Lots of comments on cops from people who don't know any of them personally. Let's expand ownership of policing and empathy for the police by establishing a draft and take members of every class, every race to do the work. Then we'll be talking about "us" instead of "them." What? Don't want your son or daughter out on the gun-loaded streets?
7
Ok, but one simple question :"Why shoot to kill?". Of course when the "team" shoots a min. of five bullets, what else?
2
Amazing that Blow can't reason from this that perhaps it's the communities that are objectively affecting law enforcement officers of both races in the same way.
28
Your observation reminds me of a Jesse Jackson quote: "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.... After all we have been through. Just to think we can't walk down our own streets, how humiliating."
If black cops and Jesse can feel it, there's little justice in singling out white officers who feel it.
If black cops and Jesse can feel it, there's little justice in singling out white officers who feel it.
43
This set of facts about white compared to black police officers is not new.
Statistics like these are obviously a key part of the discussion. Why did it take this long, almost a year, for the NYTimes to report on it? Why is the report by a columnist rather than by a news reporter? I have been looking for this information in the NYT daily ever since the Ferguson incident, and sporadically since Trayvon Martin's death in Florida.
The kind of reporting that the new section, The Upshot, provides is absolutely critical. Statistical information on relevant groups is important to a citizen's evaluation of public issues and actions. The Times is doing better than most other media, but a one year delay in something so obvious is still unconscionable. Mr Leonhardt, as you lead the Upshot reporting, please be as proactive as possible.
To see some statistics-backed steps go to YouTube and watch Comedy Party Platform (2 min 90 sec). Then invite me to speak to your group. Thank you.
My views reflect my background as a 25 year management consultant, math faculty member at the University of California, professor of statistics elsewhere, IBM and private software designer, and CEO of a silicon Valley statistical management company.
Statistics like these are obviously a key part of the discussion. Why did it take this long, almost a year, for the NYTimes to report on it? Why is the report by a columnist rather than by a news reporter? I have been looking for this information in the NYT daily ever since the Ferguson incident, and sporadically since Trayvon Martin's death in Florida.
The kind of reporting that the new section, The Upshot, provides is absolutely critical. Statistical information on relevant groups is important to a citizen's evaluation of public issues and actions. The Times is doing better than most other media, but a one year delay in something so obvious is still unconscionable. Mr Leonhardt, as you lead the Upshot reporting, please be as proactive as possible.
To see some statistics-backed steps go to YouTube and watch Comedy Party Platform (2 min 90 sec). Then invite me to speak to your group. Thank you.
My views reflect my background as a 25 year management consultant, math faculty member at the University of California, professor of statistics elsewhere, IBM and private software designer, and CEO of a silicon Valley statistical management company.
1
One wonders if Mr. Blow understands that this blows away the racist police narrative? One also wonders about Mr. Blow's selective use of statistics moving from raw numbers (59 unarmed suspects) to percentages (8.8% black). Let’s break down the numbers a little further. The percentage of shootings of unarmed suspects to overall police shootings is 59/364=.162 (16.2%) over a 6 year period. Of that 16.2% a little more than half were black suspects - this in a majority black population. There is nothing striking about these numbers sort of represents closely the percentage of black folk to total population.
16
Mr. Blow: you're an excellent writer but please don't tip toe around the truth. When you point out the fact that it's not just white officers shooting black suspects - it's all police officers - time to call it like it is: Institutional Racism. An example of how ignorant most people are on this topic rose to the surface when your son was stopped and pointed at with a gun. The officer who stopped your son (the officer's color was not important) was part of the "institutional" attack on African Americans. People who are hung up over individualized racism couldn't comprehend this.
5
The problem seems to be less that the cops are racist than they are just frightened, compounded by the relative lack of consequences for their mistakes.
9
Blacks are disproportionately both perpetrators and victims of crime. Besides the toll it takes on individuals, the high crime rate in many Black neighborhoods retards economic growth in those areas. Who, after all, wants to open a business where it is likely to be vandalized or robbed? Thus, in addition to removing legal impediments to black entrepreneurship, something must be done to make Black neighborhoods safe for both individuals and businesses. That means that disparate police practices such as racial profiling in Black neighborhoods must stop.
Clearly, a radical rethinking of America’s approach to improving the lives of Blacks is in order but Black America has to share the blame and get
ready for prime time . Black people cannot conitnue to play the victim and continue to blame the world for their condition.
And just as important, there has to be, a Moral reawakening in our country in that racism, prejudice and bigotry will not be toleratedat any level.
Clearly, a radical rethinking of America’s approach to improving the lives of Blacks is in order but Black America has to share the blame and get
ready for prime time . Black people cannot conitnue to play the victim and continue to blame the world for their condition.
And just as important, there has to be, a Moral reawakening in our country in that racism, prejudice and bigotry will not be toleratedat any level.
11
Hard to say which is more shocking. The reports cited in this piece, or the statistics themselves. Given these facts, it's hard not to come to the conclusion that it looks like 'open season' on certain demographic groups in this society.
While the reason for this might be clear in a socio- economic and historical sense, (just take a look at our American history), that doesn't make it any less deplorable.
Thank you, Mr. Blow for an article that matters more than we think.
While the reason for this might be clear in a socio- economic and historical sense, (just take a look at our American history), that doesn't make it any less deplorable.
Thank you, Mr. Blow for an article that matters more than we think.
4
Officer-involved shootings mostly happen in the ghetto. Most black police officers are not much more familiar with ghetto life than are whites. The folks in the "hood" are the ones who are more likely to be shot for no good reason. It's not that they're black. It's their demeanor and attitude. Figuratively speaking, it's not that they're black kids it's that they're black kids in hoodies.
16
Justification no matter how specious and self serving seems to permeate both sides of the so called racial debate.
Families were broken, people stolen and enslaved by others who knew just what they were doing, but rather than admit to their crime they invented any number of lies to assuage their guilt and cover their wrongdoing. While some have prospered the majority suffer the residual effects of these lies in that they are still being used to justify similar exploitation, suppression and denial by covering without further treating this wound.
Some within our nation who traffic in this injustice know and exploit both fear and guilt by appealing to greed or vengeance; unfortunately we as a people, that is all of us, suffer, especially so when we elect them to public office.
Beyond reading and responding to these and other columns we must encourage thought and participation or we will remain in an uncomfortable house that others construct
Families were broken, people stolen and enslaved by others who knew just what they were doing, but rather than admit to their crime they invented any number of lies to assuage their guilt and cover their wrongdoing. While some have prospered the majority suffer the residual effects of these lies in that they are still being used to justify similar exploitation, suppression and denial by covering without further treating this wound.
Some within our nation who traffic in this injustice know and exploit both fear and guilt by appealing to greed or vengeance; unfortunately we as a people, that is all of us, suffer, especially so when we elect them to public office.
Beyond reading and responding to these and other columns we must encourage thought and participation or we will remain in an uncomfortable house that others construct
1
Think back to John Singleton's 1991 movie Boys n the Hood, in 2 depicted instances an integrated pair of cops interact with Lawrence Fishburns character and Cuba Goodings character, both times the black cop is portrayed as the more aggressive angry officer while the white cop is somewhat meekly standing by.
When I first saw this excellent film, I was struck by what the not so subtle message was by an African American director. Police in this country's depressed community's are literally an occupation force that more often than not provides little comfort to those citizens.
When I first saw this excellent film, I was struck by what the not so subtle message was by an African American director. Police in this country's depressed community's are literally an occupation force that more often than not provides little comfort to those citizens.
It is no doubt that black officers use violence also and should be placed in the same category as white cops. There were black cops standing around when Eric Garner was chocked to death. The polices and practices re sent down from the top and that is how police react, they know there will be no consequences for their actions, so what is the cost to them? None.
The way police handle the black community has been handed down for decades now by white lawmakers and police hierarchy, and that include black cops. We can also see that the cops that have killed unarmed blacks recently have been white, especially the death of Eric Garner was caught on video and was horrible.
The way police handle the black community has been handed down for decades now by white lawmakers and police hierarchy, and that include black cops. We can also see that the cops that have killed unarmed blacks recently have been white, especially the death of Eric Garner was caught on video and was horrible.
1
Given the violent and highly armed nature of American society, does this short circuiting of rationality surprise anyone? As police attempt to deal with criminals with so many guns, it appears that they are making routine decisions to focus on a racial group which they discern as being a focus for most of the crime. If we understand that, maybe we can find ways to solve the problems before they become violent.
2
"The race of the officer matters far less than the race of the suspect". The officer and the suspect are the same race: human being. That's not hippy-dippy claptrap ... it's the science of genetics. I wish the long, national, fundamentally flawed, pointless 'conversation about race' would be put to bed in favor of getting down to the business of 'being in this together'.
6
The highlighted data should indicate that shootings of unarmed black men are due to perceived threats borne from daily and sometimes deadly experience in certain segments of inner city communities rather than by any racial animus.
Blow's conclusion instead that the date indicates a racial "bias" by both whites and blacks is misguided, unfair and ignores the daily reality of policing in unpredictably and often violent communities.
Blow's conclusion instead that the date indicates a racial "bias" by both whites and blacks is misguided, unfair and ignores the daily reality of policing in unpredictably and often violent communities.
19
Thank you Mr. Blow for this insightful article. And I agree with you wholeheartedly. One of the things I tell my undergraduate college students in a culture/race/gender course is that racialized ideologies are afterall just ideas that can be appropriated by any of us regardless of whether they stigmatize or harm those who look different or like ourselves. It's a tough pill to swallow but we'll need to confront this reality if we are going to move forward and tackle the the monster of racism no matter where it may it dwells
3
I fully accept the fact that blacks are disproportionally represented in both arrest and police shooting statistics but they also disproportionally commit violent crimes. Is that not at all relevant to this discussion?
20
The author does a good job of laying out the part that the officer's race does not matter to the result, but then supposes that the problem is due to some kind of racism with the black suspects. I would say maybe, just maybe, it is because too many black youths in major cities commit crimes, for whatever reason. Hence, over time the police, like everyone else it seems, are cautious, maybe overly cautious around such. This results in the quick use of force if something seems out of the norm. I am not dismissing those who are just violent police officers, just saying on average the problem is not one of racism but one of fear driven by empirical data observed on the cities major streets day after day. Just go to Baltimore to see what I mean, or DC a few years ago.
10
Is there a chance that black sand whites on the average react differently to being stopped by police? This would also have to consider age. My impression is blacks are often very concerned not to be seen as being put upon and feel a need to stand up to authority. That sets the tone for configuration. Whites may because of social status be willing to recognize that they are at a disadvantage and want a quick end to the encounter. I am a white senior, and when I am stopped my concerns are to minimize all possible perceived threats and end the situation quickly. Previously the was an article about black parents having the TALK with their sons. i've had that internally.
7
The question which should be asked is why officers, both black and white as pointed out by this piece, so often believe that black suspects are armed when they are in fact not. It's very easy to say that officers "stereotype" black suspects as being potentially violent, however the hard truth is that the officers who have to make these split-second decisions experience actual, armed threats from suspects every day in urban areas and do not have the luxury of waiting until potentially violent situation is over before deciding whether to use force.
31
"The race Of the officer matters less than the race of the Suspect" Unfortunately blacks bear a larger impact from policing because they commit more crimes. Charles Blow continually focuses on the police. He should focus on the required change in actions and accountability in the black community. Jason Riley, Ben Carson, Roy Innes, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Crosby among other black leaders speak of personal responsibility. Mr.Blow needs to address that since a behavior change is needed to reduce crime and the terrible outcomes that can occur.
13
Thank you, Charles, for a cautionary note against any rush to judgment in a serious, but critical, issue facing our whole country: Let's stop to look at the facts, such as brought to light in the kind of studies you reported. No one will win the Racial War without destroying our country, and, one of the few remaining hopes of the world. Prejudice is disease whose seriousness is determined by its prevalence in any culture.
1
Some observations: "Threat Perception Failure"; a handy acronym for over-reacting. The "Waistband Thing" has become the catch-all phrase when said officer has no other rationale for firing the weapon. The "Straw-man" builders: " See- Black officers shoot too, so ya see there's no discrimination" [work culture is hard to breach and often at one's peril]. The "Split-decision" making that compels officers to shoot first: Decisions cannot be made in split-seconds- that's called Reacting and over-reacting. Most officer interactions are not life and death decisions except when officer non-assessment makes it so:That police departments do not provide on-going training makes for incompetent employees, with all-too-often lethal consequences; picking up the habits of fellow officers isn't TRAINING. Would society allow and accept any other professional to function only on the initial training received when first entering an occupation? Think about it; would you trust a physician, lawyer, architect whose only training occurred at the start of their career? Why then are we willing to accept it from professionals who carry weapons?
1
Race DOES matter, depending on the color of the shooter and the color of the victim. How often does the media report the shooting of an unarmed white man by a black officer? How many lootings, burnings and riots result from black officers shooting white teens, or black teens, for that matter? Very few if any, it seems to me. All critics of police officers involved in shootings seldom have any idea of what being a policeman is about, so they have little insight into an officer's life on the beat. Yet, they analyze and re-analyze over and over, based mainly on opinions......
8
What is the deal here commenters? That blacks commit a disproportionate amount of crime so it is understandable or OK To shoot unarmed blacks dead?
5
Group mentality is a forceful power. Also, the fear of reprisal for reporting bad behavior. If officers can't control themselves, and follow the rules, outside monitoring is required.
1
There's another reason Mr. Blow does not address. Answer this question: Did the best and brightest in your high school become cops? There are a lot of disappointed Junior Varsity guys out there, working out their issues with a badge, a club, and a gun.
4
It's interesting you can go write this whole piece and not mention other possible causes or contributing factors to this problem. Two things strike me as worthy of comment:
First, you don't mention the behavior of the victims. If everyone is shooting blacks more often, is it possible that the black suspects behave differently or more threateningly such that officers of any color react with deadly force? Why is it necessarily the police officers who are 100% at fault here? Would it not also be prudent coach people how to behave when in these situations and to hold them accountable for stupid behavior? Let's make sure to tell people who are under threat of arrest: "do what the officer tells you and, for God's sake, don't reach inside your coat!"
