Résumé:
The present dissertation aims at investigating the violations of the African American civil
rights by the U.S. Law Enforcement agents. The research deals mainly with the concept of
racial bias among the U.S. police officers and its impact on their “Shoot, Don’t Shoot”
decision when the suspect is black. It also highlights the development of the African
American civil rights throughout history with a focus on the notion of racism during the terms
of Barack Obama. Most importantly, this study investigates the perception of the African
American civil rights after more than a century of struggle and fight for equality. That is, it
examines the reality behind the government claims that the U.S. is a post racial country.
Basically, this research highlights some of the police shooting incidents of unarmed African
Americans with a focus on the case of Michael Brown and its aftermath. The obtained results
confirm the idea that racial bias still exists in U.S. Law Enforcement and it is the driving
factor to the police officers’ decision to shoot or not to shoot a suspect. This analysis puts an
end to the U.S. claim of being a post racial nation and proves that the African American civil
rights are once again threatened even under the presidency of a black man.
