Cop in America doing a bad job, again

Vialli_92

Full Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
2,672
Location
Ireland
Supports
Juventus
Not unexpected, I suppose. Your username was throwing me off a bit, though.

Anyway, the US is a nice country. Has some obvious problems but most of the people and landscapes are lovely.
Ye i know that but I hate everything that country stands for. It's the most corrupt country in the world and there is so much wrong with it.
 

Adisa

likes to take afvanadva wothowi doubt
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
50,309
Location
Birmingham
Saw the video on CNN yesterday.
I think a lot of psychopaths become cops in that country. It's a legal way for hem to display their nature.
 

Manchie

Full Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
1,707
Location
Home
Saw the video on CNN yesterday.
I think a lot of psychopaths become cops in that country. It's a legal way for hem to display their nature.
Totally agree ! It is the easiest way to get away with murder in US, and while majority of them are good, I believe some maniac join police to enjoy the thrill of taking life.
 

villain

Hates Beyoncé
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Messages
14,973
I think its an easy way to say those who were bullied or are mentally ill become police cops, and tbh it stigmatises mental health, and deflects away from the real issue.
While I don't deny that there are likely to be some individuals who join the police for the wrong reasons, you will find this in almost any line of work.
Incidents such as these happen far too frequently to be a coincidence, and furthermore the repercussions of such incidents aren't severe enough to deter them happening again.
 

Desert Eagle

Punjabi Dude
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
16,778
Using statistics to define and understand human behaviour is nice in theory but ignores a lot of variables which won't show up in your data.
For example does it highlight the ethnic neighbourhoods which were flourishing, creating jobs, businesses, top schools and comparatively high incomes - only to be burned to the ground by neighbouring white neighbours? That then keeps the status quo and doesn't allow blacks and other minorities to create their own wealth.

What about the Ronald Reagan era and the introduction of drugs in targeted communities? Which not only creates a cycle of abuse, but often times removes a parent or both parents from households forcing kids to grow up not just in poverty but without guidance.
Education funding being directly linked to the affluence of the area in which the school is?
The FBI's illegal activities relating to the Black Panthers, MLK, Malcolm X, James Baldwin and similar organisations and individuals?

I could go on, point is, you can't reduce the construct of racism to data, all the data will show you is a very one dimensional perspective that doesn't take into account human behaviour influenced by racism. I mean you're talking about crime and ethnicity as if there isn't other data that proves racial profiling exists. Then you've got human accounts who have worked in the force who will also tell you the same. But that won't show in statistics, all you'll see is positive reinforcement that crime and ethnicity are linked. That was kind of the point. If you over police any area you'll find all sorts of crime. When you've got people of ethnic minorities getting larger sentences for the same crime as white people, usually drug related.
What you won't see is members of the KKK knowingly hired by police forces. Or judges, lawyers, businessmen being part of the KKK also.

So again while it is not all as it appears on the surface about racism. Using data is a way of minimising the effect of racism, but also the behaviour of humans with regards to racism is very one dimensional.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings-2016/

Database on fatal police shootings.

697 cases in 2016.

320 whites, 171 blacks out of that total.

41 unarmed out of that total.

Statistics aren't perfect of course but they give us a lot more reliable information than individual testimony. Racial profiling exists, i would argue all profiling is at least a little bit racial. I'm interested in any solutions you think might help the problem. Better trained and accountable law enforcement i think we can all agree with for starters. In an ideal world we would want the number of unarmed people killed by cops to be 0. but 41 people out of 350 million is not a national crisis i think?
 

villain

Hates Beyoncé
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Messages
14,973
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings-2016/

Database on fatal police shootings.

697 cases in 2016.

320 whites, 171 blacks out of that total.

41 unarmed out of that total.

Statistics aren't perfect of course but they give us a lot more reliable information than individual testimony. Racial profiling exists, i would argue all profiling is at least a little bit racial. I'm interested in any solutions you think might help the problem. Better trained and accountable law enforcement i think we can all agree with for starters. In an ideal world we would want the number of unarmed people killed by cops to be 0. but 41 people out of 350 million is not a national crisis i think?
Statistics aren't perfect, and using one year's worth of statistics doesn't paint the whole picture. This has been going on for decades, long before such statistics were even recorded. Long before police were even the ones killing people, but it was the KKK and the police allowed it to happen. We could go into incidents that don't result in deaths, incidents that involve the wrong suspects etc. Freddie Gray & Eric Garner for example weren't shot, so won't show in that database.