Second, you don't put these stats into perspective of the total numbers of encounters and total number of encounters where there's some violent element to it. Yes, it is terrible that 29 unarmed suspects were shot, but that is 29 out of how many total encounters? Is that an alarmingly high rate or not? My guess is that officers are 99.99% of the time handling situations well.
First, you don't mention the behavior of the victims. If everyone is shooting blacks more often, is it possible that the black suspects behave differently or more threateningly such that officers of any color react with deadly force? Why is it necessarily the police officers who are 100% at fault here? Would it not also be prudent coach people how to behave when in these situations and to hold them accountable for stupid behavior? Let's make sure to tell people who are under threat of arrest: "do what the officer tells you and, for God's sake, don't reach inside your coat!"
Second, you don't put these stats into perspective of the total numbers of encounters and total number of encounters where there's some violent element to it. Yes, it is terrible that 29 unarmed suspects were shot, but that is 29 out of how many total encounters? Is that an alarmingly high rate or not? My guess is that officers are 99.99% of the time handling situations well.
9
Police officers - black or white - get a close-up view of crime every day. Their responses to suspects are based on their experiences. That's the inconvenient truth that Blow doesn't want to confront.
14
If it's not racism, then please enough about racism. There are dead and wounded cops because of hate generated by the false narrative of Ferguson.
17
Regarding "threat perception", we Americans should be looking into the experiences of nations and their law enforcement officers wherein law enforcement officers do not carry guns, except in specially approved circumstances.
According to my search: "These nations are Britain, Ireland, Norway, Iceland and New Zealand, officers are unarmed when they are on patrol. Police are only equipped with firearms in special circumstances. It's a strategy that seems to work surprisingly well for these countries."
I am not sure we can rule out skin color as a factor also. I am not sure because this is a 1 case study. We would need a comparative study of locales in relationship skin color demographics and poverty of population, and, as well, skin color demographics of the police officers.
According to my search: "These nations are Britain, Ireland, Norway, Iceland and New Zealand, officers are unarmed when they are on patrol. Police are only equipped with firearms in special circumstances. It's a strategy that seems to work surprisingly well for these countries."
I am not sure we can rule out skin color as a factor also. I am not sure because this is a 1 case study. We would need a comparative study of locales in relationship skin color demographics and poverty of population, and, as well, skin color demographics of the police officers.
6
When I was young in the 60s, I saw a very young boy running down the street, laughing and enjoying himself. He was going to the corner store. I was sitting on my porch. A white policeman shot him in his back. He fell to the ground. He later died. The policeman claimed that he had shouted stop. He did not. The young man enjoying his run and his youth, would not have been listening for this if the policeman had called. Of course, the white policeman got away and went on to police. His excuse, the young man looked like someone else and had not stopped.
No matter what your race is when you come into our neighborhood if you only see criminals, even in the child on the porch playing, please stay out of our neighborhoods. Please remember, at one time, not long ago, whites committed most of the crimes. If African-American police had killed them in their own neighborhoods, it would not be simply excused.
No matter what your race is when you come into our neighborhood if you only see criminals, even in the child on the porch playing, please stay out of our neighborhoods. Please remember, at one time, not long ago, whites committed most of the crimes. If African-American police had killed them in their own neighborhoods, it would not be simply excused.
26
Neither can we forget that the history of law enforcement in this country was not only part of the architecture of oppression but also a brutal tool of that system.
Change that to - enforcement on this planet - and - brutal tool of the current power structure, the one percent.
Change that to - enforcement on this planet - and - brutal tool of the current power structure, the one percent.
2
Columnist George Will in 1991, quoting favorably the author of "A Nation of Cowards": "Regarding your observation about our society's general level of aggressiveness and disregard for rules, you may wish to consider Robert Heinlein's famous dictum that 'An armed society is a polite society.' Knowing that one's fellow citizens are armed, greater care is naturally taken not to give offense."
OK, George, we're all armed. Now what?
OK, George, we're all armed. Now what?
2
Disingenuously some will say "well black cops shoot blacks also", such a weak rationale.
There are certainly black cops that by osmosis buy into the condemnation of blackness.
Just as when the crack era hit many blacks panicked, falling right into step with the "drug war". The sense of fear overwhelmed them so much they forgot that those who abuse drugs have deep emotional and mental issues. Deep societal fissures that have never been addressed comprehensively. Today they realize they were duped.
The need for safety is not exclusive to white communities. It is just that the police sent into black communities are mainly white with no cultural competency; many have contempt and hate for blacks. Black officers begin to buy into the propaganda that black men are predisposed for criminal behavior, also devaluing their lives. If that black officer doesn't have a strong sense of who he is, where he is , and that his heritage is historically bound to injustice he will behave in many instances more violently than white officers to prove a point. To prove he is one of the "good" ones.
Then you have black cops who are fully aware of institutional racism and its origin. Growing up in the middle of it, having compassion in a system that wasn't designed for blacks to achieve. Instead designed to subvert the will of blacks. Once you realize that fully, you either go along to get along or you rebel.
A black cop that speaks for justice, becomes a threat to white racist cops...period.
There are certainly black cops that by osmosis buy into the condemnation of blackness.
Just as when the crack era hit many blacks panicked, falling right into step with the "drug war". The sense of fear overwhelmed them so much they forgot that those who abuse drugs have deep emotional and mental issues. Deep societal fissures that have never been addressed comprehensively. Today they realize they were duped.
The need for safety is not exclusive to white communities. It is just that the police sent into black communities are mainly white with no cultural competency; many have contempt and hate for blacks. Black officers begin to buy into the propaganda that black men are predisposed for criminal behavior, also devaluing their lives. If that black officer doesn't have a strong sense of who he is, where he is , and that his heritage is historically bound to injustice he will behave in many instances more violently than white officers to prove a point. To prove he is one of the "good" ones.
Then you have black cops who are fully aware of institutional racism and its origin. Growing up in the middle of it, having compassion in a system that wasn't designed for blacks to achieve. Instead designed to subvert the will of blacks. Once you realize that fully, you either go along to get along or you rebel.
A black cop that speaks for justice, becomes a threat to white racist cops...period.
5
As usual when you write one of these columns you find hordes of white males quickly justifying every deadly interaction between black men and anybody (including the police) as the black man's fault, never mind 90% of black men live their lives without violent interaction with police or anybody. They point to statistics which usually can be used by anyone to justify anything depending on the interpreter of that statistic. Some 90 % of violent crimes in the white community is committed by white men. Yet this is not used as a reason why white men should be judged as the aggressor with every violent interaction with say a white female. If we used that rational, the killer of Travis Alexander, Jodi Arias would be walking free today. Whats frightening is we rely on these people like these to make fair decisions in jury pools, job hiring situations and the like.
7
"They point to statistics which usually can be used by anyone to justify anything depending on the interpreter of that statistic."
"There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."
"Figures don't lie, bur liars do figure"
"There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."
"Figures don't lie, bur liars do figure"
1
What makes a cop behave as a cop? I think it is two things; the personality of the individual that is attracted to the job and the training that person receives. An authoritarian personality trained to react by shooting any perceived threat yields the results we see. Race doesn't matter nearly as much as the underlying personality of the officer and the training received.
9
Agreed, but there is a third factor--locker-room culture. Cops often say that as soon as they hit the streets with experienced partners, half their academy training goes out the window,
3
And what makes a criminal a criminal? How would you describe that personality?
2
Carol, you are leaving out a very large element in your opinion statement - the danger inherent in the job. My Irish mother was a detective. When she had "the talk" with me (yes, white kids get "the talk" too) she was quite clear. "If that officer believes that only one of you is going to go home tonight, you can bet, it's going to be him. Never give him a reason to think you are dangerous."
It's really not that hard to figure out.
It's really not that hard to figure out.
7
"the black community bore the brunt of this disparate treatment."
Charles- that is because the black community has a disparate proportion of crime and violence. Nothing racist in this statement. Just a fact. I live in the White-Asian suburbs of New Jersey and violent crime is a rare occurence. It is not white flight. It is suburban flight to get away from the violent neighborhoods..."where the black communities bear the brunt of the disparate treatment." Until we talk with facts and not politically correct narratives, we will never solve society's serious problems. And stop blaming the police.
Charles- that is because the black community has a disparate proportion of crime and violence. Nothing racist in this statement. Just a fact. I live in the White-Asian suburbs of New Jersey and violent crime is a rare occurence. It is not white flight. It is suburban flight to get away from the violent neighborhoods..."where the black communities bear the brunt of the disparate treatment." Until we talk with facts and not politically correct narratives, we will never solve society's serious problems. And stop blaming the police.
64
"Nothing racist in this statement."
Your racism lies in your underlying assumption that this is simply the way that "they" just naturally are, so that, if we shipped the remainder back to Africa after killing and imprisoning as many blacks as possible, why then, the only form of unlawfulness in the United States would be white-on-white financial crime, since there is no violence between or among the various white ethnic groups, Asians, Latins, and Pacific Islanders.
Your racism lies in your underlying assumption that this is simply the way that "they" just naturally are, so that, if we shipped the remainder back to Africa after killing and imprisoning as many blacks as possible, why then, the only form of unlawfulness in the United States would be white-on-white financial crime, since there is no violence between or among the various white ethnic groups, Asians, Latins, and Pacific Islanders.
1
This kind of refusal to face facts, call a mistake a mistake and let people duck out on personal responsibity is indeed a big chunk of the problem.
By the way? Citing facts isn't the same thing as blaming cops.
By the way? Citing facts isn't the same thing as blaming cops.
1
"The idea that people cannot be biased — consciously or not — against people who look like them is a naïve assumption."
It also should not be called racism. But that would put race baiters out of business.
It also should not be called racism. But that would put race baiters out of business.
16
It shouldn't be called racism, which is why he called it being biased.
Also: whites, even liberal whites will be more accepting if we replace racism with the word white privilege. This makes it easier for them to see that blacks can never benefit from white privilege, but when you say that blacks can't be racist, all hell breaks loose.
Also: whites, even liberal whites will be more accepting if we replace racism with the word white privilege. This makes it easier for them to see that blacks can never benefit from white privilege, but when you say that blacks can't be racist, all hell breaks loose.
Let me offer a few lines from Woody Guthrie's "Hobo's Lullabye." I think they speak some to this issue:
"I know the police give you trouble/They cause trouble everywhere.
When you die and go to Heaven/You'll find no policemen there."
Is better training the po-liceman's ticket to Heaven?
"I know the police give you trouble/They cause trouble everywhere.
When you die and go to Heaven/You'll find no policemen there."
Is better training the po-liceman's ticket to Heaven?
2
I don't think Woody meant that people who are police officers won't go to Heaven -- you wouldn't find any doctors there either.
1
Something I never see mentioned.......if tensions and violence have worsened across the country in recent years, could it be related to rap and hip-hop glorification of gang violence, guns, drugs, sexism, even shooting police? And subsequently contributed to police officers' lack of respect and perceived threat?
19
Hip Hop is not the cause. It is the effect.
10
You could be right. Extremism seems to be rampant in ever corner of our society, today. A lot of anger, a lot of fear. What could possibly go wrong?
1
Movies and popular entertainment have been doing that a lot longer than hip-hop and rap have been around. It's part of our culture in which the main character in a movie is not interesting unless he has a gun in his hand.
1
Race matters less than YOU think.
13
Please supply some evidence to back up your assertion.
1. This is a good editorial, in which Charles Blow discusses some inconvenient truths--like the idea that simply hiring more black cops won't help when it comes to unnecessary shootings, because in Philadelphia black cops are if anything MORE likely to shoot black suspects when they don't need to.
2. I'm at a loss to understand where some of the commentors are getting their notion that Mr. Blow's attacking white cops, or denying problems (like ciolent crime) in black communities, or playing the same old song.
3. But since so many seem fussed and bothered about making sure that we all think that black people commit all the crime and black writers won't talk about it, here's a question: what's with all the white bankers, lawyers, politicians, getting us into unnecessary wars? Stealing all the money they steal? doing all the environmental damage? ripping off so many people?
i say it's high time the white community admitted, and confronted, its penchant for financial crime that kills.
2. I'm at a loss to understand where some of the commentors are getting their notion that Mr. Blow's attacking white cops, or denying problems (like ciolent crime) in black communities, or playing the same old song.
3. But since so many seem fussed and bothered about making sure that we all think that black people commit all the crime and black writers won't talk about it, here's a question: what's with all the white bankers, lawyers, politicians, getting us into unnecessary wars? Stealing all the money they steal? doing all the environmental damage? ripping off so many people?
i say it's high time the white community admitted, and confronted, its penchant for financial crime that kills.
44
We can stop all of the rationalization about police when it pertains to blacks. Never has there been a good relationship with police and blacks, EVER....
The police for generations have exploited/abused blacks. In urban and rural dept's.
In NYC, for years in black neighborhoods the police were in league with the mob and black miscreants. Creating a system of graft. Which helped to fund many a policeman's child's college education. Blacks don't trust police from experience. Engaging in abuse, killing,and criminal activity with virtual impunity.
Before drugs ,gangs,and gun violence white police were oppressively policing blacks. The police have killed hardworking law abiding black men with the same verve as a criminal;without accountability. Many whites have no clue, thoroughly unqualified to speak to this subject.
Yes the police will say they aren't racist; but most are. White men feel it is their duty to protect and preserve the sanctity of a white Christian nation, everyone else considered the "other".
As for police of "color" committing the same abuses, they are compelled too. If not they will be singled out as "suspect".
Anyone remember Frank Serpico?A white cop who fought corruption of the NYPD only to be set up by fellow officers to be killed. Imagine what they would do to a black cop with a sense of integrity?
Whites need to stop trying to rationalize a system they aren't aware of, if they are aware, it hasn't deleteriously affected their lives or personhood...
The police for generations have exploited/abused blacks. In urban and rural dept's.
In NYC, for years in black neighborhoods the police were in league with the mob and black miscreants. Creating a system of graft. Which helped to fund many a policeman's child's college education. Blacks don't trust police from experience. Engaging in abuse, killing,and criminal activity with virtual impunity.
Before drugs ,gangs,and gun violence white police were oppressively policing blacks. The police have killed hardworking law abiding black men with the same verve as a criminal;without accountability. Many whites have no clue, thoroughly unqualified to speak to this subject.
