 2001 that would afford these individuals permanent legal status. About 800,000 dreamers have DACA. Just think about those 800,000 individuals whose lives are going to be affected by the decision you all agree on. Dreamers should be allowed to stay in the United States, even if they came here “illegally” because they did not make the choice for themselves. There’s no place in American law that penalizes children for the actions of their parents.

    DACA has provided a pathway for children and young adults, like you dreamers, who came to the United States with your parents to legally obtain a Social Security Number, driver’s license, enroll in college and work. Terminating DACA would mean that 800,00 of you will be losing your jobs which may mean lacking income to make payments on a car loan, rent, mortgage, school tuition, or to help your families. It could also mean being sent back to your motherland, even though many of you probably can’t even remember living in any country other than the United States, where you all have grown up. They don’t seem to understand that the reason for why you guys are here in the United States is for a better life, greater opportunities, medical support that your motherlands may not have, to support families back at home, for a second chance, etc. They blame all the hate and crime on you dreamers because they don’t seem to want to take responsibility for their actions and take the blame. You dreamers need to show that you all are stronger than ever and that you all will fight to protect your DACA and everything that comes with it.

 

Citations:

DACA and DREAM Act 101, September 7th, 2017, World Relief

Daca-and-dream-act-101 

 

National Immigration Law Center, DACA Heads To The U.S. Supreme Court, September 25, 2017

Daca-heads-to-scotus-scenarios

 

U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, February 14, 2018

https://www.uscis.gov/archive/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca

 

For this Unit 3 major assignment, please post a one-paragraph intro before your two messages. In your intro, please give a brief description saying why your issue is important and also a justification for why you chose your two audiences to hear your messages. Finally, say why you chose the genre (medium for your message as well as the venue of publication) for each of your audiences.

Remember to include a bibliography at the end of your assignment (using proper MLA citation) with at least five sources.

Tag the Research/Audience category when you post!

Research and Audience Assignment (major assignment for Unit 3)

In this assignment, you will research an issue that you feel is important. Your job will be to identify two different audiences/communities that are impacted by your issue and then to write two different messages (one to each audience) that either persuades each audience of a particular outcome that should happen to resolve your issue OR that educates them about the dynamics of your issue. If you choose to educate your audience, think about your goal – why is education important in this context; what will new knowledge bring? Be sure to have a goal in mind when writing to each audience – what do you want to get them to do, think, or feel – and why?

You should have at least 5 references. This is a research assignment – do research to better understand your issue and what’s at stake.

Together, both messages should be 1000-1500 words.

Things to keep in mind:
• Your issue should be specific. If you are interested in researching and finding out more about immigration, for example, your issue could be a certain immigration policy that you would like to see changed and why; if your topic is vaping, you could talk about how celebrities should not endorse smoking because of its impact on teenagers.
• Your issue should be something with real consequences today – otherwise, what’s the point of you writing to your audiences?
• You should choose to write each message in a genre (email? Letter? Speech?…?) that makes sense for your audience. Be sure to write the imagined place of publication for your message to each audience.
• You should write in the tone and with the amount/type of evidence that is consistent with the genre you choose. But be sure you have at least five sources!