But deflecting from the issue denies the fact that there is an issue, and that's what we're faced with. This isn't new, and apparently it's not going away.

Guns in America have a real affect because the overwhelming majority of those shot & killed by police are armed, that then increases the threat caused by any suspect who carries a weapon/anything resembling a weapon even if it's not being used.

Training is important but I think the aftermath of such incidents is where the real issue lies.
Cops need more counselling to deal with PTSD and other effects that working on the job can cause. Investigations need to be carried out independently or impartially. More community outreach initiatives need to happen between police and the communities they serve - people shouldn't only see police officers in their community when they're taking down a criminal, they should be a frequent member of their community and approachable. There shouldn't be a disconnect between the two.
 

sun_tzu

The Art of Bore
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
19,536
Location
Still waiting for the Youthquake
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings-2016/

Database on fatal police shootings.

697 cases in 2016.

320 whites, 171 blacks out of that total.

41 unarmed out of that total.

Statistics aren't perfect of course but they give us a lot more reliable information than individual testimony. Racial profiling exists, i would argue all profiling is at least a little bit racial. I'm interested in any solutions you think might help the problem. Better trained and accountable law enforcement i think we can all agree with for starters. In an ideal world we would want the number of unarmed people killed by cops to be 0. but 41 people out of 350 million is not a national crisis i think?
Depends how you see the stats though
41 out of 697 i.e. almost 6% of fatal police shootings or more than one in 20 people they shoot and kill will have been unarmed - on that basis it seems ridiculously high.... basically for every 17 people they fatally shoot who were armed they shoot and kill somebody unarmed!
 
Last edited:

Adisa

likes to take afvanadva wothowi doubt
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
50,309
Location
Birmingham
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings-2016/

Database on fatal police shootings.

697 cases in 2016.

320 whites, 171 blacks out of that total.

41 unarmed out of that total.

Statistics aren't perfect of course but they give us a lot more reliable information than individual testimony. Racial profiling exists, i would argue all profiling is at least a little bit racial. I'm interested in any solutions you think might help the problem. Better trained and accountable law enforcement i think we can all agree with for starters. In an ideal world we would want the number of unarmed people killed by cops to be 0. but 41 people out of 350 million is not a national crisis i think?
I thought America doesn't keep a database of police shootings?
 

Adisa

likes to take afvanadva wothowi doubt
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
50,309
Location
Birmingham
I think it is compiled from local news reports etc rather than an official national database
Which is quite incredible really. Over here, an armed officer has to write a report for simply removing his or her pistol or taser from the holster. The holsters have seals on them. Once broken, the officer has some explaining to do.
 

Desert Eagle

Punjabi Dude
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
16,778
Depends how you see the stats though
41 out of 697 i.e. almost 6% of fatal police shootings or more than one in 20 people they shoot and kill will have been unarmed - on that basis it seems ridiculously high.... basically for every 17 people they fatally shoot who were armed they shoot and kill somebody unarmed!
Oh i agree it's too many. The problem comes from using the data we have to extrapolate. Is it indicative of racist white people using the badge as a cover to kill some black guys? How many unarmed white people are being killed? Is it a cop problem, a race problem or both? etc. I don't have all the solutions just rtying to provide a different context to the discussion since i'm pretty sure everybody agrees racism = bad, gun crime = bad, killing unarmed people = bad etc.

Statistics aren't perfect, and using one year's worth of statistics doesn't paint the whole picture. This has been going on for decades, long before such statistics were even recorded. Long before police were even the ones killing people, but it was the KKK and the police allowed it to happen. We could go into incidents that don't result in deaths, incidents that involve the wrong suspects etc. Freddie Gray & Eric Garner for example weren't shot, so won't show in that database.

But deflecting from the issue denies the fact that there is an issue, and that's what we're faced with. This isn't new, and apparently it's not going away.

