The Justice Department needs to expand such reports instead of "cherry-picking" what they uncover to match preconceived, popular notions. Several items I found while searching the subject on the Internet do not support the Justice Department findings. Just one sample: in 2015, 50% of the people killed by police were white, and 26% were black. More whites and Latinos were killed by police than blacks. Time to go back to Square One and get it right. America needs to know true facts.........
5
Being from Boston, I can say with clarity that criminal activity isn't tied to race it's tied to social and economic class. Whitey Bulger, anyone?
3
Read this story from the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/14/us/Baltimore-homicides-rec...
Lots of murders last year in Bmore. I am surprised the DoJ didn't pin all of those on the police, as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/14/us/Baltimore-homicides-rec...
Lots of murders last year in Bmore. I am surprised the DoJ didn't pin all of those on the police, as well.
10
During the period under review the Baltimore police department was majority minority. It is this very fact that it is a Black run city and still has these problems that has been left out of serious discussions. Those that state this is about racial bias have to explain how a minority minority police department, mostly Black, can be guilty of racism.
13
I, too, would be interested in hearing such an explanation. But I am afraid there is too much finger pointing and blame assigning to examine the true facts. I doubt we will ever hear what needs to be explained. When I lived in Baltimore we feared the black gangs and the black criminals much more than we feared any law enforcement officers. Seems that has not changed: and blaming the police for the problems has not changed. Nor improved.
5
Brian Wilson it depends on who gives the orders. We see from the article that a sergeant told those under his supervision to stop and search a bunch of blacks. He said he got no cause. He was told to make one up. So a lot depends on the middle managers and if someone is black is he going to risk his career not to carry out an order when most likely nothing will happen to him anyway if he stops and frisks some blacks. What's to lose? He has more to lose if he does not follow orders.
2
The Justice Department study applies to the Baltimore Police Department’s “zero tolerance” policing strategy, which was discontinued in 2015. Zero tolerance policing is based on the theory that cracking down on minor offenses in high-crime neighborhoods reduces the number of serious offenses in high-crime neighborhoods. The study concludes that the zero tolerance strategy was biased against blacks because it was applied in black neighborhoods but not white neighborhoods. However, the study does not characterize the strategy as racist. The BPD policed black neighborhoods more vigorously than white neighborhoods because the black neighborhoods were the high-crime neighborhoods. (In 2015, 320 black Baltimore residents were murdered compared to 17 white residents. There are similar racial disparities in other types of violent crime.) The intent of the zero tolerance policy was clearly nonracist. Its purpose was to protect black residents, not abuse them.
8
A foreigner's impression: In 1990 I was assigned to a Baltimore hospital for a few days to observe certain surgical procedures. Since my hotel was a walking distance from the hospital and both seemed to be in a "nice" neighborhood, I used to walk every night to my hotel at the end of my shift, not thinking much of the late hour. Then I noted something I had thought belonged in a Soviet country town, not in a U.S. capital city. I noted that Baltimore had a severe shortage of matches and cigarette lighters. How did I realize that? Simple: every 50 yards or so, a shadow broke off the wall, holding a cigarette, and joined me walking on the lit sidewalk: "Hey man, do you have fire?"
Incidentally, all these fire-starved individuals, without exception, struck me as African-American males. Alas! Did I become as biased as Baltimore Police?
Incidentally, all these fire-starved individuals, without exception, struck me as African-American males. Alas! Did I become as biased as Baltimore Police?
7
" city leaders — including a series of black mayors — have ignored the problem for decades."
People in Baltimore do not elect good leaders.
People in Baltimore do not elect good leaders.
3
Find the oldest black person you can and ask them how long have policemen been racially profiling black people? Similar to white policemen shooting down black people, the only people again who are actually surprised by such a devastating report of racism is white people. And any sensible person knows that Baltimore is not unique or an abberation among city police forces. Sad truth, but we will see more reports of similar behavior, if we look.
6
The bias transcends Baltimore's decades-long across-the-board transition from white to black leadership. The root of the problem is the behavior of Baltimore's citizens. Law abiding residents should leave, corporations should relocate and Johns Hopkins should build a new campus, leaving Baltimore to those incapable of changing.
5
If Jacob Smith is a convicted felon, with a long criminal record, then it may make sense for police to stop him and question him every-time they see him in the street. It may not be fair on Jacob who, he claims, is now a reformed character -- but it makes sense. Nevertheless, if Joe Smith's younger brother has no criminal record, then is it fair for the cops to stop and question the kid?
Those here saying that if blacks commit more crimes then it makes sense and it's fair to stop all blacks, are not merely saying it's fair to stop and harass Jacob Smith.
They're saying it's fair to stop and harass not just the kid brother but also his father, his mother, sisters, grandmother, godfather, and all his second and third cousins, even though they may never have never committed a crime.