Yes the police will say they aren't racist; but most are. White men feel it is their duty to protect and preserve the sanctity of a white Christian nation, everyone else considered the "other".
As for police of "color" committing the same abuses, they are compelled too. If not they will be singled out as "suspect".
Anyone remember Frank Serpico?A white cop who fought corruption of the NYPD only to be set up by fellow officers to be killed. Imagine what they would do to a black cop with a sense of integrity?
Whites need to stop trying to rationalize a system they aren't aware of, if they are aware, it hasn't deleteriously affected their lives or personhood...
23
Regarding "threat perception", we Americans should be looking into the experiences of nations and their law enforcement officers wherein law enforcement officers do not carry guns, except in specially approved circumstances. According to my search: "These nations are Britain, Ireland, Norway, Iceland and New Zealand, officers are unarmed when they are on patrol. Police are only equipped with firearms in special circumstances. It's a strategy that seems to work surprisingly well for these countries."
1
I see a lot of people commenting, to the effect, "Of course officers focus on/shoot more black people. Black people commit more crime!"
How does this explain the fact the differing response to the millions of people arrest for drugs every year? Blacks don't use or sell drugs more than whites, or possess guns for that matter, yet are targeted & searched by cops far more often, and then more aggressively prosecuted. Is this also the "black community's" fault?
"Blacks remain far more likely than whites to be arrested for selling drugs (3.6 times more likely) or possessing drugs (2.5 times more likely). Yet, 6.6 percent of white adolescents and young adults (aged 12 to 25) sold drugs, compared to just 5.0 percent of blacks. 10 percent of blacks report using illegal drugs within the last month, which is not statistically different than the rate for whites."
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/social-mobility-memos/posts/2014/09/30-wa...
"White New Yorkers make up a small minority of stop-and-frisks, which were 84 percent black and Latino residents. Despite this much higher number of minorities deemed suspicious by police, the likelihood that stopping an African American would find a weapon was half the likelihood of finding one on a white person."
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/05/22/2046451/white-people-stopped...
How does this explain the fact the differing response to the millions of people arrest for drugs every year? Blacks don't use or sell drugs more than whites, or possess guns for that matter, yet are targeted & searched by cops far more often, and then more aggressively prosecuted. Is this also the "black community's" fault?
"Blacks remain far more likely than whites to be arrested for selling drugs (3.6 times more likely) or possessing drugs (2.5 times more likely). Yet, 6.6 percent of white adolescents and young adults (aged 12 to 25) sold drugs, compared to just 5.0 percent of blacks. 10 percent of blacks report using illegal drugs within the last month, which is not statistically different than the rate for whites."
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/social-mobility-memos/posts/2014/09/30-wa...
"White New Yorkers make up a small minority of stop-and-frisks, which were 84 percent black and Latino residents. Despite this much higher number of minorities deemed suspicious by police, the likelihood that stopping an African American would find a weapon was half the likelihood of finding one on a white person."
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/05/22/2046451/white-people-stopped...
57
It seems like the white drug users end up in the hospital, while black drug users end up in the street. Sorry, that's how it looks to me. There's an epidemic of drug use in white suburbs and small towns, but we don't hear about shootings too often, armed or unarmed.
1
You can use statistics to justify any viewpoint. I'm sure lots of white people sell drugs but the kind of street level drug dealers that get arrested on a regular basis are mostly black.
2
About 80 percent of sate and federal inmates are incarcerated for non-drug related offenses and virtually no one goes to prison for simple possession. According to the White House Officer of National Drug Control Policy, "there are very few people in state or Federal prison for marijuana-related crimes. It is useful to look at all drug offenses for context. Among sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction in 2008, 18% were sentenced for drug offenses. We know from the most recent survey of inmates in state prison that only six percent (6%) of prisoners were for drug possession offenders, and just over four percent (4.4%) were drug offenders with no prior sentences. In total, one tenth of one percent (0.1 percent) of state prisoners were marijuana possession offenders with no prior sentences. For Federal prisoners, who represent 13 percent of the total prison population, about half (51 percent) had a drug offense as the most serious offense in 2009. And Federal data show that the vast majority (99.8 percent) of Federal prisoners sentenced for drug offenses were incarcerated for drug trafficking."
2
I just watched a video in which a police officer was fatally shot. The officer was talking with a suspect, and the suspect seemed calm. With no warning, the suspect suddenly drew a handgun from his waistband and shot the officer at point-blank range. So if I was a cop, and I saw a suspect "waistband tugging", I might not wait to see what was coming next before I opened fire.
10
Well, this is the sure doesn't fit the narrative that has been shoved down our throats. B..but..but.. I thought we could fix Ferguson by having more diversity in the police force?
8
Any "race" or group has members who collaborate with the "authorities." Dutch and French women paid a price for collaborating with the Nazi soldiers. Collaborators in municipal authorities were often executed, as were intellectuals who wrote in support of the German regime. The race of American officers killing unarmed men is unimportant other than as a further illustration of this.
1
Our police officers are terrified of the civilian population. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the NRA and 2nd Amendment Rights advocates, they are forced to treat every encounter as potentially deadly. This makes them paranoid and probably trigger-happy. And portraying the job as ONLY life threatening increases the threat in our officers' perceptions.
Only one aspect to an extremely complex problem, these perceptions are a human response beyond any racial analysis.
Only one aspect to an extremely complex problem, these perceptions are a human response beyond any racial analysis.
8
Having known a few police officers in my day in Michigan, New York and LA, I could have told you that without an in-depth study. You and the studies are looking at the wrong factors. What you need to look at is what makes a person become a police officer in the first place. We live in a culture that makes the guy (or gal) with the gun the BMOC at least in their own mind. He/she is Rambo. They can defend with deadly force. And they do. We aren't talking about combat here where it's kill or be killed, we are talking about our streets.
I would suggest to anyone "investigating" this situation, you might look at why a person would choose a profession in first place that gives them a gun and allows them to shoot their fellow citizens. I think you'll find that reason transcends race and gender.
There are a lot of great cops out there that truly have a calling but the profession also calls to a lot of people with issues. Suit them up like the Army Rangers and they've got even more license to "play" war on our streets.
I would suggest to anyone "investigating" this situation, you might look at why a person would choose a profession in first place that gives them a gun and allows them to shoot their fellow citizens. I think you'll find that reason transcends race and gender.
There are a lot of great cops out there that truly have a calling but the profession also calls to a lot of people with issues. Suit them up like the Army Rangers and they've got even more license to "play" war on our streets.
8
Can someone, anyone, please explain to me why it is that supposedly well trained and undoubtedly well armed, police officers of all races suddenly fear for their lives in the presence of African-American males of any age or size? I'm just an old white guy who is appalled at this situation which seems to be endemic in our cities and towns. We need to stop allowing the words, "I feared for my life" to serve as an unquestioned excuse for shallow investigation, or a carte blanche for a secret Grand Jury proceeding to declare no true bill in the vast majority of such cases.
2
Should the citizens of Philadelphia be apologizing to the police?
Yes, they should. The police officers put their lives on the line and are attacked and feel the need to use force. The use of force is a huge decision for police.
Maybe if the people in Philadelphia behaved themselves, the use of force wouldn't be an necessary.
Yes, they should. The police officers put their lives on the line and are attacked and feel the need to use force. The use of force is a huge decision for police.
Maybe if the people in Philadelphia behaved themselves, the use of force wouldn't be an necessary.
8
Doesn't all this simply say that high rates of criminality are the problem rather than racism. Let's stop the spin and focus on why some African - American communities have such high rates of crime, especially violent crime.
14
It is abundantly clear that poverty and crime are closely linked. There is also a clear link between racism and poverty.
1
As much as I deplore police shooting unarmed suspects, I also wonder if the prevalence of guns in the U.S. general population, in which firearms are easily bought, sold, passed around, smuggled, etc. doesn't contribute to police mistaking "shiny objects" as firearms. And I wonder if the levels of police shootings of unarmed civilians in countries where gun ownership is more rigidly controlled is comparable. Has anyone done such a study? The results might be instructive.
12
Something is rotten in Denmark, and it ain't the white officers, per se. It's the system itself. Because, yes, blacks can be racists towards other blacks.
I'm not black, but I am female. And it is not at all uncommon for 'successful' women in a sexist organization to perpetuate and practice sexism against other women.
I'm not black, but I am female. And it is not at all uncommon for 'successful' women in a sexist organization to perpetuate and practice sexism against other women.
9
Funny you should mention Denmark (yes Hamlet, yawn) because while that country has the usual of 25% outright racists (going by votes for racist parties) , like all majority white countries, they also arguably have a lesser crime rate and a fairer justice system, focused more on rehab than repression.
The last two Philadelphia Police officers killed in the line of duty were Black. The race of the three murderers; Black. The Philadelphia Police officers are defending themselves against an actual proven threat.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20141212_Gunman_who_killed_Phila__Poli...
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150326_Prosecutors__Both_brothers_fi...
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20141212_Gunman_who_killed_Phila__Poli...
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150326_Prosecutors__Both_brothers_fi...
33
The simple truth is all citizens, including kids, must learn that they have an obligation, especially if they expect to survive an encounter with armed civil authority, to comply and cooperate with them. Presenting in a manner that could be a threat or could be perceived as a threat can lead to death on the spot.
My father, a NYC cop taught this simple lesson to his sons and both of us have survived close encounters with police long enough to collect Social Security. It works.
My father, a NYC cop taught this simple lesson to his sons and both of us have survived close encounters with police long enough to collect Social Security. It works.
16
RPD@ "if they expect to survive an encounter with armed civil authority, to comply and cooperate with them"
Whaat? So basically another citizen with broader discretions has the right to decide who he should kill or who not to kill? Allow the police the right to function as judge and jury?
No unarmed man should be killed by an armed civilian authority. Shooting an unarmed man screams, "cowardice!".
No person based on what they say to a cop should fear for his life. We as citizens have every right to question a police action, we pay them. A cop has training to deal with those situations. Unless that the person has no rights to respect anyway. If any police have such sensitivities maybe they should find another line of work.
White police don't want to be sassed by blacks or challenged.
Once in Harlem asking a young white cop about a police action( blocking street), he gave a pat response. What was poignant, acrimoniously, with his teeth clenched, as if it took everything in the world, went against his very being to respond courteously or civilly to a black man. One who has resided, with relatives for generations in the community. That cop never encountered Harlem until he put on a uniform and strapped on a gun; ready for battle.
This idea that one must be courteous to the police is absurd. Cops when they sign on know the job is difficult, if they can't handle it; quit. To expect the public to exercise " good manners" is ludicrous and oversimplified not be harmed/killed...
Whaat? So basically another citizen with broader discretions has the right to decide who he should kill or who not to kill? Allow the police the right to function as judge and jury?
No unarmed man should be killed by an armed civilian authority. Shooting an unarmed man screams, "cowardice!".
No person based on what they say to a cop should fear for his life. We as citizens have every right to question a police action, we pay them. A cop has training to deal with those situations. Unless that the person has no rights to respect anyway. If any police have such sensitivities maybe they should find another line of work.
White police don't want to be sassed by blacks or challenged.
Once in Harlem asking a young white cop about a police action( blocking street), he gave a pat response. What was poignant, acrimoniously, with his teeth clenched, as if it took everything in the world, went against his very being to respond courteously or civilly to a black man. One who has resided, with relatives for generations in the community. That cop never encountered Harlem until he put on a uniform and strapped on a gun; ready for battle.
This idea that one must be courteous to the police is absurd. Cops when they sign on know the job is difficult, if they can't handle it; quit. To expect the public to exercise " good manners" is ludicrous and oversimplified not be harmed/killed...
2
"better identify behavior such as ‘waistband-tugging’ where no weapons are present"
This is a good idea, but if an officer is pointing a gun at me I think I have more important concerns than answering my cell phone or adjusting the waistband of my pants. I guarantee that I will not make any movements without the officer's full consent.
This is a good idea, but if an officer is pointing a gun at me I think I have more important concerns than answering my cell phone or adjusting the waistband of my pants. I guarantee that I will not make any movements without the officer's full consent.
3
Thank You Mr. Blow, for pointing out the complicities of sub-consious biases. What is true in policing is something I have constantly noticed in my chosen field of Medicine. It is never, ever overt but present. That it is subtle is due to the fact one can be severely penalized or worse summarily fired which is as should be. No health personnel would like to be termed racist. So every action is way below the radar. The African- American Nurse will not give the 100% to an African- American patient because he/she does not want to be labelled as going the extra mile and showing a lack of objectivity. So she restrains herself, friendlier to the Caucasian patient. A White Nurse does not have to fear this kind of profiling so she is friendly - but it is the degree to the friendliness that is different. Therefore, the African- American patient comes out feeling, he has no cause for complaint while the Caucasian patient is a happy camper at discharge. So Mr. Blows' conclusion comes as no surprise to me.
4
Thanks for this example. This also comes as no surprise to me, it happens in the class room as well.
1
I remember a conversation after the Sean Bell killing. A friend with a white mother and black father said he didn't want to think race was an issue, after all only one of the three cops was white. My first reaction was, why the hell were the cops at THAT club anyway instead of one of the similar, but mostly white, strip clubs in Manhattan? Like there's no drugs or prostitution in Manhattan clubs (the supposed reason they were there)?
2
Because they can't be everywhere, so some sites will be hit and some not. On a much lesser scale, I recall a conversation I had once when stopped for speeding. I asked the officer why I was stopped out of all the other speeders; his reply was "Did you ever go fishing?" "Yes" "Did you catch all the fish?"
Same principle, unless you can find some evidence of racism. Perhaps this club was more blatant, perhaps they were responding to neighborhood concerns, perhaps it was an easier bust, who can say.
Same principle, unless you can find some evidence of racism. Perhaps this club was more blatant, perhaps they were responding to neighborhood concerns, perhaps it was an easier bust, who can say.
5
My brother-in-law is a retired NYC police officer who worked at one of the highest crime precincts in the East New York section of Brooklyn. His partner for many years was an African-American with whom he socialized during off-duty hours. He told me accounts about his partner's vitriolic statements about his own race that made my head spin. What I took from these conversations is that this police officer was embarrassed and angered at the high rate of crime committed by his brethren. That sentiment is understandable.
