The recent videotaped beating of an African American man in
             Cincinnati, Ohio by police officers has once again called attention to the
             volatile relations between police and the African American community.
             Though this incident is still in its investigation stage, it is merely one
             in a long history of allegations regarding police misconduct against
             African American people. For critics, such police conduct includes verbal
             abuse, unjustified stops and the use of excessive force.
             Ronald Weitzer (1999) found that according to surveys done by the
             Bureau of Justice Statistics, police officers have used excessive force in
             less than 1 percent of contacts with civilians and suspects. Contrary to
             these statistics, however, blacks perceive excessive force as a problem. A
             further survey conducted by NBC News found that 43 percent of black
             respondents had little confidence on the police in the matter of "not using
             excessive force on suspects" (cited in Weitzer 1999).
             Definitions of "excessive force" differ from community to community.
             In two middle-class communities outside of Washington, DC with a majority
             of black citizens, the practice of "proning out" a suspect on the ground
             was common during street arrests. This involves putting the individuals on
             the ground with their arms behind the back. Many black residents charge
             that individuals are proned out on the ground even when the suspect
             presents no danger to the officers (Weitzer 1999).
             In Los Angeles, many members of the African American community feel
             that they are targeted for more violent police behavior. Often, a suspect
             who is already proned out was further pinned down with the feet or knees.
             An amateur video captured an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department
             slam a black teenager and slam the slender, special-education student on
             the hood of a car. Later investigations showed that the teenager ha
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