In light of protests and outrage surrounding what some believe to be a police brutality epidemic in America, people across the country are forming strong opinions on the controversial issue. VHS, just like the broader population, has its share of students who believe police forces have become corrupted, and students who feel officers such as Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo, who killed people of color in the course of their duties as police officers, were justified.

In dispute is whether the incidents were related to a deeply embedded prejudice against people of color in America or whether these incidents had nothing to do with the color of those involved.

Mira Braneck, a VHS senior, wholeheartedly believes that “police brutality in our country is out of control.” According to Mira, “Police are above the law at this point. They’re supposed to uphold the law, but the police officer who killed Eric Garner broke the law and got away with it.” Junior Andres Sandoval also said that the police force in general has too much power.

Senior Lia Golick sees the situation differently, as she recognizes the challenges that come with being a police officer and also understands that they need to possess self-control while on the job to ensure that they do not abuse their power.

“Policemen have a really difficult job and they face danger every time they go to work. But there’s a certain amount of self-restraint that they need to have in these situations. They’re trained to deal with these situations so they should know how to avoid killing unarmed 18 year olds,” said Lia.

Some students are on the other side of the spectrum. Junior Will Evans thinks that Darren Wilson from Ferguson, Missouri had the right to self-defense by firing his gun because “Mike Brown was no angel.” Senior Joe Ballantyne shares this belief that what Wilson did was necessary, although some aspects of it seem unfair.  Joe said, “I agree with the police officer because he was doing his job…  (but) if the person is unarmed, the police shouldn’t take out their weapon because then there is inequality between the officer and the person he or she is defending him or herself against.”

Senior Kyle Kazanfer is firm in his belief that the recent events occurring in the police force were just. “There is no problem with police brutality in this country. Cops do their job. Their job is to protect citizens, and that’s what they do.”  He also said however, that “With Eric Garner, I believe the cop should have been indicted for excessive force.”