29
Is there any possibility that the black officer just want to separate himself from his own community. My experience is that whites and blacks are equally suspicious and prejudiced. Maybe all of us should alter our behavior.
2
And another assumption of Mr. Blow's bites the dust:
"It’s not only white officers shooting black suspects, but all officers."
How many previous columns have been predicated on white officer racism, or as Mr. Blow says: "the simplistic narrative that the recent discussion about policing and communities of color is only about white officers and minority suspects"?
Eventually Mr. Blow will recognize the issue isn't based on any statistical analysis of police officers, it is based on statistical analysis of criminals, especially violent criminals. When Mr. Blow honestly addresses the disproportionate criminal behavior of the black community, especially young black males, maybe he will find the answer he is looking for. The question is how many more columns before that happens?
"It’s not only white officers shooting black suspects, but all officers."
How many previous columns have been predicated on white officer racism, or as Mr. Blow says: "the simplistic narrative that the recent discussion about policing and communities of color is only about white officers and minority suspects"?
Eventually Mr. Blow will recognize the issue isn't based on any statistical analysis of police officers, it is based on statistical analysis of criminals, especially violent criminals. When Mr. Blow honestly addresses the disproportionate criminal behavior of the black community, especially young black males, maybe he will find the answer he is looking for. The question is how many more columns before that happens?
28
I figure that it'll happen about the same day that you guys fess up to what's going on when inadequately-trained cops shoot kids who don't need to be shot, or notice the minor technical detail that cops aren't spozed to be judge, jury and executioner.
1
Police are like an occupying army. Their loyalty to one another
is very much like the loyalty of soldiers to one another under
battle conditions. The solidity of police culture can overcome
even racial divisions in the force.
is very much like the loyalty of soldiers to one another under
battle conditions. The solidity of police culture can overcome
even racial divisions in the force.
19
I think that the police forces almost anywhere in the US are simply reflecting attitudes held by the entire population-- that black men are more dangerous, prima facie, than white men. Yes, police everywhere need retraining, but until we ALL get retraining, this problem will not budge.
14
I acknowledge that I'm painting in broad strokes in saying this, but here goes. There are in fact reasons why black men should be more dangerous. Disproportionately they grow up with inferior schools (underfunded due to support from local taxation of segregated communities), dangerous communities and lack of social support. On top of that they're subject to pervasive bias, including harassment by police. The socially-accepted opportunities white men can take for granted are either denied or made more difficult for black men to obtain.
I don't say this to justify assuming black men are all dangerous, but to point out that the problems with police behavior are embedded in a complex of problems that create the context.
I don't say this to justify assuming black men are all dangerous, but to point out that the problems with police behavior are embedded in a complex of problems that create the context.
1
Public policy that causes the police to believe that they are at high risk of getting shot by making guns ubiquitous raises the risk of the rest of us of getting shot by the police whether we are armed or not.
14
As Tolstoy, Weber, and Obama - among many others - have observed, government IS violence.
3
"The race of the officer matters far less than the race of the suspect." This is a sad and very complicated truth, and I applaud Mr. Blow's article and the ensuing discussion. I would only add that while diversity in police departments may not have a statistically significant impact on shootings and threat perception errors, it IS important and beneficial for many other reasons. Wonderful article.
3
Interesting, but not really surprising. One question: is the sample size (59) large enough that differences noted (T.P.F. rate 8.8 percent vs 3.1 percent vs 6.8 percent vs 11.4) are statistically significant? I doubt it. The basic conclusion is still somewhat valid, but not as conclusive as if there were a larger ample. Kind of wonky but still, I think worth noting.
2
Once police define a neighborhood as a "high crime area," a lot of what happens there is presumed to be criminal. Police concentration and enforcement actions reinforce the thesis and statistical data confirm it.
Perhaps the solution is to hire police from the community and pay them enough to live there and involve them in the problems that the people of the neighborhood, and not the police, define.
Perhaps the solution is to hire police from the community and pay them enough to live there and involve them in the problems that the people of the neighborhood, and not the police, define.
This is a joke, right? Being designated a high crime area doesn't cause people to start killing each other.
6
"Just because an officer is black, in other words, doesn’t mean he’s less likely to use violence against black citizens."
The 11.4% from black officers versus the 6.8% from white officers may not be statistically different when you controlled for the small number of blacks versus a larger majority, almost a totality, of white officers. Association does not mean conclusions.
Having that said, I have had a few black bosses and woman bosses in my career. They didn't act like bosses. Their fear of the establishment was much greater than my male white bosses. Perhaps this is ingrained behavior from centuries of oppression.
The difference is, these minority of sorts bosses (blacks, women), when in a position of power, don't see the bias of their fear, while the white bosses cognitively know that fear works for them. They only see their power to execute orders from their real bosses (mostly white males). They tend to target their underlings and the easily bullied (aka minorities), while also being afraid to offend the image of their (white) bosses.
Charles, you do give too much credit to the assumption that we are all normal and logical, while much of this treads deeper into the subconscious. It's going to take much more than the "I" to get out of this spell. It usually takes a "We," and some period of time, a cultural shift, a generation drift, a post war, a PTSD catalystic equivalence.
The 11.4% from black officers versus the 6.8% from white officers may not be statistically different when you controlled for the small number of blacks versus a larger majority, almost a totality, of white officers. Association does not mean conclusions.
Having that said, I have had a few black bosses and woman bosses in my career. They didn't act like bosses. Their fear of the establishment was much greater than my male white bosses. Perhaps this is ingrained behavior from centuries of oppression.
The difference is, these minority of sorts bosses (blacks, women), when in a position of power, don't see the bias of their fear, while the white bosses cognitively know that fear works for them. They only see their power to execute orders from their real bosses (mostly white males). They tend to target their underlings and the easily bullied (aka minorities), while also being afraid to offend the image of their (white) bosses.
Charles, you do give too much credit to the assumption that we are all normal and logical, while much of this treads deeper into the subconscious. It's going to take much more than the "I" to get out of this spell. It usually takes a "We," and some period of time, a cultural shift, a generation drift, a post war, a PTSD catalystic equivalence.
1
It's not really news that black police violent response rate compares higher than some white police community rates; the black-on-black criminal violence rate generally compares higher than most black-on-white criminal violence. The history of our racial pigmentocracy has many examples of intra-racial brutality. But standard institutional racial violence, such as revealed this past year in places like Ferguson, Missouri, does not fit the history of intra-racial black-on-black police shootings or violence against black suspects. To believe otherwise, one would have to adopt the bizarre attitude of Rev. Franklin Graham to black or white that the police are always right.
Mr. Blow, do you have any statistics on other races? Hispanic, Asian, Indian? Why are blacks disproportionately victims and not others? Could be as simple as they commit more crimes?
24
Of course Mr. Blow doesn't consider these facts--he's a one-trick pony--black criminals are innocent.
14
Jesse Jackson said it most succinctly:
"There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps... then turn around and see somebody white and feel relieved."
Perhaps the problem is not with the officers, but the people committing crimes more often.
"There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps... then turn around and see somebody white and feel relieved."
Perhaps the problem is not with the officers, but the people committing crimes more often.
33
Blacks commit 80% of the murders in Philadelphia. The population of Philadelphia is 44.6% black.
https://www.phillypolice.com/assets/crime-maps-stats/HomicideReport-2013...
75% of murder offenders are males under the age of 35.
Perceiving a higher threat level from a young black male, by a police officer both black and white, is a perfectly rational response.
https://www.phillypolice.com/assets/crime-maps-stats/HomicideReport-2013...
75% of murder offenders are males under the age of 35.
Perceiving a higher threat level from a young black male, by a police officer both black and white, is a perfectly rational response.
50
The issue that Mr. Blow continually misses...or elects to ignore...is the relative propensity for violence in the inner-city, black community as opposed to that in the suburbs, no matter color the population might be.
Why?
Does it not fit with the narrative that he is trying to establish?
Why?
Does it not fit with the narrative that he is trying to establish?
18
Why? Poverty.
1
Our police's training seems overtly influenced by the military. They see themselves as soldiers working in enemy zones. Anything seems suspicious, and everybody is a suspected enemy, threatening to get you if you don't get them first. We need to change that. We need to find the right balance between keeping our officers safe and make sure they don't cause unnecessary harm. That would probably need a completely overhaul of the way we train our police.
6
At some point this culture needs to wake up and realize that the police have become "a race unto themselves." Virtually all their non-work activities are with fellow officers. In many cases - for example my small town - they mostly live in the same area. The police have a mindset of US vs THEM and yes THEM is predominately black because so many of those "communities" have become completely disfunction socially, economically, educationally, etc.
"Fixing the ghetto" is beyond the reach of this piece, but it is critical that all citizens recognize that in most communities of any size, the cops are no longer on "your" side. Instead they see themselves as the noble and embattled few that can trust no one. Such a worldview if continued will transfer shootings from just the black populations but to all citizens "perceived" as being a threat.
More weapons isn't the answer. Living and being in a community is a start.
"Fixing the ghetto" is beyond the reach of this piece, but it is critical that all citizens recognize that in most communities of any size, the cops are no longer on "your" side. Instead they see themselves as the noble and embattled few that can trust no one. Such a worldview if continued will transfer shootings from just the black populations but to all citizens "perceived" as being a threat.
More weapons isn't the answer. Living and being in a community is a start.
6
Robert states, "At some point this culture needs to wake up and realize that the police have become 'a race unto themselves.' Virtually all their non-work activities are with fellow officers."
There is a reason for this. I used to be a cop. I joined my department in my mid-20s. I had friends outside of the force. Gradually, all those friendships fell away.
Do you want to know why? My friends would ask me to tell them about my work. I would mention the time someone tried to stab me with an oyster-shucking knife, the time the window of my patrol car got shot out, the time I worked a decomposed body call. I could go on.
In general, my life in the force was too different from theirs. I gravitated towards people who shared my experiences.
There is a reason for this. I used to be a cop. I joined my department in my mid-20s. I had friends outside of the force. Gradually, all those friendships fell away.
Do you want to know why? My friends would ask me to tell them about my work. I would mention the time someone tried to stab me with an oyster-shucking knife, the time the window of my patrol car got shot out, the time I worked a decomposed body call. I could go on.
In general, my life in the force was too different from theirs. I gravitated towards people who shared my experiences.
4
I wonder if the major controlling variable regarding the demographics in situations of threat perception failures is social class rather than race.
3
This is the most important offering in this discussion that I recall seeing. Well done.
Yes, it is "policing writ large" not just simply white cops.
It is also an old problem. Wild Bill Hickok shot his own deputy, who'd run up behind him during a confrontation. Hickok was devastated. In our little town back one night back in the 50's a local cop shot and killed an unarmed white kid coming out the back of a store he'd just burglarized -- the cop was devastated and his life went off on a very different course because of it, but the kid was still dead.
Cops, guns, rapid events, fear, confused circumstances, it has always been a formula for disaster.
Add in to that racial stereotypes, and it can only get a lot worse.
Recall Jesse Jackson saying, "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.... After all we have been through. . . . how humiliating."
In a fraction of a second evaluating what is confused while frightened, that added bit of thinking can only produce an even worse result.
The fix can be in policing, and leadership of police. Not merely in thinking, but in shaping circumstances. Cops ought not to be alone. They ought to emphasize controlling the situation aka "police presence" rather than rushing (alone) into confusion with a drawn gun.
Leadership, from people who've been there, done that, who understand.
Yes, it is "policing writ large" not just simply white cops.
It is also an old problem. Wild Bill Hickok shot his own deputy, who'd run up behind him during a confrontation. Hickok was devastated. In our little town back one night back in the 50's a local cop shot and killed an unarmed white kid coming out the back of a store he'd just burglarized -- the cop was devastated and his life went off on a very different course because of it, but the kid was still dead.
Cops, guns, rapid events, fear, confused circumstances, it has always been a formula for disaster.
Add in to that racial stereotypes, and it can only get a lot worse.
Recall Jesse Jackson saying, "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.... After all we have been through. . . . how humiliating."
In a fraction of a second evaluating what is confused while frightened, that added bit of thinking can only produce an even worse result.
The fix can be in policing, and leadership of police. Not merely in thinking, but in shaping circumstances. Cops ought not to be alone. They ought to emphasize controlling the situation aka "police presence" rather than rushing (alone) into confusion with a drawn gun.
Leadership, from people who've been there, done that, who understand.
7
In case after case we see that the race of the suspect matters. Look at two recent examples.
Black man in Dallas comes to the door of his home with his mother with a screwdriver in his hand. While the mother is explaining to the two white officers that her son suffers from mental illness, the officers kill him in front of his mother.
In Atlanta, a young Black Iraqi war veteran suffering from PDS is skating naked and unarmed in his neighborhood; white officer kills him because the young man was walking towards him.
Juxtapose these incidents with the following incident that occurred last week in Florida: White woman KILLS three of her children, comes outside with a butcher knife in her hands, and does not drop the knife when ordered to do so by the white police officers, SHE LIVES, as the officers extend to her the benefit of being tased.
In every recent situation where a black person was unarmed, they did not receive this benefit. Why not?
Black man in Dallas comes to the door of his home with his mother with a screwdriver in his hand. While the mother is explaining to the two white officers that her son suffers from mental illness, the officers kill him in front of his mother.
In Atlanta, a young Black Iraqi war veteran suffering from PDS is skating naked and unarmed in his neighborhood; white officer kills him because the young man was walking towards him.
Juxtapose these incidents with the following incident that occurred last week in Florida: White woman KILLS three of her children, comes outside with a butcher knife in her hands, and does not drop the knife when ordered to do so by the white police officers, SHE LIVES, as the officers extend to her the benefit of being tased.
In every recent situation where a black person was unarmed, they did not receive this benefit. Why not?
72
Anyone who reads this article and infers from it that Mr. Blow is a racist needs to improve his reading comprehension. Mr. Blow is not responsible for statistics or the outcomes of research. In fact, Mr. Blow makes a good case for underscoring the fact that racism is not the only cause of police brutality.