Guns in America have a real affect because the overwhelming majority of those shot & killed by police are armed, that then increases the threat caused by any suspect who carries a weapon/anything resembling a weapon even if it's not being used.

Training is important but I think the aftermath of such incidents is where the real issue lies.
Cops need more counselling to deal with PTSD and other effects that working on the job can cause. Investigations need to be carried out independently or impartially. More community outreach initiatives need to happen between police and the communities they serve - people shouldn't only see police officers in their community when they're taking down a criminal, they should be a frequent member of their community and approachable. There shouldn't be a disconnect between the two
.
Completely agree. This is an issue relatively easily dealt with on the community level. It's hard to control every single cop on every single police force in the country though. Some shit will spill through the cracks but the systemic and structural changes can and should be highlighted.
 

sun_tzu

The Art of Bore
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
19,536
Location
Still waiting for the Youthquake
Which is quite incredible really. Over here, an armed officer has to write a report for simply removing his or her pistol or taser from the holster. The holsters have seals on them. Once broken, the officer has some explaining to do.
Oh Id like to think the police do similar over there - but its crazy that the info is not then available (freedom of information act equivalent?) so it has to be compiled by news outlets / websites
 

Desert Eagle

Punjabi Dude
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
16,778
Which is quite incredible really. Over here, an armed officer has to write a report for simply removing his or her pistol or taser from the holster. The holsters have seals on them. Once broken, the officer has some explaining to do.
The NRA has been fighting against data collecting in America for a long time. Add to that the power of police and jail unions/lobbyists and you get an ugly shitstorm that results in decisions like this :http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article88985782.html
 

sun_tzu

The Art of Bore
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
19,536
Location
Still waiting for the Youthquake
Oh i agree it's too many. The problem comes from using the data we have to extrapolate. Is it indicative of racist white people using the badge as a cover to kill some black guys? How many unarmed white people are being killed? Is it a cop problem, a race problem or both? etc. I don't have all the solutions just rtying to provide a different context to the discussion since i'm pretty sure everybody agrees racism = bad, gun crime = bad, killing unarmed people = bad etc.
.
on that point

The Post's data does show that unarmed black men are more likely to die by the gun of a cop than an unarmed white man...but this does not tell the whole story. In August 2015, the ratio was seven-to-one of unarmed black men dying from police gunshots compared to unarmed white men; the ratio was six-to-one by the end of 2015. But Mac Donald points out in The Marshall Project that looking at the details of the actual incidents that occurred paints a different picture:
this article does go on to show that the stats can be misleading - however 6 or 7 to one is a shocking stat and Im not sure I can think of a rational that can explain such an anomaly away
completely
http://www.dailywire.com/news/7264/5-statistics-you-need-know-about-cops-killing-aaron-bandler#
 
Last edited:

sun_tzu

The Art of Bore
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
19,536
Location
Still waiting for the Youthquake
Oh Id like to think the police do similar over there - but its crazy that the info is not then available (freedom of information act equivalent?) so it has to be compiled by news outlets / websites
Edit... Im wrong

Apparently the USA does not have a clue and the washington post / guardian have as much data as they do

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...gton-post-better-information-police-shootings

The head of the FBI has said it is “embarrassing and ridiculous” that the federal government has no better information on police shootings than databases compiled by the Guardian US and the Washington Post.

“It is unacceptable that the Washington Post and the Guardian newspaper from the UK are becoming the lead source of information about violent encounters between [US] police and civilians. That is not good for anybody,” said James Comey, the FBI director, on Wednesday.
 

villain

Hates Beyoncé
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Messages
14,973
Oh i agree it's too many. The problem comes from using the data we have to extrapolate. Is it indicative of racist white people using the badge as a cover to kill some black guys? How many unarmed white people are being killed? Is it a cop problem, a race problem or both? etc. I don't have all the solutions just rtying to provide a different context to the discussion since i'm pretty sure everybody agrees racism = bad, gun crime = bad, killing unarmed people = bad etc.