Those here saying that if blacks commit more crimes then it makes sense and it's fair to stop all blacks, are not merely saying it's fair to stop and harass Jacob Smith.
They're saying it's fair to stop and harass not just the kid brother but also his father, his mother, sisters, grandmother, godfather, and all his second and third cousins, even though they may never have never committed a crime.
5
Only the courts can fix this. If the arrest was racially motivated, the case should be tossed.
1
Governor Mike Pence has held up the pardon of an innocent man, Keith Cooper, for 29 months, despite the unanimous recommendation of the Indiana Parole Board for the pardon on the basis of his actual innocence. Don't look to Pence and a Trump administration for improvements if, God forbid, they get elected.
3
LOL. How can you call it police bias in what is ostensibly a war zone..... that is the reality of Baltimore.
6
Let's see. The Police force has a large percent of Blacks. The population is 60 percent Black. The elected officials are all or mostly Black. BUT with all that there is still a racial bias. Stupid is Stupid does.
7
If blacks commit disproportionately more crime, they will be arrested and charged disproportionately more. In a majorlity black city, it is irresponsible journalism for you to not cite such an important fact. Whatever happened to Freddie Gray, he was a predicate criminal with a long record, and when he was apprehended for the last time, he was running from the police because he had missed his most recent court date and probably figured they had a warrant out on him. I would add also that the majority black police officers face the same situations their white colleagues do, and participate equally in arresting their black fellow citizens.
8
Over the years I've heard many awful stories from black friends and colleagues about their appalling treatment at the hands of police but it's still painful to again see it so starkly laid out in statistics. I think community policing is a start, bicycling or walking the beat, becoming known and trusted goes a long way towards getting citizens behind the force rather than afraid of it or hating it. However I also think we should be paying police at least triple what their average salaries are today and I'd gladly pay higher taxes to do it. I think we'd attract better cops, because the way it is now, who but a saint or a psycho would want this job? The men and women in blue put their lives on the line for us every single day yet make a pittance The murderous Orlando shooter wanted to be a cop; how many with similar temperaments succeeded? In my city when officers get some experience they are lured away to safer localities and higher wages. If we paid cops what they're worth maybe they'd be more willing to "out" their fellow officers rather than this us versus them code of blue. Cops know better than any who among them are corrupt or racists or just temperamentally unsuited to this crucial but dangerous work.
6
The police are paid a pittance?
'The largest pay increase in 2015 was received by Dallas Police Officer Brian K. Verdine, believed to be a traffic enforcement officer. Verdine logged 1,809 overtime hours in 2015, and increased his pay from a base salary of $72,717 to $204,094. We have requested, but not received, more information as to exactly what Verdine did to earn over $130,000 in extra pay.'
https://www.dallas.org/content/dallas-overtime
'The largest pay increase in 2015 was received by Dallas Police Officer Brian K. Verdine, believed to be a traffic enforcement officer. Verdine logged 1,809 overtime hours in 2015, and increased his pay from a base salary of $72,717 to $204,094. We have requested, but not received, more information as to exactly what Verdine did to earn over $130,000 in extra pay.'
https://www.dallas.org/content/dallas-overtime
2
A friend of mine is a Principal in a Junior High in California. His school is largely populated by poor students and recent immigrants.
He received a notice from the State that too many "African-American" students
were receiving detentions/suspensions. His School District suggested that if
he could not reduce the number of detentions/suspensions of African Americans - he increase the number for Latino's and Asian students so that the percentages balanced out.
Can someone tell me what percent of the Police Officers are African-Americans
in Baltimore ?
Can someone tell me what percent of the top 20 Police Administrators in Baltimore are African Americans ?
Can someone tell me what percent of the top 100 Administrators in Baltimore
are African-Americans ?
We were told in the 60's that if Police Departments/Public Administrations were
to accept Minorities as fellow workers Governmental Racial Discrimination would end in due course.
50 years have gone by and it has not happened.
When will Progressive NY Times Liberals realise your mistake is that it is not so much discrimination against Minorities as it is against the Poor of this country ?
Pay a visit to your local County Jail and you will see people who have grown up
poor in this country, who have received poor educations, who are un-employed and under-employed.
Please stop saying it is about the colour of a person's skin - it is not.
It is about how the Poor in this country are treated like...
He received a notice from the State that too many "African-American" students
were receiving detentions/suspensions. His School District suggested that if
he could not reduce the number of detentions/suspensions of African Americans - he increase the number for Latino's and Asian students so that the percentages balanced out.
Can someone tell me what percent of the Police Officers are African-Americans
in Baltimore ?
Can someone tell me what percent of the top 20 Police Administrators in Baltimore are African Americans ?
Can someone tell me what percent of the top 100 Administrators in Baltimore
are African-Americans ?