As someone who was married to a police officer, I can tell you this, most cops don't want to use force and jeopardize their careers. However, those that do are often given a blind eye by fellow officers. This is the problem. While the group of corrupt or violent officers is very small, the number of police officers who are complicit by their silence is large. Officers need to rely on their counterparts for backup, and dissension regarding police business is highly frowned upon. This is because when police in danger, they need solidarity. This is not an excuse, but it is the truth. If one wants to clean up the abuse, the psychology of silence must be broken. Most cops fear "going against" other officers even when they know the others are wrong. Break this psychology, and things will improve.
In addition, diversity is a good thing. An all white force in an all black neighborhood will not help bring trust into a community that has experienced generations of racism.
As someone who was married to a police officer, I can tell you this, most cops don't want to use force and jeopardize their careers. However, those that do are often given a blind eye by fellow officers. This is the problem. While the group of corrupt or violent officers is very small, the number of police officers who are complicit by their silence is large. Officers need to rely on their counterparts for backup, and dissension regarding police business is highly frowned upon. This is because when police in danger, they need solidarity. This is not an excuse, but it is the truth. If one wants to clean up the abuse, the psychology of silence must be broken. Most cops fear "going against" other officers even when they know the others are wrong. Break this psychology, and things will improve.
In addition, diversity is a good thing. An all white force in an all black neighborhood will not help bring trust into a community that has experienced generations of racism.
60
Just one practical note. One of the T.P.F. behaviors is waistband-tugging. Despite the President's admonition to "pull up your pants" to young black males in this country, those same young males still insist on this idiotic fashion, so I wonder if these incidents involve these idiots having to pull up their pants before putting up their hands, and considering that the waistband is where many concealed weapons are kept, one cannot blame a cop for feeling threatened. I won't go so far as to say the idiots deserve to get shot for wearing droopy drawers, but they shouldn't be very surprised if they are.
6
I live in an poor mixed neighborhood. All of the young people experience the same street scene, go to the same school and are at roughly the same economic status. Yet some people are doing well and others are sinking further down into gangs and drugs. Why? Those that are doing well seem to come from two parent households who's parents are involved with their children, education is a priority, drugs and alcohol are prohibited and that prohibition is enforced by parental involvement, after school programs are used and there is a support network in their ethnic community.
Lifestyle choices matter, they have consequences in the real world that effect young people for the rest of their lives. If you hang out with gangs you are going to draw heavy police scrutiny. In a violent confrontation, a police officer has less than one second to make a life altering decision for both him/her and the suspect. If you are in a gang you will not be given the benefit of the doubt, the officer will presume the worst and act to protect themselves. This is also a consequence of a lifestyle choice.
Before someone screams racism, look in the mirror, because it could be a consequence of your choices.
Lifestyle choices matter, they have consequences in the real world that effect young people for the rest of their lives. If you hang out with gangs you are going to draw heavy police scrutiny. In a violent confrontation, a police officer has less than one second to make a life altering decision for both him/her and the suspect. If you are in a gang you will not be given the benefit of the doubt, the officer will presume the worst and act to protect themselves. This is also a consequence of a lifestyle choice.
Before someone screams racism, look in the mirror, because it could be a consequence of your choices.
17
Ahhhh... so Mr. Blow has decided that maybe stats can play a role in exploring the dynamic of black, brown and white violence.
Finally - I look forward to a discussion of the recent UCR and NCVS reports.
You know the ones that report that 93% of black victims were murdered by blacks. That a black male in his 20's has over a 30% likelihood to be on parole - in the justice system - or incarcerated at any given time.
You know... the inconvenient statistics... the ones you tend to ignore.
Finally - I look forward to a discussion of the recent UCR and NCVS reports.
You know the ones that report that 93% of black victims were murdered by blacks. That a black male in his 20's has over a 30% likelihood to be on parole - in the justice system - or incarcerated at any given time.
You know... the inconvenient statistics... the ones you tend to ignore.
18
The statistics, inconvenient or otherwise, are not the end of the discussion, but a jumping-off point to discuss WHY those black males are likely to be on parole or incarcerated. We as citizens have allowed "tough on crime" rhetoric to create a police state, which hurts all of us as citizens but crushes those in poverty. The police now behave like an occupying army, rather than acting in the peace-keeping function that is their actual societal role.
1
Mr. Blow writes, "And, as we have seen in a similar report, the black community bore most of the brunt of this disparate treatment."
He also might say that he black community generates crime (mostly against other blacks) at a higher rate than their portion of the population.
He also might say that he black community generates crime (mostly against other blacks) at a higher rate than their portion of the population.
23
So can we now safely conclude that blacks commit the majority of violent crimes that prompt use of firearms by police officers? Or will Blow come up with another convoluted excuse for that?
26
We might, if the article weren't looking at the reasons cops shoot UNARMED suspects who AREN'T RESISTING.
4
Mr. Blow is so steadfast in avoiding any mention of culture or disproportionate levels of violent crime in communities of color, his columns are taking on an absurdist quality. Indeed, the bizarre narrative we are left with is one of gangs of roving police officers randomly shooting people of color for absolutely no reason. Charles, please read Orlando Patterson; this "thou shalt not pathologize" business went out in the '00's.
20
This simply isn't what the article says; there's simply no sympathy for criminals there.
The cure for these shootings--or part of it--is better training. The cure for these sorts of interpretations--which shares the sort of bias that aids and abets these sorts of unnecessary shootings--would be to start by reading the darn article.
The cure for these shootings--or part of it--is better training. The cure for these sorts of interpretations--which shares the sort of bias that aids and abets these sorts of unnecessary shootings--would be to start by reading the darn article.
1
Robert: You mean this column does mention disproportionate levels of crime in communities of color as an influencing factor in explaining the manner in which police (irrespective of race) interact with persons within those communities? This is a totally germane aspect of this issue; something FBI director Comey brought up in his recent comments on race and policing. My comment is that Mr. Blow seems uncomfortable with the facts.
3
I grew up in Oakland, California. The current population of Oakland is roughly 25% Black, 15% Asian, 35% White and 25% Latino. Notice that there is no majority population.
As of a couple of days ago, there have been 20 homicides in Oakland this year. All the victims are Black, all the suspects are Black. As near as one can tell, all the suspects are young and male.
There is a reason that police officers are quick to shoot when citizens don't comply with officer commands. Too many people with guns is certainly part of the problem. Another part of the problem seems to be a lack of willingness to comply with authority. When a cop says, "Don't move," you ought not reach for your phone. You need to, not move. Racist, or now, biased cops is not where the problem lies.
As of a couple of days ago, there have been 20 homicides in Oakland this year. All the victims are Black, all the suspects are Black. As near as one can tell, all the suspects are young and male.
There is a reason that police officers are quick to shoot when citizens don't comply with officer commands. Too many people with guns is certainly part of the problem. Another part of the problem seems to be a lack of willingness to comply with authority. When a cop says, "Don't move," you ought not reach for your phone. You need to, not move. Racist, or now, biased cops is not where the problem lies.
76
What a ridiculous statement! By that logic then cops would shoot far too many people simply because of body movement? Human reactions are complexed and a person with a mental disturbance would be fatally shot simply by using your analysis. Police need better training period! You can't have some wacko coming off the streets of Afghanistan and causing this kind of scenarios, and this is exactly what's happening!
1
White is the majority population. Latino's don't have their own race. Unless of mixed race they are Caucasian. The population is 60% white.
1
The article actually says that much of the problem is inadequate training, which leaves cops reacting far too unconsciously to "threats," that aren't really there.
Work on the training, and racial bias becomes less of an issue, is the idea.
Work on the training, and racial bias becomes less of an issue, is the idea.
Mr. Blow's a pretty smart guy, but my reaction to his revelation to the fact that black and white police officers react the same to perceived threats is: Duh? What is somewhat disturbing is Mr. blow's underlying assumption that race SHOULD matter when carrying out the duties of enforcing the law, and making tragic mistakes in the course of doing so.
16
You jump to a conclusion (I wonder why?) and miss the point--which is that American police are too often trained to consider Black lives less imnportant than White lives. Wherther the trainig is deliberate or by osmosis from a toxic environment is important to identify and correct.
I don't think Mr. Blow himself assumes or believes that the race of the officer should matter. He's commenting very thoughtfully, with supporting data, on the way public discourse, driven by the media, has perpetuated this incorrect assumption.
Our police forces have become extremely militarized over the past 30 years. Give boys bigger and better weapons and guess what happens. Our wealthy society needs to fund police forces at a higher level that can support serious community level policing. Here in Seattle, when we used to fund mico-precincts in neighborhoods, was when our police force had its best reputation. That "experiment" did not last long because of cost. Now we have mega precincts that in some cases look like small fortresses. What does that tell the community?
2
Yet another column from Mr. Blow which cries racism and yet fails to take an honest look at the underlying problem.
"...the black community bore most of the brunt of this disparate treatment."
Yes, they do. Blacks are also responsible for the majority of crime in Philadelphia, in particular violent crime. The only real solution to Mr. Blow's lack of understanding is simple - give him a gun and a badge and have him police Philadelphia's impoverished neighborhoods.
"...the black community bore most of the brunt of this disparate treatment."
Yes, they do. Blacks are also responsible for the majority of crime in Philadelphia, in particular violent crime. The only real solution to Mr. Blow's lack of understanding is simple - give him a gun and a badge and have him police Philadelphia's impoverished neighborhoods.
45
The article itself, if one actually reads it, actually says that while race is clearly involved in these decisions, at least one simplistic solution--change the police department's racial composition--doesn't seem to work.
It can't have been a pleasure for Blow to write that at least in Philadelphia, block officers were MORE likely to shoot black suspects.
It might be good if you took off the blinders once in a while, and read what's actually said a little more sympathetically. because oart of the problem here is that inadequately-trained cops are making decisions with blinders on.
It can't have been a pleasure for Blow to write that at least in Philadelphia, block officers were MORE likely to shoot black suspects.
It might be good if you took off the blinders once in a while, and read what's actually said a little more sympathetically. because oart of the problem here is that inadequately-trained cops are making decisions with blinders on.
3
I strongly recommend the Slate article linked in Mr. Blow's column.
"For as much as police diversity has value for image and community relations, it’s not clear that it does anything to cure the problem of police abuse and brutality in black and Latino communities. Just because an officer is black, in other words, doesn't mean he’s less likely to use violence against black citizens."
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/10/diversi...
"For as much as police diversity has value for image and community relations, it’s not clear that it does anything to cure the problem of police abuse and brutality in black and Latino communities. Just because an officer is black, in other words, doesn't mean he’s less likely to use violence against black citizens."
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/10/diversi...
5
Not surprising. Racism, like sexism, sinks so deeply into all of us. Doesn't matter what your race or gender is, we all stew in it.
21
I sincerely doubt the "tugging" at waistbands excuses, or I thought his pen was a pistol. I believe that in the heat of the moment, police pull the trigger just in case, so they can be sure to survive another day. And they back-fill the excuse.
Prosecutors know the addition of false details by police to reports and testimony to substantiate their actions is quite common. The term for doing so under oath is testilying. It happened to me when I fought a traffic ticket in NYC and went to court. It was so blatant that I didn't even have a response except to simply say that's not what happened.
The only thing that will stop these perversions of justice is more digital recording. At some point, the mounting evidence of taped incidence will win the day.
Prosecutors know the addition of false details by police to reports and testimony to substantiate their actions is quite common. The term for doing so under oath is testilying. It happened to me when I fought a traffic ticket in NYC and went to court. It was so blatant that I didn't even have a response except to simply say that's not what happened.
The only thing that will stop these perversions of justice is more digital recording. At some point, the mounting evidence of taped incidence will win the day.
5
Um, the most thoroughly documented event in recent history was 9/11, we have piles of footage of the planes hitting the second tower - and still there are people not convinced as to what happened.
If you've ever watched any footage of a fight, you will find it's like Ray Bradbury's short story 'The Jar,' in which several people look at a jar full of murk and see whatever is already lurking in their minds predisposes them to see.
If you've ever watched any footage of a fight, you will find it's like Ray Bradbury's short story 'The Jar,' in which several people look at a jar full of murk and see whatever is already lurking in their minds predisposes them to see.
2
Charles
You are either unacquainted with how statistical data should be presented or you are willfully misleading your readers -- trying to stir the pot.
Your theme here appears to be that black self loathing also plays a role in the horrible abuses and oppression of the Black community by the police. Even Black officers do it.
Sounds good on the surface, but you need to present these shootings and the disproportionate number of Blacks shot by police in the context of the higher Black crime rate. If Blacks commit violent crimes at 8x the rate for Whites, are you surprised that they are more often arrested, shot, etc. by the police? If you would simply present the full picture, your argument disappears. We can perhaps discuss the reasons for the higher crime rate among Blacks but when you simply present any study that supports your "Blacks are victims and police are targeting Blacks" then you lose all credibility.
If you are an honest journalist Charles, I urge you to present story rather than cherry picking misleading data.
You are either unacquainted with how statistical data should be presented or you are willfully misleading your readers -- trying to stir the pot.
Your theme here appears to be that black self loathing also plays a role in the horrible abuses and oppression of the Black community by the police. Even Black officers do it.
Sounds good on the surface, but you need to present these shootings and the disproportionate number of Blacks shot by police in the context of the higher Black crime rate. If Blacks commit violent crimes at 8x the rate for Whites, are you surprised that they are more often arrested, shot, etc. by the police? If you would simply present the full picture, your argument disappears. We can perhaps discuss the reasons for the higher crime rate among Blacks but when you simply present any study that supports your "Blacks are victims and police are targeting Blacks" then you lose all credibility.
If you are an honest journalist Charles, I urge you to present story rather than cherry picking misleading data.
57
These statistics show that police (of all colors) perceive an elevated threat when dealing with black suspects. If their empirical experience confirms this, can we necessarily call it racism? The same can be said of black men and their perceptions of police that are learned through experience.
In my city recently there have been multiple questionable police shootings - as well as a chain of senseless murders committed by young black men. I can see both sides of the coin - how police and citizens learn to fear young black men, and how young black men learn to fear the police. It's a cycle of positive feedback.