Completely agree. This is an issue relatively easily dealt with on the community level. It's hard to control every single cop on every single police force in the country though. Some shit will spill through the cracks but the systemic and structural changes can and should be highlighted.
On your first point quoting sun_tzu - I think most people should agree that it's a cop problem. Race problems occur because some people are racist or unintentionally prejudice, but I very much doubt that any police officer is out hunting for black/brown/yellow people to kill.
Identifying it as a cop problem doesn't mean that you're suddenly anti-cop either. Groups like BLM have come about because of recent incidents that happened to specifically black people, but again these aren't new, and they aren't brought about to make black people seem more important than everyone else or they hate cops.

When you use statistics and find out that actually more white people are killed by cops than black people, it doesn't negate the purpose of BLM, but actually reinforces the idea that police brutality is a problem that needs to be tackled, no matter the race of the victim. It should actually anger white people too, it should anger the All Lives Matter crowd also.

It's far too easy to deny that it happens, or it will never happen to you, or the person who it happened to deserved it because they weren't a perfect citizen, or dehumanise the loss of their loved ones and the community it affects.
 

Desert Eagle

Punjabi Dude
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
16,778
On your first point quoting sun_tzu - I think most people should agree that it's a cop problem. Race problems occur because some people are racist or unintentionally prejudice, but I very much doubt that any police officer is out hunting for black/brown/yellow people to kill.
Identifying it as a cop problem doesn't mean that you're suddenly anti-cop either. Groups like BLM have come about because of recent incidents that happened to specifically black people, but again these aren't new, and they aren't brought about to make black people seem more important than everyone else or they hate cops.

When you use statistics and find out that actually more white people are killed by cops than black people, it doesn't negate the purpose of BLM, but actually reinforces the idea that police brutality is a problem that needs to be tackled, no matter the race of the victim. It should actually anger white people too, it should anger the All Lives Matter crowd also.

It's far too easy to deny that it happens, or it will never happen to you, or the person who it happened to deserved it because they weren't a perfect citizen, or dehumanise the loss of their loved ones and the community it affects.
I agree with what you're saying buddy. It's easy to not emphathize either with the families of the innocent victims or even with the highly stressful jobs the police do. We could all be a little more calm and understanding. I'm not sure the bolded part is true for most of the commentary i've read on the issue. I'd say the race of the the victim or cop plays a big part in the narrative ( how many black cop shoots unarmed white guy stories have been hashtagged). I think like you said making it a cop issue and solving that helps people of all colors. Getting into racism clouds the issue a bit and makes it harder to get to the solution. Not saying racism is not a factor but it's definitely not the main one imo.
 

Nobby style

Full Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,265
Location
Tooting Colombia to Tooting Bec and back again
That's so sad, the guy has his hands up yet the police officer says that he's refusing to show his hands.
It's a bit unnerving that both yours and my posts concern the state of Oklahoma.
With a history like this in Tulsa? Just under a hundred years ago they rampaged and slaughtered nearly 300 African Americans in what was once the wealthiest African American community in the US. Of course . . . "The Tulsa race riot of 1921 was rarely mentioned in history books."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_riot
 

RedTiger

Half mast
Joined
Oct 6, 2013
Messages
23,003
Location
Beside the sea-side, Beside the sea.
With a history like this in Tulsa? Just under a hundred years ago they rampaged and slaughtered nearly 300 African Americans in what was once the wealthiest African American community in the US. Of course . . . "The Tulsa race riot of 1921 was rarely mentioned in history books."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_riot
Thanks for that, this is the first I'm hearing about it.
 

Organic Potatoes

Full Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2013
Messages
17,139
Location
85R723R2+R6
Supports
Colorado Rapids
With a history like this in Tulsa? Just under a hundred years ago they rampaged and slaughtered nearly 300 African Americans in what was once the wealthiest African American community in the US. Of course . . . "The Tulsa race riot of 1921 was rarely mentioned in history books."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_riot
Aye, we have a fine history of racism. When I was in school, you couldn't be caught alone in the hallway with people of a different color. One time I was and got bruised so bad it seemed to last for months. It helped start a miniature sized race riot in the lot, all the black kids on one side and all the rest on the other. Got somewhat violent eventually.