We were told in the 60's that if Police Departments/Public Administrations were
to accept Minorities as fellow workers Governmental Racial Discrimination would end in due course.
50 years have gone by and it has not happened.
When will Progressive NY Times Liberals realise your mistake is that it is not so much discrimination against Minorities as it is against the Poor of this country ?
Pay a visit to your local County Jail and you will see people who have grown up
poor in this country, who have received poor educations, who are un-employed and under-employed.
Please stop saying it is about the colour of a person's skin - it is not.
It is about how the Poor in this country are treated like...
5
Thank you Justice Department for telling the real truth. We've waited a long time for this. Now, can our legal system keep up? If some officers were not tried, they can be now. New indictments can be filed. Also, the charges need to align with actual events. Some of the old charges were so vague and mild and had very little to do with what happened. That won't work. The goal is to stop police brutality and the killing of unarmed African-American citizens. Enough is Enough. As with Wall Street, when those who break the law never go to jail, why would they change?
3
I notice that the New York Times editorial board has uncritically repeated the completely bogus charges made by the Department of Justice.
Here you are: "Baltimore is 63 percent African-American, yet black residents accounted for 84 percent of police stops ..." But by themselves these raw data prove absolutely nothing. If the Department of Justice had been sincerely interested in the truth it would have compared the percentage of police stops of blacks to the percentage of blacks who committed traffic violations or fitted the description of a suspect, and other reasons.
Take another statistic. In 2012, blacks accounted for 94.4% of all Baltimore's murder victims (Baltimore Sun, Jan. 1, 2013). With a little Googling, I could dig up percentages of convictions by race. It would be in the same ballpark. The point is, of course, that backs commit more crimes than whites and other races. No surprise then that blacks are far more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, charged and so on. Until evidence is offered showing otherwise, the only honest inference is that the more frequent stops have to do with the greater incidence of crime and other violations.
The Justice Department has just dished up 163 pages of propaganda masquerading as social science.
Here you are: "Baltimore is 63 percent African-American, yet black residents accounted for 84 percent of police stops ..." But by themselves these raw data prove absolutely nothing. If the Department of Justice had been sincerely interested in the truth it would have compared the percentage of police stops of blacks to the percentage of blacks who committed traffic violations or fitted the description of a suspect, and other reasons.
Take another statistic. In 2012, blacks accounted for 94.4% of all Baltimore's murder victims (Baltimore Sun, Jan. 1, 2013). With a little Googling, I could dig up percentages of convictions by race. It would be in the same ballpark. The point is, of course, that backs commit more crimes than whites and other races. No surprise then that blacks are far more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, charged and so on. Until evidence is offered showing otherwise, the only honest inference is that the more frequent stops have to do with the greater incidence of crime and other violations.
The Justice Department has just dished up 163 pages of propaganda masquerading as social science.
7
Not to worry. On orders of a federal judge, Dept. of Justice lawyers are taking a remedial course in ethical behavior. This is no joke.
2
Yes.
It would help if a complete statistical breakdown of the whole
situation in Baltimore were given by the New York Times.
It would help if a complete statistical breakdown of the whole
situation in Baltimore were given by the New York Times.
2
Or, Sheryl, Findings of Police Bias in Baltimore Contradict What Many Have Long Felt. It all depends on where you land on the crime continuum. If you think that we need to be more sympathetic to thugs and criminals and treat them with more respect, then yeah, go with your headline.
5
I won't lie I think anyone who has been paying any amount of attention over the last two years pretty much knew it. If they didn't, they had their heads in the sand.
1
One statistic I don't see here that would be interesting and, perhaps telling, would be the ratios of the race of the arresting/stopping officers. Was there a significant difference in the stop/arrest rates of Black and non-Black officers for Blacks and non-Blacks? If there is a marked difference, then the indication would be that culpability lies more with the police department. If that difference is not there, then it seems the larger problem is with a political leadership that is transmitting its beliefs, values, and priorities to the police departments.
It is absolutely necessary that many jurisdictions get their police department's act together. However, in general, police departments reflect the policies of the political leaders of their communities. The onus cannot simply be put on the cops. Changes are needed in political leadership, and it is up to the residents to make that happen.
It is absolutely necessary that many jurisdictions get their police department's act together. However, in general, police departments reflect the policies of the political leaders of their communities. The onus cannot simply be put on the cops. Changes are needed in political leadership, and it is up to the residents to make that happen.
5
Portland ,Oregon is under the same type of Justice Department decree.... Yet the Police Union and City Hall have done everything to water it down or ignore it. The Police Review Board members are quitting left and right. This will never end until the Justice Department starts sending the worst to jail. I worked with LE for years as a Firefighter and Hazmat member, and there were a few LR that I would not trust with the truth. Yet, there are a few good officers, and they are the ones that are paying the price of the "blue line"..
