Interestingly, racism can occur even when the officer the same race as the suspect. Imagine you're a black cop and you have a patrol in a mostly black, inner city neighborhood with extremely high crime. Day after day you're faced with younh black men committing crimes that you have to arrest them for. You even have coworkers who have had guns pulled on them by young black men. In this situation, even though you're black, you can still have a stereotype form in your head that these young black men in your patrol area are trouble. You then pull over a young black man driving with an expired tag. He reaches for his wallet, you think he's pulling a gun, and you shoot him. Turns out he was a student at a local college just driving through the area.
In this fact pattern, you, a black cop, still had your judgement impaired by racial stereotypes just based on your work.
There's also things built into the system like patrol patterns that may have racial biases and so lead to more encounters with minorities. More encounters = more people being killed.
Whether all this is true in any individual case or even at all is another question. It's just possible is all I'm saying.
for the folks around here who don't think there is systemic racism, listen to Senator Tim Scott
“I want to go to a time in my life when I was an elected official and share just a couple of stories as an elected official. But please remember that in the course of one year, I’ve been stopped seven times by law enforcement officers. Not four, not five, not six, but seven times in one year as an elected official,” said Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate.
“Was I speeding sometimes? Sure. But the vast majority of the time, I was pulled over for nothing more than driving a new car in the wrong neighborhood or some other reason just as trivial.”
Scott explained that he has been pulled over by cops who believe he’s driving a stolen car and by a cop who trailed him for several turns, only to pull him over and claim he failed to use his turn signal on one of the turns.
"I am a victim, I will tell you. I am a victim."
"I am your retribution."
Mehdi Hasan Retweeted
Eli Clifton
@EliClifton
Police forces have been militarized with equipment,
training and tactics forged in the country's wars abroad.
In America, if the police see themselves as soldiers and
the neighborhoods they patrol as battle space,
then ordinary American citizens are the enemy.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1272628710739501056
The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to make sure he doesn’t get a gun.
Everyone who hasn't yet must watch Dave Chappelle's 8:46 special it's ****ing brilliant.
Stockholm, more densely populated than NYC - sturg
My next door neighbor had an air rifle, he saw a cop coming down the street and ran to hide it behind a car fearing he would get in trouble. If we didn't live in a middle class neighborhood with a low crime rate, odds are he would have been shot. But we are both white and in a relatively well off area, the cop didn't shoot him, and instead the cop just told him to be careful with it.
Stockholm, more densely populated than NYC - sturg
"For there is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it." Amanda Gorman
"When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross"
"For there is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it." Amanda Gorman
"When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross"
Remember the black social worker who laid on the ground and put his hands up telling them not to shoot the special needs person. Then he gets shot while laying down with hands up.
Officer was acquitted.
Unreal.
Forever Fredi
goldfly (06-15-2020)
"BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DEFUND THE POLICE?"
"Hi, Mr. Brooks. I'm w/ The Dept. of You OK? So, you OK? Looks like you fell asleep in your car. Lemme get you a ride home. I'll be by your home tomorrow to check on you. Here's my number. Looks like your ride's here. Good night, sir."
The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to make sure he doesn’t get a gun.