Seems unreal now to think back on it...
 

adexkola

Doesn't understand sportswashing.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
48,027
Location
The CL is a glorified FA Cup set to music
Supports
orderly disembarking on planes
I agree with what you're saying buddy. It's easy to not emphathize either with the families of the innocent victims or even with the highly stressful jobs the police do. We could all be a little more calm and understanding. I'm not sure the bolded part is true for most of the commentary i've read on the issue. I'd say the race of the the victim or cop plays a big part in the narrative ( how many black cop shoots unarmed white guy stories have been hashtagged). I think like you said making it a cop issue and solving that helps people of all colors. Getting into racism clouds the issue a bit and makes it harder to get to the solution. Not saying racism is not a factor but it's definitely not the main one imo.
Only if you narrowly define racism as a white person pointing to a black person and saying, "hey monkey, I hate you. I'm gonna lynch you!". Even within that narrow framework, as late as 50 years ago, police forces were openly and proudly racist, enforcing segregation laws, and turning their backs on lynching and other targeted attacks on black folk. As late as 20 years ago the O.J. Simpson trial uncovered a systemic terrorizing of the Los Angeles black community by the L.A.P.D., who threw epithets casually and planted evidence and beat the living shit out of suspects. Pretending as if all that just magically disappeared in 20 years is naive, at best. From there, other options are varying levels of insults honestly.

And that ignores the fact that racism is not just targeted individual attacks on someone who may be of a different color, and defining it as such makes the vast majority of people who are complicit in a broken system pat themselves on the back for not calling their black friend (cause we all know they have one or two of them) the n-word.

Yeah in isolation, a cop shooting an unarmed motorist may not come down to racism. The cop may have been trained improperly. Prevalence of guns in the US may have him on edge. Looking at the numbers though, after normalizing for wealth, class, education, age... black people and other people of color are targeted, profiled, threatened and killed more than others. That is racism. Which is why there is an outcry everytime an incident like this happens, even if the victim may have not been "perfect".
 

Grinner

Not fat gutted. Hirsuteness of shoulders TBD.
Staff
Joined
May 5, 2003
Messages
72,287
Location
I love free dirt and rocks!
Supports
Arsenal
We elected Barack Obama. Racism is dead and black people should stop moaning and get on with it.

Right?
 

Nobby style

Full Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
6,265
Location
Tooting Colombia to Tooting Bec and back again
We elected Barack Obama. Racism is dead and black people should stop moaning and get on with it.

Right?
Yes, and the fecking BLM movement is the real the racial problem in the US; not the Republican Party, not Trump nation, not Talk Radio, not Fox News, and especially not the hundreds of white supremacist and militia and oath keepers and southern pride and hard right christian organisations.
 

Desert Eagle

Punjabi Dude
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
16,778
Only if you narrowly define racism as a white person pointing to a black person and saying, "hey monkey, I hate you. I'm gonna lynch you!". Even within that narrow framework, as late as 50 years ago, police forces were openly and proudly racist, enforcing segregation laws, and turning their backs on lynching and other targeted attacks on black folk. As late as 20 years ago the O.J. Simpson trial uncovered a systemic terrorizing of the Los Angeles black community by the L.A.P.D., who threw epithets casually and planted evidence and beat the living shit out of suspects. Pretending as if all that just magically disappeared in 20 years is naive, at best. From there, other options are varying levels of insults honestly.

And that ignores the fact that racism is not just targeted individual attacks on someone who may be of a different color, and defining it as such makes the vast majority of people who are complicit in a broken system pat themselves on the back for not calling their black friend (cause we all know they have one or two of them) the n-word.

Yeah in isolation, a cop shooting an unarmed motorist may not come down to racism. The cop may have been trained improperly. Prevalence of guns in the US may have him on edge. Looking at the numbers though, after normalizing for wealth, class, education, age... black people and other people of color are targeted, profiled, threatened and killed more than others. That is racism. Which is why there is an outcry everytime an incident like this happens, even if the victim may have not been "perfect".
I'll take your word for it though i would like a dm with a link to that study if you don't mind. Also after normalizing for wealth, class,education and age do all races commit crimes at the exact same rate? Even if what you say is 100% accurate it doesn't prove racism in every case. What if a black cop did the shooting? And I don't doubt racism exists and permeates various parts of american life. I am aware you can't just remove it from the equation completely. If the policing issue is fixed doesn't the number of unarmed people getting killed decrease significantly? That to me is the best way to fix the problem of cops killing people unnecessarily.
 