2
The DOJ has become political and this only goes to prove it. No doubt there are some bad policemen out there but the police are dealing with bad people most of the time. The police like the rest of us want to live and be happy. This kind of political pressure makes that more difficult. Perhaps the naysayers should put a uniform on and try out some of there theories.
5
Beat the racism card all you like Dems to drum up votes. I get it. It's the oldest trick in the book but kindly don't lose sight of Global Warming, Healthcare, the Economy, etc which seem to have disappeared during this election cycle. I have no doubt there are a few racist cops out there, but the significance of those few bad apples pales in comparison to the real issues we should be discussing.
16
No, no, no, no. You do not get to dismiss a statistical source of information on citywide discrimination as unimportant. This, systemic racism, is not small. it is not a "few bad apples." This report proves that a police department, the force in charge of keeping people safe, clearly endangers them--a swath of the population. That is not okay. If 13% of the population does not have their human rights respected, then no one has their human rights respected. Rights are pretty important. One of the biggest issues with global warming is that the people most hurt by it are people of color in poor countries who's lives aren't valued the same as American (white) lives (if you need more information on this---Katrina). If they had similar degrees of access to money/privilege/resources/etc they wouldn't have such a weak position at the table. Those similar factories are involved in Baltimore. People's lives are valued differently--if you look at history you would notice that the biggest humanitarian/social issues come from lives not being valued.
You should start asking yourself why you feel so comfortable dismissing systemic oppression against groups of people.
I'm sorry this came off so high and mighty, but you have just argued that discrimination isn't a big enough topic to be national conversation. It is.
You should start asking yourself why you feel so comfortable dismissing systemic oppression against groups of people.
I'm sorry this came off so high and mighty, but you have just argued that discrimination isn't a big enough topic to be national conversation. It is.
8
The real issue we should be discussing is why someone like you feels justified in ignoring the rot at the center of American culture, namely the attitude and actions displayed towards non-whites by whites since those oh-so-entitled English colonists first arrived. Your feeble attempt to divert attention from the truth, with a mischaracterization of the Baltimore situation as "a few racist cops," pales in comparison to the need to honestly confront and stamp out the widespread racism that continues to flourish across this country.
BTW, I'm a 62-year-old white guy.
BTW, I'm a 62-year-old white guy.
3
My point wasn't to dismiss racism whatsoever, but to demonstrate that the Democratic Party on a whole is dismissing more grandiose issues to drum up the African American vote in favor of dismissing the greater good of this country. It is NOT a coincidence that these race matters are front and center the closer we get to November. It's disgusting and isn't at all a genuine attempt to solve problems within minority communities.
2
This is not simply a black and white issue. Nothing will improve until the Blue Wall of Silence comes down once and for all, until "good" cops stop covering up for criminals who also happen to be cops — and that's going to take a national effort.
9
The Baltimore Police Department has a majority black demographic. This is just another example of black on black crime.
8
Police on black people crime would be more accurate.
2
The Baltimore police force is half black.....
Would someone walk me through the argument for how "systemic racism" magically negates referring to the race of Baltimore police, politicians, etc. as a contextual counterpoint to these findings? Is the allegation that the African American politicians are assisting in the construction of this "systemic racism"? Are we saying that we don't believe that the African-American police on the ground have the incentive, ability or moral compass to disregard institutional or "system racism" in their dealings with fellow African-Americans in the community?
This is a serious question. When I read accusations of how a city "system" composed of a non-trivial number of African-Americans, from street police to the highest level of politics, is responsible for "systemic racism" against African-Americans, I sense a contradiction somewhere. Honestly, looking at the facts on demographics, claiming "system racism" seems to me like an amorphous, blanket rebuttal that doesn't reconcile the obvious connection between the victim demographic and the racial makeup of the "system", i.e. African-American police and politicians.
This is a serious question. When I read accusations of how a city "system" composed of a non-trivial number of African-Americans, from street police to the highest level of politics, is responsible for "systemic racism" against African-Americans, I sense a contradiction somewhere. Honestly, looking at the facts on demographics, claiming "system racism" seems to me like an amorphous, blanket rebuttal that doesn't reconcile the obvious connection between the victim demographic and the racial makeup of the "system", i.e. African-American police and politicians.
11
A policeman is a policeman first and second. Black policemen, similar to female officers, have to comply with systemic practices and are "disciplined" by the same code. Which is why you see good officers defending bad cops and remaining complicit with systemic patterns of behavior.
1
If any officer is unhappy with the guidance and instructions he is given he can always resign...
The data actually doesn't say anything. Just raw percentiles. There is no co-variable analysis reported.