The solution is not just to combat racist perceptions - we also need to work on the other side of the equation, by creating more opportunities for black youth that can help them avoid violence and crime. Poverty is surely at the root of this - but I find it very discouraging that nobody is willing to confront the violent pop subculture that is promulgated largely through music. Riding the subway in ATL all I hear playing in people's iPhones are songs about killing and robbing people. Just because conservatives point to this as a problem, doesn't mean that it is not in fact a real problem.
In my city recently there have been multiple questionable police shootings - as well as a chain of senseless murders committed by young black men. I can see both sides of the coin - how police and citizens learn to fear young black men, and how young black men learn to fear the police. It's a cycle of positive feedback.
The solution is not just to combat racist perceptions - we also need to work on the other side of the equation, by creating more opportunities for black youth that can help them avoid violence and crime. Poverty is surely at the root of this - but I find it very discouraging that nobody is willing to confront the violent pop subculture that is promulgated largely through music. Riding the subway in ATL all I hear playing in people's iPhones are songs about killing and robbing people. Just because conservatives point to this as a problem, doesn't mean that it is not in fact a real problem.
154
Strange how those violent rap songs have no affect on whites, who are the majority of its consumers. What's more, black crime went down while rap music gained in popularity.
2
Of course black police officers treat black criminals the same as white police officers do. They want to go home and see their families, after their shift, as much as their white counterparts do. As soon as blacks stop committing a wildly disproportionate number of violent crimes, then and only then, will they begin to be treated like everyone else.
74
A man is not a criminal until arested, arraigned, and convicted. Your use of the word clearly shows your belief that Blacks are criminals.
2
"Of course black police officers treat black criminals the same as white police officers do." That JP, is called begging the question. We are talking how cops treat black people as opposed to white people, the courts decide who is a criminal.
Des - he's not a convicted criminal until convicted. He's a criminal as soon as he commits the crime.
5
I agree with Mr.Blow that certain prejudices within the African American community exist that bias their perceptions of so-called 'suspects.As an African American,I know there is light-skinned/dark-skinned dichotomy,which is reinforced by economic class distinctions.The most troubling aspect of this phenomenon is geographical relocation of the Black intelligentsia to suburban locales,leading to a further sense of alienation and detachment.What must be understood by these mobile African Americans,is that race always supersedes class in America.Societal condemnation of some 'suspects,usually encompasses,all of 'them.
1
I simply don't think there's enough training for officers in restraint mechanisms. Surely if a gun isn't pointed directly at a cop there are ways to disable a potential grab for a hidden gun. But aside from that, the sad reality is, like some posters have written, it's only natural that cops fear the criminal norm. They're human.
That said, it shouldnt give them license to treat black suspects like animals or automatically guilty. In recent months, much has been made of community policing so cops have a sense and knowledge of the areas where they patrol. If a cop, black or white, personally knows the culture and key players on the streets, that should perhaps cut down on snap judgments.
No easy answers on bias. I don't think it can be willed away. I know for myself that prejudice and stereotying diminish as I get to know a person and their personal challenges.
It's called empathy and it needs volition on my part to make it happen. If cops feel they're at war with their public, its no wonder they shoot first and then ask questions afterwards.
That said, it shouldnt give them license to treat black suspects like animals or automatically guilty. In recent months, much has been made of community policing so cops have a sense and knowledge of the areas where they patrol. If a cop, black or white, personally knows the culture and key players on the streets, that should perhaps cut down on snap judgments.
No easy answers on bias. I don't think it can be willed away. I know for myself that prejudice and stereotying diminish as I get to know a person and their personal challenges.
It's called empathy and it needs volition on my part to make it happen. If cops feel they're at war with their public, its no wonder they shoot first and then ask questions afterwards.
7
Not unusual that black police behave as white police.
Police see themselves as the thin blue line. Against whom? Mostly the poor, regardless of color. Decrease poverty and you will decrease police brutality.
Police see themselves as the thin blue line. Against whom? Mostly the poor, regardless of color. Decrease poverty and you will decrease police brutality.
66
Many before me have said it much better than I can: you know, about "walk a mile in my shoes". Before we criticize and condemn officers for what they do, or don't do, we should ask many, many officers what their lives are like in that job day after day, year after year. I would not want that job........
2
We have given too much power to our Police officers. And the very well known experiments done by Prof. Zimbardo in th 70's clearly show that when a person has inordinate power over another individual, even the most gentle person turns in to a vicious individual.
Curb the power of police over ordinary citizens and things should improve.
Curb the power of police over ordinary citizens and things should improve.
7
I don't doubt that even well-meaning, consciously inclusive white police officers harbor some significant residue of sub-conscious bias against Blacks as a group. But you really can't make that case for the Black officers equally likely to perceive a Black suspect as threatening. Those Black officers perceive, and statistics back them up on this, that a young Black male is more likely to present a threat than a suspect from any other population category.
We DO need to train police officers to recognize and lay aside their biases. But we also need to intervene with children, and apparently especially Black children, to prevent their growing up to become the type of individual perceived as threatening by people of every race and ethnicity.
We DO need to train police officers to recognize and lay aside their biases. But we also need to intervene with children, and apparently especially Black children, to prevent their growing up to become the type of individual perceived as threatening by people of every race and ethnicity.
19
I am surprised that this issue keeps being interpreted through the prism of race relations. Threat perception is skewed by police officers because the country has lax gun control laws and the working assumption is that all suspects are armed and dangerous. Regulate the availability of guns and you'll see a decline in police shooting incidents.
14
And yet a substantial majority of these shooting victims are black and a substantial majority of the firearms in this country are in the hands of whites. You would think that it would be mostly whites who were being shot by the police.
2
I agree with R.R.'s analysis: Whether police are black or white, when they're faced with an ambiguous and threatening situation, their response is sometimes affected by their fear of black violence.
6
Given these findings, the next time there is what appears to be a threat perception failure shooting and any premature screams of racism on the part of the officer, Mr. Blow has a moral duty to remind us of this study.
13
When my son graduated from high school he wanted to be a blues guitarist, so I let him go to Memphis to live and learn that craft. He hung around on Beale Street, where Black musicians played for tips in W.C Handy Park. One street further over was a high-crime, high drug area. My son watched a lot of the interactions between the police and the Black people, and his observation was that Black cops were more brutal to Blacks than the white cops were.
My analysis is that when a Black man becomes a cop he's a cop first and Black second. Often he's more brutal because he wants to curry favor with his cop peers. He might need their support and protection one day. It also makes his life easier if he's one of them (cops) rather than one of THEM.
My analysis is that when a Black man becomes a cop he's a cop first and Black second. Often he's more brutal because he wants to curry favor with his cop peers. He might need their support and protection one day. It also makes his life easier if he's one of them (cops) rather than one of THEM.
18
Another theory might be that the black officers are not afraid of being accused of racism, and let their real feelings show more.
25
Or maybe he became a cop because he was tired of the prevailing lawlessness. Maybe his kid sister was raped, or his kid brother died of a drug overdose, or his uncle was mugged, or his uncle was beaten and left for dead, or .... and they said, 'I'm sick of it.' Maybe they are more 'brutal' because they don't so much fear being accused of racism, and maybe they let their anger -wrongly, but understandably - get the better of them. Maybe they figure they're working for the majority of black residents who just want to live their lives and don't like the dope dealers, petty and grand thieves, street punks, and so on.
If that one street over is a high-crime, high-drug area, it's not white folks or cops that made it so. You make a choice, every minute of every day, how you want to live - and the vast majority of black people, just like white ones, do not consider that street the 'culture' they want to live in.
If that one street over is a high-crime, high-drug area, it's not white folks or cops that made it so. You make a choice, every minute of every day, how you want to live - and the vast majority of black people, just like white ones, do not consider that street the 'culture' they want to live in.
12
An interesting story. I always find it amusing when someone from the northeast has to come south to find racism. (not that I doubt your story)
Or maybe there's also more crime in black neighbourhoods due to poverty and broken families. It is possible that some black cops are just going on their experience, which may be that they have met a fair percentage of young black men who figure that if society doesn't give them a fair deal, so why should they feel obliged to follow its rules?
Not to mention a cultural difference - let us also entertain the possibility that when a white suspect is confronted by a cop, his or her first instinct is to cooperate, whereas, particularly in such poorer black neighbourhoods steeped in mutual mistrust, the black suspect assumes he's being disrespected or harassed and proceeds immediately to confrontation, which the cop perceives as a threat.
We're back to Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The issue is, as Mr Blow correctly notes, not simplistic. And it's not going to get better, because for it to get better we'd have to increase the black middle class - whereas the opposite is happening: we're eliminating the white middle class. Pretty soon everyone but a handfu, regardless of skin colour or ethnicity, l will live in Hobbesian poverty, fighting for crusts, like a YA action-adventure movie.
Not to mention a cultural difference - let us also entertain the possibility that when a white suspect is confronted by a cop, his or her first instinct is to cooperate, whereas, particularly in such poorer black neighbourhoods steeped in mutual mistrust, the black suspect assumes he's being disrespected or harassed and proceeds immediately to confrontation, which the cop perceives as a threat.
We're back to Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The issue is, as Mr Blow correctly notes, not simplistic. And it's not going to get better, because for it to get better we'd have to increase the black middle class - whereas the opposite is happening: we're eliminating the white middle class. Pretty soon everyone but a handfu, regardless of skin colour or ethnicity, l will live in Hobbesian poverty, fighting for crusts, like a YA action-adventure movie.
14
Again Mr. Blow ignores the driving force behind this "bias"! It is disproportionate Black violence, Black anti-police and anti-white rhetoric, such as the drum-beat of most of Mr. Blow's articles, only worsen the tension that leads to these incidents.
51
So what? Since when do such beliefs "justify" being shot? This is another racist proof of the problem
4
I commend you on this article and dispensing with the myth that police abuse of "people of color" transcends racial lines, and is more an issue of policing rather than an issue of race.
In my own experience, as a teenager during the 60's, living in a predominantly white working class neighborhood, "stop and frisk" was a routine police practice described by the locals at the time as "getting tossed."
If I recall correctly, we were "tossed" on a fairly regular basis, and each police stop at the park always included the police instruction "roll up your sleeves."
Additionally, a number of neighborhood teens were also arrested for "loitering with the intent to use drugs," a practice I believe has been since be ruled unconstitutional.
The same lack of racial animus also occurred when I, or any of my friends, entered into another group's "turf" without the benefit of a local contact, in which case we were as equally likely to be "jumped" by the local neighborhood teens regardless of their or our race.
However, even given the constant police harassment, I do not recall the police killing any of my friends. In fact, I remember the exact opposite, where Officer Gregory Foster, who I had grown up with in my previous neighborhood, Bronxdale Projects, was shot and killed by the then notorious Black Liberation Army.
It is possible times have changed, which current incarceration statistics apparently bear out, but I believe even this fact is driven more on income and not race.
In my own experience, as a teenager during the 60's, living in a predominantly white working class neighborhood, "stop and frisk" was a routine police practice described by the locals at the time as "getting tossed."
If I recall correctly, we were "tossed" on a fairly regular basis, and each police stop at the park always included the police instruction "roll up your sleeves."
Additionally, a number of neighborhood teens were also arrested for "loitering with the intent to use drugs," a practice I believe has been since be ruled unconstitutional.
The same lack of racial animus also occurred when I, or any of my friends, entered into another group's "turf" without the benefit of a local contact, in which case we were as equally likely to be "jumped" by the local neighborhood teens regardless of their or our race.
However, even given the constant police harassment, I do not recall the police killing any of my friends. In fact, I remember the exact opposite, where Officer Gregory Foster, who I had grown up with in my previous neighborhood, Bronxdale Projects, was shot and killed by the then notorious Black Liberation Army.
It is possible times have changed, which current incarceration statistics apparently bear out, but I believe even this fact is driven more on income and not race.
7
Commentators write about New York City's discontinued "Stop and Frisk" policy as it were a tactic employed by police forces nationwide. However, police in typical U.S. cities frisk only people who have arrested. They frisk everyone, regardless of race or gender, before putting them into patrol cars for transportation to jail. But they do not randomly frisk people on the street.
1
"There is nothing to fear but fear itself." FDR
The police are not just shooting Black children, they are shooting children. Yes those being killed are disproportionately Black children but not all are Black children. Something odd is happening in this country. Fear has taken hold of the populace. The police are just the more violent example of this fear. That the police could mistake a 12 year old as twenty, that the police could shoot a 7 year old because she abruptly sat up on a couch in her own home, that the police could shoot a 17 year old holding a Wii remote, and the shooting at the door of a young woman seeking help by the homeowner speaks reams to the fear that has invaded our nation.
Fear mongering by the Right may have gotten them elected to government and put Citizens United in place but it has also put the nation in jeopardy not from the outside terrorists but from the fear of the police and your neighbors. No one is safe in a country that does not have trust and respect for all its citizens.
We need to bring ourselves back to sanity. Actual violent crimes are down and yet we are so afraid. What really makes you afraid actual violence and crime or the fears that are planted in your mind by the media. We must be more discerning and the police must be even more so. Take away the TV images and look at the real world around you is it really that frightening?
The police are not just shooting Black children, they are shooting children. Yes those being killed are disproportionately Black children but not all are Black children. Something odd is happening in this country. Fear has taken hold of the populace. The police are just the more violent example of this fear. That the police could mistake a 12 year old as twenty, that the police could shoot a 7 year old because she abruptly sat up on a couch in her own home, that the police could shoot a 17 year old holding a Wii remote, and the shooting at the door of a young woman seeking help by the homeowner speaks reams to the fear that has invaded our nation.
Fear mongering by the Right may have gotten them elected to government and put Citizens United in place but it has also put the nation in jeopardy not from the outside terrorists but from the fear of the police and your neighbors. No one is safe in a country that does not have trust and respect for all its citizens.
We need to bring ourselves back to sanity. Actual violent crimes are down and yet we are so afraid. What really makes you afraid actual violence and crime or the fears that are planted in your mind by the media. We must be more discerning and the police must be even more so. Take away the TV images and look at the real world around you is it really that frightening?
10
Sadly, skin color is the most defining attribute of a man. It is the most distinguishing characteristic; on noticing someone, skin color is the first thing we identify, not hair color, not height, not weight, certainly not words or personality. This being so, we must ask ourselves why do we associate good/bad, calmness/fear, goodwill/anger..., with skin color?