Desert Eagle

Punjabi Dude
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
16,778
We elected Barack Obama. Racism is dead and black people should stop moaning and get on with it.

Right?
Of course not but race relations are at their best point ever in recorded human history. Progress has been made and I'm very optimistic about future generations moving beyond skin color and race. It's irresponsible in my opinion for a lot of people to completely ignore that a lot of progress has been made in a very short amount of time and that we are on course for things to get better. In the same way it would be irresponsible to focus on each individual case completely divorced from the history and backdrop of racism that still exists.
 

villain

Hates Beyoncé
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Messages
14,973
Just to add on to what @Nobby style & @adexkola said about how recent the turmoil between particularly black people and the police are, here's a video from Selma in 1965


Assuming that boy isn't more than 25 years old (he looks closer to 18 to me, but black don't crack etc) it's more than reasonable that he's alive, and these are the kind of interactions with police that he and the other people in the crowd would have had.

51 years ago. I'd assume most people's parents are older than that, hell some are probably closer to that age on here.

These are the kind of incidents that forms divides, because I bet that same police officer wouldn't speak that way to a white boy of the same age who still calls him sir and speaks in a calm and clear tone quoting the bible.
 

Organic Potatoes

Full Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2013
Messages
17,139
Location
85R723R2+R6
Supports
Colorado Rapids
Of course not but race relations are at their best point ever in recorded human history. Progress has been made and I'm very optimistic about future generations moving beyond skin color and race. It's irresponsible in my opinion for a lot of people to completely ignore that a lot of progress has been made in a very short amount of time and that we are on course for things to get better. In the same way it would be irresponsible to focus on each individual case completely divorced from the history and backdrop of racism that still exists.
Aren't we living in one of the most peaceful periods in human history overall? I was thinking of the book that expounded upon it, 'The Better Angels of our Nature.'

I think we have yet to come to grips with the change in news coverage that the Information Age brought.
 

Desert Eagle

Punjabi Dude
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
16,778
Aren't we living in one of the most peaceful periods in human history overall? I was thinking of the book that expounded upon it, 'The Better Angels of our Nature.'

I think we have yet to come to grips with the change in news coverage that the Information Age brought.
Yes I've read that book. Steven Pinker is great. I highly recommend How the mind works, Blank Slate and the stuff of thought if you haven't already read them.

I completely agree with your point about the media especially the 24/7 news cycle on tv and now the social media headline / condense your thoughts into 150 characters kinda media. We are completely bombarded by input and it can be so easy to give in to confirmation bias and tribal thinking. A skill kids really need to develop is the weeding out of untrustworthy information. Right now if you believe in flat earth or young earth creationist or whatever other kooky shit , you can find arguments and people online that will validate you and you could feel safe and protected in that bubble. A bit off topic but in my opinion a great example of thinking along tribal lines is the whole brothers in blue/ blue wall of silence/ cop bro code. The fact that even the most outrageous killing can result in a demotion or sometimes not even that just completely erodes public trust in the system and is also worse for the good cops in the long run.
 

adexkola

Doesn't understand sportswashing.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
48,027
Location
The CL is a glorified FA Cup set to music
Supports
orderly disembarking on planes
I'll take your word for it though i would like a dm with a link to that study if you don't mind. Also after normalizing for wealth, class,education and age do all races commit crimes at the exact same rate? Even if what you say is 100% accurate it doesn't prove racism in every case. What if a black cop did the shooting? And I don't doubt racism exists and permeates various parts of american life. I am aware you can't just remove it from the equation completely. If the policing issue is fixed doesn't the number of unarmed people getting killed decrease significantly? That to me is the best way to fix the problem of cops killing people unnecessarily.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/u...e-use-of-force-is-more-likely-for-blacks.html

As for your second question, forget about stats. Consider this: Until recently, if I was convicted of having 5 grams of crack cocaine, I get a 5 year prison sentence, mandatory. If I was convicted of having 500 grams of powder cocaine, I get a 5 year prison sentence, mandatory. Crack cocaine is used more by poor blacks and hispanics. Powder cocaine is used more by rich white socialites and models. Crack and powder cocaine are the same product chemically. However I need 100 times as much powder to get the same sentence I would get if I had a certain amount of crack. So even if people committed crimes at the same rate, then you would expect prison populations to have many more black and hispanic people. And that is literally what happened.