Can the NYT at least consult a statistician when publishing pieces based on numbers? Your Lib art major writers and editors are pretty skilled at creating click bait, but meaningful analysis - not so much.
Can the NYT at least consult a statistician when publishing pieces based on numbers? Your Lib art major writers and editors are pretty skilled at creating click bait, but meaningful analysis - not so much.
17
If black residents of Baltimore are more likely to commit crimes of all sorts then it makes sense that they will be pulled over, stopped and questioned more often. Indeed, statistics show that they do commit more crimes than the white residents do on a per capita basis but this report, from the pages I read, only draw simplistic comparisons and then scream racism. For example "Blacks make up 60 percent of Baltimore’s drivers but account for 82 percent of traffic stops." I would like to know more context behind this stat. Maybe, just maybe, they have poor driving habits and disregard for rules of the road and this could be the cause of the disproportionate traffic stops for blacks vs. whites.
17
White people and Black people consume drugs at a similar rate. Black people are disproportionately charged with drug crimes. if each community consumes drugs at a similar rate--then that should be reflected in drug charges. it's not. That is systemic racism. That is not OK.
first time offenders with the same charges, if Black, are more likely to be convicted and with longer/harsher sentencing. If people commit the same crime they should be charged the same--that doesn't happen. That is discriminatory.
People are not treated fairly by the justice system. That requires systemic change.
first time offenders with the same charges, if Black, are more likely to be convicted and with longer/harsher sentencing. If people commit the same crime they should be charged the same--that doesn't happen. That is discriminatory.
People are not treated fairly by the justice system. That requires systemic change.
2
The statistics are corrupt just like the cops who provide the corrupt data from which the statistics are compiled. If I'm only focused on the 20 yr. olds then how much am I going to miss from the 40 yr. old demographic???
Nice try. The BPD was found to be unconstitutional. So just cut it out and admit it.
1
The sadism test
In order to develop a rigorous test for sadism, researchers assembled a list of questions designed to poke right at the heart of a sadistic personality.
The first version was 20 questions long. Subjects were asked to say how strongly they agreed or disagreed with a list of (rather chilling) statements, using a scale from one to five. (One meant completely disagree and five completely agree.)
I have made fun of people so that they know I am in control.
People do what I want them to because they are afraid of me.
When I tell people what to do, they know to do it.
I never get tired of pushing people around.
I would hurt somebody if it meant I would be in control.
I control my friends through intimidation.
When I mock someone, it is funny to see them get upset.
Being mean to others can be exciting.
When I get annoyed, tormenting people makes me feel better.
I have hurt people close to me for enjoyment.
I enjoy humiliating others.
I get pleasure from mocking people in front of their friends.
I think about harassing others for enjoyment.
I have cheated others because I enjoy it.
I think about hurting people who irritate me.
I'd lie to someone to make them upset.
I have stolen from others without regard for the consequences.
Making people feel bad about themselves makes me feel good.
I am quick to humiliate others.
I have tormented others without feeling remorse.
In order to develop a rigorous test for sadism, researchers assembled a list of questions designed to poke right at the heart of a sadistic personality.
The first version was 20 questions long. Subjects were asked to say how strongly they agreed or disagreed with a list of (rather chilling) statements, using a scale from one to five. (One meant completely disagree and five completely agree.)
I have made fun of people so that they know I am in control.
People do what I want them to because they are afraid of me.
When I tell people what to do, they know to do it.
I never get tired of pushing people around.
I would hurt somebody if it meant I would be in control.
I control my friends through intimidation.
When I mock someone, it is funny to see them get upset.
Being mean to others can be exciting.
When I get annoyed, tormenting people makes me feel better.
I have hurt people close to me for enjoyment.
I enjoy humiliating others.
I get pleasure from mocking people in front of their friends.
I think about harassing others for enjoyment.
I have cheated others because I enjoy it.
I think about hurting people who irritate me.
I'd lie to someone to make them upset.
I have stolen from others without regard for the consequences.
Making people feel bad about themselves makes me feel good.
I am quick to humiliate others.
I have tormented others without feeling remorse.
2
The Justice Department report just reaffirms the “us against them” mindset where the police, in this case he Baltimore PD, can do no wrong, or at best just a little bit wrong. Policemen must be held criminally responsible. They should be made to be financially responsible as well. There will be inevitable confrontations, shootings that end in death. The latest is Korryn Gaines a 23-year old cradling her 5 year- old son when shot. The standoff took hours yet the confrontation and killing was not recorded, is not on the record, and all we have to go on is a “he said she said” story. It seems in Baltimore no one is ever responsible for death and never the police. Since we will never know what really happened and we must fashion solutions.
It is the way that we deal with the results of the shootings, whether black or white, that matters. Unless we change it will continue more of the same. See my comments of today: “Dollars and Death: Black and White Lives Matters” at
http://deyanbrashich.com/home/2016/7/31/dollars-and-death-black-and-whit...