We have had centuries of programming that have brought us to our current state of bias towards black and white. Our society needs to recognize this programmed bias and actively work to eradicate it. Required social-racial history as part of our public education would be a start. But probably more impactful are our cultural influences and outlets; social media including, movies and TV programs need to end the propensity towards portraying a black man as a threatening archetypal villain. We have a lot of work to do.
We have had centuries of programming that have brought us to our current state of bias towards black and white. Our society needs to recognize this programmed bias and actively work to eradicate it. Required social-racial history as part of our public education would be a start. But probably more impactful are our cultural influences and outlets; social media including, movies and TV programs need to end the propensity towards portraying a black man as a threatening archetypal villain. We have a lot of work to do.
4
Blacks commit voilent crime at higher rates than whites thus the increased threat perception. Ask the black cops in Philly.
36
Maybe 'no waistband tugging or cellphone use' during an arrest should be mentioned when the officer reads the suspect's rights.
There's a reason police tell suspects to put their hands in the air. It's for everyone's safety.
13
Is that why you COMPLETELY failed to mention the officer's race (black) on the alleged Yale University incident with your son (in which the officer's actions were completely exonerated and the video evidence severely questions your son's description of events). You know...that Yale Thing.
91
"...(in which the officer's actions were completely exonerated and the video evidence severely questions your son's description of events)."
I Googled and could find no reports of video of the incident. Perhaps you could provide a link.
Thanks.
I Googled and could find no reports of video of the incident. Perhaps you could provide a link.
Thanks.
1
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/nyregion/yale-report-clears-police-off...
"In a statement to the police, the student wrote that “the officer raised his gun at me and told me to get on the ground.” The officer, in his account, acknowledged that he drew his weapon but said he kept it at a “low ready” position, with his finger off the trigger.
Some of the encounter was captured on campus surveillance cameras, and, while not conclusive, the moments picked up on video supported the officer’s account that his gun was pointed at the ground, at least for a portion of the interaction."
"In a statement to the police, the student wrote that “the officer raised his gun at me and told me to get on the ground.” The officer, in his account, acknowledged that he drew his weapon but said he kept it at a “low ready” position, with his finger off the trigger.
Some of the encounter was captured on campus surveillance cameras, and, while not conclusive, the moments picked up on video supported the officer’s account that his gun was pointed at the ground, at least for a portion of the interaction."
7
Thank you for pointing this out! I just read the report...Charles Blow needs to write a follow up article about what he's learned from the experience. He's a great writer--I'm sure it would be thought provoking.
4
Unfortunately, the actual experience of police and minority group members on the street is likely to have reinforced stereotypes in both directions. A necessary but perhaps not sufficient condition for progress would therefore include each side acknowledging and validating the experience of the other side.
I have never worked in law enforcement, but worked in food service during my student days. It was my experience -- AND that of Black colleagues with whom I discussed the matter -- that White customers were more likely on the average to give generous tips. Of course this was not universally the case and there were plenty of exceptions in either direction. Since I was raised by politically liberal white parents (they were sometimes among the sprinkling of White faces among the Black faces during civil rights demonstrations in the 1960s), I was deeply reluctant to acknowledge this statistical fact even to myself. But when I finally asked a few Black colleagues if this also happened to them, all said yes.
If, as seems likely, police officers have comparable experiences on the street then it is going to take much more than theoretical arguments about justice to change what happens when they feel frightened for any reason.
I have never worked in law enforcement, but worked in food service during my student days. It was my experience -- AND that of Black colleagues with whom I discussed the matter -- that White customers were more likely on the average to give generous tips. Of course this was not universally the case and there were plenty of exceptions in either direction. Since I was raised by politically liberal white parents (they were sometimes among the sprinkling of White faces among the Black faces during civil rights demonstrations in the 1960s), I was deeply reluctant to acknowledge this statistical fact even to myself. But when I finally asked a few Black colleagues if this also happened to them, all said yes.
If, as seems likely, police officers have comparable experiences on the street then it is going to take much more than theoretical arguments about justice to change what happens when they feel frightened for any reason.
12
I am a black woman, and recently treated as white friend to lunch at a restaurant in my neighborhood. The previous owner, a black man, recently died, and was known for his friendliness and charm - it's why my family has gone there for every occasion for the past few years. The new owner is a white woman, and she came out several times to talk to us about our experience, but she ignored me and focused on my friend. I was invisible. It was noticeable, because I am used to being treated well at that place. I tipped well on that occasion, but will not be going back.
Perhaps black people tip poorly because we get poor service.
Perhaps black people tip poorly because we get poor service.
6
Kudos to Mr. Blow for acknowledging that the problem may not be white racism against black suspects. But he still sees the problem as the use of force against people of color. I would see it as the use of force against the poor, and blacks are overrepresented because they are disproportionately poor.
There are a number of issues with policing, but it has little to do with racism. Reducing threat perception failures, as the PPD report notes, is one thing. So is reducing the use of police as tax collectors (an issue in the Garner case.)
Finally, we need to find a solution for mentally ill people other than the criminal justice system. Too many times a police shooting involves a mentally ill person. Actions by a mentally ill person may be erratic and pose a greater threat to police in a confrontation. I also suspect many of the TPFs noted may involve a mentally ill suspect.
There are a number of issues with policing, but it has little to do with racism. Reducing threat perception failures, as the PPD report notes, is one thing. So is reducing the use of police as tax collectors (an issue in the Garner case.)
Finally, we need to find a solution for mentally ill people other than the criminal justice system. Too many times a police shooting involves a mentally ill person. Actions by a mentally ill person may be erratic and pose a greater threat to police in a confrontation. I also suspect many of the TPFs noted may involve a mentally ill suspect.
10
Good point. And if someone has a mental health problem, police are often the first responders. If it was an ambulance with EMTs and/or paramedics, the way it is for heart attacks and other illnesses, perhaps it would make the mental health patients more likely to acknowledge their illness.
1
"And, as we have seen in a similar report, the black community bore most of the brunt of this disparate treatment."
Mr. Blow the black community suffers a murder rate about six times higher than the white community. Nine out of ten black murder victims were sent to the morgue by black perpetrators. The black population has more criminals per 100,000 people than the white population does. Because of this black criminals are going to be arrested at a disparate rate (to the total black citizenry) than white criminals (to the total white citizenry).
2,491 Blacks were murdered in 2013. 3005 Whites were murdered the same year. Blacks make up about 13% of the population, Whites about 70%. If Blacks were murdered at the same rate as Whites there would have been 560 Blacks murdered in 2013.
High criminality rates are a consequence of poverty. I think they are are affected by culture too. Nevertheless, the fact that Blacks are arrested, mistakenly shot by police and justifiably shot by police at higher rates than whites is mostly due to that population's higher criminality rate.
This is a link to FBI's UCI murder rates, by race of victim, by race of perpetrator: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-...
Mr. Blow the black community suffers a murder rate about six times higher than the white community. Nine out of ten black murder victims were sent to the morgue by black perpetrators. The black population has more criminals per 100,000 people than the white population does. Because of this black criminals are going to be arrested at a disparate rate (to the total black citizenry) than white criminals (to the total white citizenry).
2,491 Blacks were murdered in 2013. 3005 Whites were murdered the same year. Blacks make up about 13% of the population, Whites about 70%. If Blacks were murdered at the same rate as Whites there would have been 560 Blacks murdered in 2013.
High criminality rates are a consequence of poverty. I think they are are affected by culture too. Nevertheless, the fact that Blacks are arrested, mistakenly shot by police and justifiably shot by police at higher rates than whites is mostly due to that population's higher criminality rate.
This is a link to FBI's UCI murder rates, by race of victim, by race of perpetrator: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-...
105
While African Americans are disproportionately poor, there are nearly three times as many poor whites than poor blacks. The most recent Census Bureau poverty report shows that in 2013 there were 29.9 million white Americans living below poverty level and 11 million black Americans living below poverty level. There are nearly three times as many poor whites than poor blacks. There were 1.8 million Asian Americans living below poverty level. If poverty alone were the cause of crime, one would expect whites to commit three times as many murders as blacks, but as your numbers indicate, this is not the case. Source: Table 3: People in Poverty by Selected Characteristics: 2012 and 2013, Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013.
http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/...
http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/...
8
And now that you can quote the result of racism and economic oppression without escape, Amarillo, what do you or others propose to reduce this rate or eliminate it? The silence from the right is deafening. I have been privy to it for at least twenty years of talking to a libertarian friend. His suggestion after comparing the economic "progress" of American blacks to that of African born blacks is that there is a need to change the entire "culture" of the American black community. A response not unlike that given to women in the 1960s and we can all see how far our better education and higher rates of work have improved women's economic bottom line, not to mention the rate of rape. So, once again: what do you propose to do? We all see how cheap talk is.
1
The shooting identified here were all bad shoots. In other words, the rate at which police misidentified black citizens--calling them "suspects" after it is determined that they didn't do anything to get shot is bizarre--as threats worthy of shooting at a rate more than twice that of white citizens. This is not an absolute numbers game, this is a proportional analysis.
If what you're saying is "it's okay to disproportionately misidentify black citizens as armed, and then shoot them, because the crime rate in the black community is disproportionately high," then you are literally advocating for institutionalized racism.
Shooting unarmed citizens should be zero tolerance. The very last thing we should be doing is making excuses for any bad shoots, let alone excuses based on racial profiling.
If what you're saying is "it's okay to disproportionately misidentify black citizens as armed, and then shoot them, because the crime rate in the black community is disproportionately high," then you are literally advocating for institutionalized racism.
Shooting unarmed citizens should be zero tolerance. The very last thing we should be doing is making excuses for any bad shoots, let alone excuses based on racial profiling.
33
Since Ferguson, I've made a point of asking people "What do you think of the police?"
"Oh," the response typically goes, "don't get me started," and they go on to tell me about a recent encounter where they were victimized by cops.
At a dinner recently, I was seated next to a young schoolteacher and asked her what her students thought of the police. Without a second's hesitation, she declared "they all hate the police," and went on to tell me one student's story of how the cops invaded her home with a search warrant looking for drugs, tore it apart, leaving it in shambles, and left--having found no drugs--without a single word of apology.
Perhaps the problem with the police is bigger than racism. Maybe it's simple brutality.
And why are cops brutal? Easy: because they can be.
Racism, I suggest, is only the tip of the iceberg. The solution, I think, lies in ending the drug wars, thus removing from police the weapons of oppression against minorities.
"Oh," the response typically goes, "don't get me started," and they go on to tell me about a recent encounter where they were victimized by cops.
At a dinner recently, I was seated next to a young schoolteacher and asked her what her students thought of the police. Without a second's hesitation, she declared "they all hate the police," and went on to tell me one student's story of how the cops invaded her home with a search warrant looking for drugs, tore it apart, leaving it in shambles, and left--having found no drugs--without a single word of apology.
Perhaps the problem with the police is bigger than racism. Maybe it's simple brutality.
And why are cops brutal? Easy: because they can be.
Racism, I suggest, is only the tip of the iceberg. The solution, I think, lies in ending the drug wars, thus removing from police the weapons of oppression against minorities.
133
I lived high crime East Oakland for a great many years. In '09, when Oscar Grant was mistakenly shot by a poorly trained transit officer, there were no end of demonstrations, marches and rioting in the community and downtown. A few months later, when four Oakland police were murdered by a suspected rapist following a traffic stop, not a peep. If you think the police are a bunch of racist pigs, why don't you encourage your students to join the force? Unless that is, you live in such a privileged bubble you think we don't need police.
10
I think you are absolutely correct and it is not only minorities who are suffering. You should read Rise of the Warrior Cop. It is horrifying and makes you realize that the police can basically do anything they want to if they are so inclined on a particular day: kill your dog, ransack your home or throw and explosive in your baby's crib and they don't even get indicted. http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/07/us/georgia-toddler-stun-grenade-no-indictm...
1
..."ending the drug wars, thus removing from police the weapons of oppression against minorities"
Good suggestion but what about who removes the drugs from the minority communities then? And what about the rate crime and the need for services because of now extremely rampant drug use?
Sure remove the police but you better have something in place that will reduce what is already an epidemic. I don't think for one minute not enforcing the drug laws in minority communities will make them safer or more law abiding, in fact, the total opposite will happen.
Good suggestion but what about who removes the drugs from the minority communities then? And what about the rate crime and the need for services because of now extremely rampant drug use?
Sure remove the police but you better have something in place that will reduce what is already an epidemic. I don't think for one minute not enforcing the drug laws in minority communities will make them safer or more law abiding, in fact, the total opposite will happen.
2
I regularly see studies of the racial breakdown of shootings where a police officer discharges a weapon.
I'm curious if there have been any studies that in addition to generating statistics about the racial breakdown of where a police officer fires, also quantifies the breakdown of the racial percentages in the same time period of persons arrested with weapons, persons charged with assaulting officers, and persons who fired on police prior to an officer discharging a weapon. Surely these statistics are also available, and would provide a valuable context to the environment in which the police are working.
I'm curious if there have been any studies that in addition to generating statistics about the racial breakdown of where a police officer fires, also quantifies the breakdown of the racial percentages in the same time period of persons arrested with weapons, persons charged with assaulting officers, and persons who fired on police prior to an officer discharging a weapon. Surely these statistics are also available, and would provide a valuable context to the environment in which the police are working.
6
Any Black African American who has lived or lives in any predominantly or significantly Black urban, rural or suburban area knows and thinks from personal experience that this about Blue cop against Black human being. Chicago shows that a majority Black and Brown city with a white Mayor who grew up in the suburbs and a white Chief of Police from New York City lead a force that disproportionately profiles, stalks and stops Blacks.
The Mayor and Chief of Police in Philadelphia and Cleveland where Tamir Rice were killed are all Black. The two most abusive police officers towards Blacks in Chicago in my generation and my fathers were both Black.
Why? See "The Mis-Education of the Negro" Carter G. Woodson
The Mayor and Chief of Police in Philadelphia and Cleveland where Tamir Rice were killed are all Black. The two most abusive police officers towards Blacks in Chicago in my generation and my fathers were both Black.
