Are Police Systematically Racist?

[Sparko]

Here's my thinking...

People are outraged and protest nearly every time a black person is killed by the police, right? We get demonstrations, sometimes riots, we hear about it on the news, etc.

If this was a systemic problem, we would all know about it because there would be protests constantly, all year long. The fact that we have a few deaths every few years, shows that it is not a systemic problem but a problem with each death being promoted nationwide through the media and social media.

It is still a problem. But it isn't common or systemic. Most cops are good. There are a LOT of black cops too. In any organization there will be a few bad people. There are some in the police departments, just like there are some in the demonstrators, those who have been looting and destroying and have killed a couple of black cops already. We shouldn't blame all of the protestors for the actions of the bad ones, just like we shouldn't be blaming all police for the actions of the bad ones.

[rogue06]

media racism.jpg

[seanD]

Here's my thinking...

People are outraged and protest nearly every time a black person is killed by the police, right? We get demonstrations, sometimes riots, we hear about it on the news, etc.

If this was a systemic problem, we would all know about it because there would be protests constantly, all year long. The fact that we have a few deaths every few years, shows that it is not a systemic problem but a problem with each death being promoted nationwide through the media and social media.

It is still a problem. But it isn't common or systemic. Most cops are good. There are a LOT of black cops too. In any organization there will be a few bad people. There are some in the police departments, just like there are some in the demonstrators, those who have been looting and destroying and have killed a couple of black cops already. We shouldn't blame all of the protestors for the actions of the bad ones, just like we shouldn't be blaming all police for the actions of the bad ones.

Funny how everyone here forgets how they behaved during the lockdowns. Letting prisoners from jail while arresting ordinary citizens for the most frivolous things imaginable.

[Ronson]

Funny how everyone here forgets how they behaved during the lockdowns. Letting prisoners from jail while arresting ordinary citizens for the most frivolous things imaginable.

I haven't forgotten. My drug-addicted stepson showed up unexpectedly on my doorstep, out of the blue. Within a week he overdosed on heroin at his in-laws' house (survived it though).

I don't know where he is now, probably looting.

[Cow Poke]

I haven't forgotten. My drug-addicted stepson showed up unexpectedly on my doorstep, out of the blue. Within a week he overdosed on heroin at his in-laws' house (survived it though).

I don't know where he is now, probably looting.

[Sparko]

Funny how everyone here forgets how they behaved during the lockdowns. Letting prisoners from jail while arresting ordinary citizens for the most frivolous things imaginable.

That was the governors and mayors, not the police's doing. You can bet they don't want these people being let out of jail, or like arresting ordinary citizens for walking their dogs.

[DesertBerean]

Funny how everyone here forgets how they behaved during the lockdowns. Letting prisoners from jail while arresting ordinary citizens for the most frivolous things imaginable.

Sean, speaking for Cali, a lot of the police and sheriff head honchos told their bosses (barely politely) they were stupid for letting them out because of COVID 19and then having people tossed in for violating restrictions for same. One non- Cali cop said "I'm too busy arresting the convicts you let out to worry about enforcing (COVID19 rules)."

[seanD]

Sean, speaking for Cali, a lot of the police and sheriff head honchos.told Newsom (barely politely) he was stupid for letting them out because of COVID 19and then having people tossed in for violating restrictions for same. One non- Cali cop said "I'm too busy arresting the convicts you let out to worry about enforcing (COVID19 rules)."

I realize that there were at least some officers who were just following the goofy authoritarian orders of their higher ups and perhaps scared not to, but that still doesn't excuse it IMO. For example, there is a video of one officer that approaches a business, says he was ordered to tell them that they're in violation and then to have a nice day and walked away, while everybody cheered that. They didn't have to follow those orders.

[seer]

Is the killing of nine unarmed blacks or even the 38 or 32 from years before show the racial targeting/killing of African Americans?

"The police fatally shot nine unarmed blacks and 19 unarmed whites in 2019, according to a Washington Post database, down from 38 and 32, respectively, in 2015. The Post defines “unarmed” broadly to include such cases as a suspect in Newark, N.J., who had a loaded handgun in his car during a police chase. In 2018 there were 7,407 black homicide victims. Assuming a comparable number of victims last year, those nine unarmed black victims of police shootings represent 0.1% of all African-Americans killed in 2019. By contrast, a police officer is 18˝ times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer."

http://archive.is/OXbjA#selection-2485.0-2485.662

[rogue06]

Is the killing of nine unarmed blacks or even the 38 or 32 from years before show the racial targeting/killing of African Americans?

You also have cases where someone was unarmed but had something in their hands that was mistaken for a possible weapon. For instance, back in the days when flip phones were big, reports of people being shot while holding a cell phone were not all that uncommon.

[seer]

You also have cases where someone was unarmed but had something in their hands that was mistaken for a possible weapon. For instance, back in the days when flip phones were big, reports of people being shot while holding a cell phone were not all that uncommon.

Right, but there isn't a systematic hunting down of blacks by law enforcement.