It is the way that we deal with the results of the shootings, whether black or white, that matters. Unless we change it will continue more of the same. See my comments of today: “Dollars and Death: Black and White Lives Matters” at
http://deyanbrashich.com/home/2016/7/31/dollars-and-death-black-and-whit...
2
You mean the woman who sat on the floor holding 5-year-old son, while pointing a shotgun at the police, telling them she was going to shoot them?
4
Shouldn't the rioters and burners be held "criminally responsible?" And " financially responsible?" Shouldn't the rioters and burners be required to wear body cameras? "What's good for the goose........."
3
Hey Giuliani (aka Mr. Aiding and Abetting)!
Howdya like them apples?!
Howdya like them apples?!
1
So the incompetence of the prosecutor, coached by the DOJ, was not enough. Now there is a doubling down. These statistics can very easily be cherry picked and manipulated. Clearly, the DOJ and Obama's mission to weaken the rule of law in this country will continue.
Baltimore and it's citizen's will be the ones to suffer in the long run. The city is already overrun with miscreants and street people. It's not a city that is on my list to visit again. What a shame that all that downtown revitalization will go to waste.....but the democratic party will continue to run the city.....into the ground.
Baltimore and it's citizen's will be the ones to suffer in the long run. The city is already overrun with miscreants and street people. It's not a city that is on my list to visit again. What a shame that all that downtown revitalization will go to waste.....but the democratic party will continue to run the city.....into the ground.
11
US G=DOJ finding about Police Prejudice against black folks in poor areas is just a tip of the iceberg as to what is going on across this country in other cities in this country as far as the cops are concerned. Places like Ferguson MO, Orlando FL , LA are no coincidences, The US South in particular LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, TN, KY AK, OK are worst. More then anything else it is the good old boys and freaking so called state's right and the turf of the same makes it far worst.
Poor areas.....AKA High crime areas you mean.
2
It appears that, since the population of Baltimore is mostly black, and the police force is mostly black, the politicians are mostly black, the solutions should be easy.
1
What is not discussed in this story is that almost the entire political class of Baltimore is black, and has been for almost as long as these outrages have been going on. Mayor, Mayor's Chief of Staff, City Council President, Comptroller, vast majority of the City Council, the heads of many city departments, and something close to 50% of the police force are African-American. Why is no one asking how an entire establishment that benefits from an affinity to their citizens at election time, can so callously disregard or be so impotent and incompetent in the administration of their city?
14
I think the answer is simple. COMPELLED PERFORMAMCE, to maintain a certain lifestyle and image. I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it...
According to a study the NY Times posted last month, Use of Force was 20% higher for blacks than whites. The headline was, "Study Supports Suspicion That Police Are More Likely to Use Force on Blacks." But when I actually contextualized their own data, I found that around 19 out of 20 times, whether your black or white, you won't have "use of force" used against you.
The New York Times states based on the Center for Policing Equity report, “For those who were arrested, the mean rate of use of force against blacks was 46 for every 1,000 arrests, compared with 36 per 1,000 for whites.” [20% higher]
WHICH TRANSLATES TO:
Use of force is not used 944 times out of 1000 arrests for black Americans and 934 out of 1000 arrests for white Americans — which is 5.6% of the time for every black person arrested and 6.6% of the time for every white person arrested. So roughly 95% of the time for no matter your race, police in the United States won’t be rough with you.
THE ARTICLE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/us/study-supports-suspicion-that-polic...
EXCERPT: "But when the Justice Department has had the ability to review use-of-force records, it has found evidence of abuse. In Seattle, federal investigators found that one out of every five use-of-force episodes had been excessive."
QUESTION: How come it's 1 in 5 in Seattle, but 1 in 20 nationwide, and how does the DOJ come to its conclusions?
The New York Times states based on the Center for Policing Equity report, “For those who were arrested, the mean rate of use of force against blacks was 46 for every 1,000 arrests, compared with 36 per 1,000 for whites.” [20% higher]
WHICH TRANSLATES TO:
Use of force is not used 944 times out of 1000 arrests for black Americans and 934 out of 1000 arrests for white Americans — which is 5.6% of the time for every black person arrested and 6.6% of the time for every white person arrested. So roughly 95% of the time for no matter your race, police in the United States won’t be rough with you.
THE ARTICLE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/us/study-supports-suspicion-that-polic...
EXCERPT: "But when the Justice Department has had the ability to review use-of-force records, it has found evidence of abuse. In Seattle, federal investigators found that one out of every five use-of-force episodes had been excessive."
QUESTION: How come it's 1 in 5 in Seattle, but 1 in 20 nationwide, and how does the DOJ come to its conclusions?