I accept that many cops wake up with the best of intentions. We have 2 police officers on here and I'm sure they mean well and are professional in their interactions with civilians. But implicit bias officers of any race may have that influences their interactions with black civilians disproportionately also counts as racism, which is why the ire remains when a black person is killed by a black cop for example.

One can walk and chew gum simultaneously. I think it is possible to fix the policing issue and fix or mitigate the racism issue.
 

Desert Eagle

Punjabi Dude
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
16,778
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/u...e-use-of-force-is-more-likely-for-blacks.html

As for your second question, forget about stats. Consider this: Until recently, if I was convicted of having 5 grams of crack cocaine, I get a 5 year prison sentence, mandatory. If I was convicted of having 500 grams of powder cocaine, I get a 5 year prison sentence, mandatory. Crack cocaine is used more by poor blacks and hispanics. Powder cocaine is used more by rich white socialites and models. Crack and powder cocaine are the same product chemically. However I need 100 times as much powder to get the same sentence I would get if I had a certain amount of crack. So even if people committed crimes at the same rate, then you would expect prison populations to have many more black and hispanic people. And that is literally what happened.

I accept that many cops wake up with the best of intentions. We have 2 police officers on here and I'm sure they mean well and are professional in their interactions with civilians. But implicit bias officers of any race may have that influences their interactions with black civilians disproportionately also counts as racism, which is why the ire remains when a black person is killed by a black cop for example.

One can walk and chew gum simultaneously. I think it is possible to fix the policing issue and fix or mitigate the racism issue.
http://policingequity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CPE_SoJ_Race-Arrests-UoF_2016-07-08-1130.pdf

If this is the report in question then i'm sorry but it doesn't do what you claim at all. It pretty much only differentiates in terms of race.

I agree with the second paragraph. That's a great example of structural racism and definitely adds to the problems civilians and police face. I also agree that both problems can and should be fixed, my point was to attempt to do both at the same time muddies the waters. Lets set achievable targets like increase training or increase accountability or change racist laws. To attempt to fix the racism issue is such broad and difficult goal that i feel that energy is better directed elsewhere.
 

Grinner

Not fat gutted. Hirsuteness of shoulders TBD.
Staff
Joined
May 5, 2003
Messages
72,287
Location
I love free dirt and rocks!
Supports
Arsenal
Just to add on to what @Nobby style & @adexkola said about how recent the turmoil between particularly black people and the police are, here's a video from Selma in 1965


Assuming that boy isn't more than 25 years old (he looks closer to 18 to me, but black don't crack etc) it's more than reasonable that he's alive, and these are the kind of interactions with police that he and the other people in the crowd would have had.

51 years ago. I'd assume most people's parents are older than that, hell some are probably closer to that age on here.

These are the kind of incidents that forms divides, because I bet that same police officer wouldn't speak that way to a white boy of the same age who still calls him sir and speaks in a calm and clear tone quoting the bible.

What a brave young man. It took real balls to stand up back then against seemingly unsurmountable odds.
 

senorgregster

Last Newbie Standing
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
10,343
Location
Anywhere but Liverpool
Just to add on to what @Nobby style & @adexkola said about how recent the turmoil between particularly black people and the police are, here's a video from Selma in 1965


Assuming that boy isn't more than 25 years old (he looks closer to 18 to me, but black don't crack etc) it's more than reasonable that he's alive, and these are the kind of interactions with police that he and the other people in the crowd would have had.

51 years ago. I'd assume most people's parents are older than that, hell some are probably closer to that age on here.

These are the kind of incidents that forms divides, because I bet that same police officer wouldn't speak that way to a white boy of the same age who still calls him sir and speaks in a calm and clear tone quoting the bible.
16 years old!