Why? See "The Mis-Education of the Negro" Carter G. Woodson
5
Legal enforcement is the crux of the issue. If every law were enforced to the max, it's likely that most of us would have criminal records. However, like the speed limit, drug laws are selectively enforced, creating an illusion that citizens in minority communities are far more liable than their white counterparts to commit crime.
Were a Philadelphia policeman to wade into a crowd in Bryn Mawr or Scarsdale, say, and order everyone up against the wall, what would be the reaction? How much naked authority would a uniform be afforded by a community that has not been conditioned to fear the police?
Nothing will improve until we come to our senses and repeal narcotics laws that, while ineffective against drug use and sales, enable police departments across the country to buy Humvees and other highly symbolic weapons of war and then use those weapons against their own constituents.
Remember, police are trapped into the same Escher drawing as members of the minority community. It's no win for anybody.
Making something popular illegal only makes evil people rich. And, in this case, nonsensical laws put police into the unenviable position of having to battle against those who prefer a mind-altering substance that isn't made by Jack Daniel's or Budweiser.
Were a Philadelphia policeman to wade into a crowd in Bryn Mawr or Scarsdale, say, and order everyone up against the wall, what would be the reaction? How much naked authority would a uniform be afforded by a community that has not been conditioned to fear the police?
Nothing will improve until we come to our senses and repeal narcotics laws that, while ineffective against drug use and sales, enable police departments across the country to buy Humvees and other highly symbolic weapons of war and then use those weapons against their own constituents.
Remember, police are trapped into the same Escher drawing as members of the minority community. It's no win for anybody.
Making something popular illegal only makes evil people rich. And, in this case, nonsensical laws put police into the unenviable position of having to battle against those who prefer a mind-altering substance that isn't made by Jack Daniel's or Budweiser.
10
Can you cite an incident in which suspects were killed by police Humvees? Illicit drug overdoses kill about 17,000 Americans each year.
5
We all are indeed part of a single society and a flawed one at that. Whatever steps need to be taken to better equip police to deal with the public should, of course, be taken. It also follows, however, that common sense reactions to police orders in confrontational situations, apparently need to be stressed to the public. Get your hands away from your body and stand still. Will that not help a little bit?
Perhaps the training has to go both ways.
Perhaps the training has to go both ways.
5
So does this make it less important to hire black police officers?
4
According to the Census Bureau, Philadelphia is 44% black. It can also be safely assumed that a larger percentage of blacks are under the age of 21 than whites. Therefore, the fact that the Philadelphia police are 34% black is just about in line with the city population. Of course, people trying to push this racial narrative such as Mr. Blow don't go for that. This one trick pony is getting old.
I will confess that at least he says that the shootings themselves are not strictly a black-white thing, but the rest of the column ignores that finding.
I will confess that at least he says that the shootings themselves are not strictly a black-white thing, but the rest of the column ignores that finding.
15
Of course it's not politically correct to suggest that officers perceive risk based on experience. However crimes statistics indicate that crime rates are higher among black populations.
It should be further noted that studies that test threat perception among the civilian population also find that blacks perceive other blacks as more threatening.
Is it racism or experience that shapes our perception?
It should be further noted that studies that test threat perception among the civilian population also find that blacks perceive other blacks as more threatening.
Is it racism or experience that shapes our perception?
38
While I admire your commitment to the issues Mr. Blow, you're stuck in statistics. Live the reality. Take a train out to Brownsville one night. Watch a man berate and physically threaten his girlfriend late on an L train platform, have two men stand over you on a G train and ask if you've got "a dollar", a clear indication that you are about to be robbed, or worse. Walk through the C train station near Times Square each day and see the degree to which men are cuffed and explaining their actions to undercover police officers, walk along the stretch of block 43rd and 44th Street on 8th Avenue, the lone holdout to the days of real trouble, where it is jammed with men who don't live in the neighborhood, pedaling coke, smoke, and sometimes themselves with physical intimidation. All I have mentioned happen to be represented by men of color. All are things many of us see and have to safe gurard our travels with a wary and sharp eye. All I explained has also happened to me. Am I racist? Hell no. This behavior occurs amongst poor white men too, but not here and not to the exponential rate against relative population. Opinions form from these experiences, police officers have it much worse. Your statistics are meaningless unless we examine why we have an underclass of minority men prone to violence and crime. If we acre about them, we will tackle this issue so future generations of all races don't suffer. Quit blaming the integrated police officers.
39
In my many years working with black and Hispanic folks, the real problem with poverty is its impct on potential lost and thereby absence of hope. The culture and social institutions must reverse this if we are not to fail this potentially productive group of people
1
And beyond these findings, I would be surprised if we didn't see that these kind of police encounters were driven by political leadership demanding ther police serve as a revenue-enhancement mechanism.
The New York and Ferguson city councils may have a lot more in common than either would ever admit.
The New York and Ferguson city councils may have a lot more in common than either would ever admit.
2
If we want our police to maintain order and enforce the law, the traditional missions with which police forces are charged, then we're likely to continue to see the disparities that Charles, and the recent report on Philadelphia's police force, cite; at least until we're (finally) successful at mainstreaming our black and Hispanic populations. The truth is that if an officer is in a potentially violent situation, it doesn't much matter whether he's white or black that his life could be in danger, that the danger is going to affect decisions he makes about twitches and "waistband-tugging", and that some of those decisions may be wrong. It's also likely in Philadelphia, a very diverse city with a plurality of African Americans, that if an officer is in that situation, again regardless of his race, that the person with whom he's contending is black.
There's nothing surprising in the statistics. I'm quite sure that black officers, in Philadelphia as elsewhere, value their lives as much as white officers ... and it's a dicey world out there where cops operate, folks. Frankly, I don't know where the expectation that black officers would react differently from white officers when confronted with potentially violent situations ever got hatched.
Beyond the reality of the environment, which is violent, there likely are causal elements to excessive violence within police forces that we may not have plumbed, possibly for reasons of political correctness. We need to look at them.
There's nothing surprising in the statistics. I'm quite sure that black officers, in Philadelphia as elsewhere, value their lives as much as white officers ... and it's a dicey world out there where cops operate, folks. Frankly, I don't know where the expectation that black officers would react differently from white officers when confronted with potentially violent situations ever got hatched.
Beyond the reality of the environment, which is violent, there likely are causal elements to excessive violence within police forces that we may not have plumbed, possibly for reasons of political correctness. We need to look at them.
2
The FBI Uniform Crime Report (Table 44 Law Enforcement Officers Feloniously Killed) shows that blacks, who9 make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, murdered at least 43 percent of the 565 police officers who were murdered in the line of duty from 2004 through 2013. (The race of the offender is unknown in 17 of the murders.) This seems to indicate that blacks pose a disproportionate threat to police officers. If African Americans did not murder a disproportionate number of police officers, black and white police officers might perceive them as less of a threat.
49
Well, progress - Mr. Blow is halfway there.
9
The conclusion is pretty obvious - black officers and white officers have similar experiences with the people they have to deal with every day, and come to similar conclusions. After being shot at and assaulted a couple of times, they start to generalize about who is likely to be dangerous and who is not. Since this is human nature, any program to oppose this is going to have a difficult time getting traction.
39
This describes the obvious: people fear black violence.
32
One fears what one has wronged.
5
Point of Order, to lump every white person, a priori, into those who have 'wronged' you, purely on the basis of their skin colour, is, um, racism.
Martin Luther King famously longed for a day when people would be judged not on the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.
A number of comments here are anecdotal. I will say, anecdotally, that as a white woman working, studying, and visiting NYC, I have had approximately a dozen bad encounters. Two involved white men. The rest - attempted muggings, sexual harassment, assault - involved black men and/or women. One, I remember almost 40 years later, with tears. I was in college, on my way to class, set on by a group of pre-teens at 50th and 8th, in broad daylight, attempting to grab my purse. (Mr Blow, your office is a few blocks south; I could walk you right to that spot.) I was not expensively dressed - quite the opposite, jeans and T-shirt. 'Why are you doing this?' I wept. 'What have I ever done to you?' Other than be white ....
Martin Luther King famously longed for a day when people would be judged not on the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.
A number of comments here are anecdotal. I will say, anecdotally, that as a white woman working, studying, and visiting NYC, I have had approximately a dozen bad encounters. Two involved white men. The rest - attempted muggings, sexual harassment, assault - involved black men and/or women. One, I remember almost 40 years later, with tears. I was in college, on my way to class, set on by a group of pre-teens at 50th and 8th, in broad daylight, attempting to grab my purse. (Mr Blow, your office is a few blocks south; I could walk you right to that spot.) I was not expensively dressed - quite the opposite, jeans and T-shirt. 'Why are you doing this?' I wept. 'What have I ever done to you?' Other than be white ....
6
Charles, I believe that we knew this already - which is why it is unwise to make every issue one about race.
The presenting issue here is economic power - who has it, who doesn't, and who we ask to do whatever is necessary to keep the thin veneer of civilization required for commerce to proceed in place.
Cops are asked to keep the lid on the sewer created by American economic inequality.
Bob Herbert, your predecessor in this space, repeatedly emphasized how this recession had disproportionally impacted people of color - and how ending this recession, by whatever means necessary (as Krugman, Stiglitz, Reich, and Herbert were calling for) needed to become the Obama Administration's prime directive.
The Obama Administration chose something closer to the middle way - a bit of stimulus, a few tax cuts - and has reaped better results than any government that elected to impose austerity. But imagine if it had instead tread the path that Herbert and the Keynesians had been proposing?
The best style of law enforcement is the one where a cop can honestly tell a kid in trouble that if he gets his act together, he can make it economically while walking the straight and narrow. But right now, nobody can tell a troubled kid that if they put their nose to the grindstone, it will lead anywhere but to futility.
Until we address the macroeconomic dynamics driving the gutting of America, we're going to keep asking cops to forcefully keep that lid place, by whatever means necessary.
The presenting issue here is economic power - who has it, who doesn't, and who we ask to do whatever is necessary to keep the thin veneer of civilization required for commerce to proceed in place.
Cops are asked to keep the lid on the sewer created by American economic inequality.
Bob Herbert, your predecessor in this space, repeatedly emphasized how this recession had disproportionally impacted people of color - and how ending this recession, by whatever means necessary (as Krugman, Stiglitz, Reich, and Herbert were calling for) needed to become the Obama Administration's prime directive.
The Obama Administration chose something closer to the middle way - a bit of stimulus, a few tax cuts - and has reaped better results than any government that elected to impose austerity. But imagine if it had instead tread the path that Herbert and the Keynesians had been proposing?
The best style of law enforcement is the one where a cop can honestly tell a kid in trouble that if he gets his act together, he can make it economically while walking the straight and narrow. But right now, nobody can tell a troubled kid that if they put their nose to the grindstone, it will lead anywhere but to futility.
Until we address the macroeconomic dynamics driving the gutting of America, we're going to keep asking cops to forcefully keep that lid place, by whatever means necessary.
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"The idea that people cannot be biased — consciously or not — against people who look like them is a naïve assumption..."
You're absolutely right, Charles. None of us live in a vacuum. How we are socialized matters a great deal, which makes public education all the more important. It makes receiving as many tools, whether they're critical thinking, ethics, history, philosophy, biology, or any of the subjects that are required of a first and second year college student, all the more important for young people to learn and internalize much earlier than American society allows for at the moment. Education has been our society's great equalizer. Its deterioration, in a way, is a mirror of many of the breakdowns we see now, including police brutality.
Education is one very important way we can begin correcting some very serious problems overall, and over the long term. Over the short term, however, we need to look at all of the things that all police departments share in common. One worrisome one is who fits the ideal for new hires by police departments. Why are there so many aggressive cops? What is it about who is recruited that has contributed to this rise in brutality?
Whatever answers are found, reforms need to apply to all the disparate police departments across the nation as a matter of national policy. This may be the hardest to do, especially now that Congress is so anti-government at the core. We need direction. We need action. Now.
You're absolutely right, Charles. None of us live in a vacuum. How we are socialized matters a great deal, which makes public education all the more important. It makes receiving as many tools, whether they're critical thinking, ethics, history, philosophy, biology, or any of the subjects that are required of a first and second year college student, all the more important for young people to learn and internalize much earlier than American society allows for at the moment. Education has been our society's great equalizer. Its deterioration, in a way, is a mirror of many of the breakdowns we see now, including police brutality.
Education is one very important way we can begin correcting some very serious problems overall, and over the long term. Over the short term, however, we need to look at all of the things that all police departments share in common. One worrisome one is who fits the ideal for new hires by police departments. Why are there so many aggressive cops? What is it about who is recruited that has contributed to this rise in brutality?
Whatever answers are found, reforms need to apply to all the disparate police departments across the nation as a matter of national policy. This may be the hardest to do, especially now that Congress is so anti-government at the core. We need direction. We need action. Now.
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I am going to try to publish a weekly blog post with the brutality incidents I see each week. Here is the one I compiled last night:
http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/03/the-week-in-racism-and-police-brutality...
The attenuating effect higher education has on bias has been researched. Here is one paper on the topic for those who are interested. http://www.diversityweb.org/digest/sp.sm00/tolerance.html
FBI Director Comey's truths: http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/02/comeys-truth-about-policing-and-race/
http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/03/the-week-in-racism-and-police-brutality...
The attenuating effect higher education has on bias has been researched. Here is one paper on the topic for those who are interested. http://www.diversityweb.org/digest/sp.sm00/tolerance.html
FBI Director Comey's truths: http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/02/comeys-truth-about-policing-and-race/
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Over the past week, I've written three separate open letters on different aspects of the same issue.
Rapper Common: http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/03/open-letter-to-common-blacklivesmatter/
Oklahoma University: http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/03/open-letter-to-president_boren-oklahoma...
Ferguson: http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/03/my-open-letter-to-jonathan-capehart-bla...
Rapper Common: http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/03/open-letter-to-common-blacklivesmatter/
Oklahoma University: http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/03/open-letter-to-president_boren-oklahoma...
Ferguson: http://www.rimaregas.com/2015/03/my-open-letter-to-jonathan-capehart-bla...
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"Education is one very important way we can begin correcting some very serious problems overall, and over the long term."
How does this apply to those who do not value education and attack those who do for "acting white"?
How does this apply to those who do not value education and attack those who do for "acting white"?
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