6
I guess this is what you get with "progressive" leadership.
6
Hope this leads to oversight of the Police department. Excessive power without control will be like the deregulation of finance which resulted in a 2009 recession. In a heavily driven and masculine society like America (read less compassion and empathy compared to many other countries) , oversight is very essential.
Should not "oversight" also be applied to all government bodies - you know, the black city council members, the black heads of all departments, the legal profession, the federal prosecutors, etc.??
2
Discrimination by statistic and “disparate impact”. Bullsugar.
So, is the problem that the police arrest too many Black criminals or too few “whites”? Is the solution to arrest fewer Black criminals, or gin up charges against “whites” so that the statistics come out Politically Correct? We know what the % is of Blacks in the general population; what is their representation among criminals? We know their % of drivers; what is their % of bad drivers, or drivers operating unsafe cars? Maybe Black drivers are stopped more often because they deserve to be; you read it right here in The NYT.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/21/nyregion/study-suggests-racial-gap-in-...
That there are abuses of power goes without saying. That these probably tend to happen in minority areas, where crime tends to hang out, more often than in “white” areas where it doesn't, also goes without saying.
But “disparate impact” analysis says precisely nothing about any abuse of power; it simply says that when you live in a high crime area, where the police are on the lookout, and you commit a crime, you’re going to get busted. The easiest way to avoid being a “victim” of disparate impact? Don’t commit a crime. Indeed, the fewer crimes that people who look like you and live in your neighborhood commit, the less likely you are to attract any police attention at all.
So, is the problem that the police arrest too many Black criminals or too few “whites”? Is the solution to arrest fewer Black criminals, or gin up charges against “whites” so that the statistics come out Politically Correct? We know what the % is of Blacks in the general population; what is their representation among criminals? We know their % of drivers; what is their % of bad drivers, or drivers operating unsafe cars? Maybe Black drivers are stopped more often because they deserve to be; you read it right here in The NYT.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/21/nyregion/study-suggests-racial-gap-in-...
That there are abuses of power goes without saying. That these probably tend to happen in minority areas, where crime tends to hang out, more often than in “white” areas where it doesn't, also goes without saying.
But “disparate impact” analysis says precisely nothing about any abuse of power; it simply says that when you live in a high crime area, where the police are on the lookout, and you commit a crime, you’re going to get busted. The easiest way to avoid being a “victim” of disparate impact? Don’t commit a crime. Indeed, the fewer crimes that people who look like you and live in your neighborhood commit, the less likely you are to attract any police attention at all.
11
You must have missed the part that explained how the 1 police supervisor instructed his officers to arrest any and all people wearing black hoodiies in a particular neighborhood... That was just 1 example.
1
Thank you for the link to the study of Speeding Drivers.
Interesting how some studies are ignored and others are held to be
the "Absolute Truth".
Interesting how some studies are ignored and others are held to be
the "Absolute Truth".
1
Why don't they run an experiment in Baltimore and let the AA neighborhoods be policed by AA cops and white neighborhoods by white cops?
2
There are so many cases of "racial injustice". Some have proof, others do not. Some have mitigation, others do not. Some have some semblance of logic if not justification, others do not. In Baltimore, there is now stunning proof. Now it needs to be followed by swift and determined action.
3
The stats could just as easily be interpreted as blacks committing more offences resulting in more stops. Especially given that the demographics of the police in Baltimore show more minorities in the police department than whites. Both the mayor and chief of police are black.
6
The chief is white, and I believe there is some sort of standing agreement that goes something like: Let me do the police work and you do the mayoral work, stay out of my way and we will stay out of yours...
Baltimore's White Male Power Structure must be overthrown. If only Baltimore were allowed to have a black female mayor, black female DA, and black-dominated city council, none of this white racism would be happening.
10
Pretty clever my man. Just remember, politics kills...
Just in time as all the officers in the Freddie Gray case were exonerated. Great timing indeed. Persecution through govt.
2
We understand that the police have a dangerous job. Firemen and soldiers also put their lives at risk. When police, firemen, or soldiers take the oath for these jobs they accept that in doing their job their life is at risk.
Although minorities are disproportionately victimized. Our nationwide problem with police affects all races, ethnicities, and communities. The problem exists because of who we select to become police.
The only difference between the police and criminals is that police have uniforms and badges. They both share the same bullying, antisocial behaviors.
Police who kill innocent civilians are cowards. Rather than honorably doing their job which means accepting risk, they shoot first rather than taking a risk by defusing the incident.
We need to hire individuals with personalities suitable for the job and weed out the bullying, antisocial, cowardly individuals.
Although minorities are disproportionately victimized. Our nationwide problem with police affects all races, ethnicities, and communities. The problem exists because of who we select to become police.
The only difference between the police and criminals is that police have uniforms and badges. They both share the same bullying, antisocial behaviors.
Police who kill innocent civilians are cowards. Rather than honorably doing their job which means accepting risk, they shoot first rather than taking a risk by defusing the incident.
We need to hire individuals with personalities suitable for the job and weed out the bullying, antisocial, cowardly individuals.
3
How many other police departments around the country are doing this in African American communities? I guess the good cops are no where to be found when all the unconstitutional stops are happening. It's interesting to watch police officials during these press conferences some how act surprised this type of behavior is happening.
1
It's been my experience that the Black cops like to show out for their white counterparts. Also you have consider the harassment good cops will face for coming forward regarding misconduct of another officer. Of course sometimes they have to just leave the force
2
Someone needs to straighten out those "racist" crime victims who keep telling the police that their assailants were black (leading the police to seek black suspects). Why do these crime victims keep saying that?
11
Obviously, we can't go back and rewrite the past so I'm wondering who is moving forward on solutions? The current leadership in Baltimore (and in years past) either won't or can't move the city forward.
This lack of effective leadership isn't a republican or a democrat issue and for any of you going down that rabbit hole, you're completely missing what's right in front of you. Baltimore isn't a mess because of a political party - it's a mess because it lacks leadership.
For those of you who have called for firing police officers en masse...okay that's a solution, but not one that provides any long term benefits. A better solution would be to have someone like Dallas Police Chief David Brown in place, evolving the police department and nurturing positive ties with the community.
This lack of effective leadership isn't a republican or a democrat issue and for any of you going down that rabbit hole, you're completely missing what's right in front of you. Baltimore isn't a mess because of a political party - it's a mess because it lacks leadership.
For those of you who have called for firing police officers en masse...okay that's a solution, but not one that provides any long term benefits. A better solution would be to have someone like Dallas Police Chief David Brown in place, evolving the police department and nurturing positive ties with the community.
3
America has always (and will probably always) extorted it's African citizens for support and used laws/force to control them. It's moved from the slave patrols/masters/businessmen to their ancestors the police/judges/politicians. As always if you're African - WATCH OUT FOR THE POLICE. They murder daily w/o consequence.
2
The whole validation of this report must come from answering a few questions about this statement:
"A Justice Department report said that the Baltimore Police Department for years has systematically targeted black residents, often with little provocation or rationale."
1. Please provide the percentage number for the word "often".
2. Please provide the definition of the word "little" in this case.
3. And please provide the proof of exactness of "little provocation or rationale" in those cases.
Without it - there's no foundation for the veracity of the report.
"A Justice Department report said that the Baltimore Police Department for years has systematically targeted black residents, often with little provocation or rationale."
1. Please provide the percentage number for the word "often".
2. Please provide the definition of the word "little" in this case.
3. And please provide the proof of exactness of "little provocation or rationale" in those cases.
Without it - there's no foundation for the veracity of the report.
5
Six officers have been fired. Yep, make yourselves look good by scapegoating the foot soldiers who were carrying out policies that others developed. Are the heads going to roll that created the problem?
2
Do some police departments use excessive (sometimes deadly) force in dealing with black suspects? Yes, as we can see from video cams and which has been going on for all too long.
But I don't think the Justice Department can use only pure statistics of black vs. white arrests or street stops in concluding that a police department is racist (even if it is), and I hope that the Justice Department takes care in its conclusion. Because like it or not, Afro-Americans have a higher crime rate than whites...and most of their victims are fellow blacks. So it stands to reason that police departments will focus more on those higher crime neighborhoods. What's the point in over-policing Georgetown in DC when Anacostia has a murder rate ten times as high?
So yes, until we truly integrate (is that still the right word?) Afro-Americans into US society and prosperity, there will be a black underclass which commits more crimes, draws extra police attention, and the arrest statistics will reflect that. That does not excuse excessive use of fatal force (which has occurred), but it does make one want to look more closely behind those arrest statistics before using them alone to condemn a police department.
But I don't think the Justice Department can use only pure statistics of black vs. white arrests or street stops in concluding that a police department is racist (even if it is), and I hope that the Justice Department takes care in its conclusion. Because like it or not, Afro-Americans have a higher crime rate than whites...and most of their victims are fellow blacks. So it stands to reason that police departments will focus more on those higher crime neighborhoods. What's the point in over-policing Georgetown in DC when Anacostia has a murder rate ten times as high?
So yes, until we truly integrate (is that still the right word?) Afro-Americans into US society and prosperity, there will be a black underclass which commits more crimes, draws extra police attention, and the arrest statistics will reflect that. That does not excuse excessive use of fatal force (which has occurred), but it does make one want to look more closely behind those arrest statistics before using them alone to condemn a police department.
10
Having read many of the comments, the thing that strikes me is that we live in a society where people of all races, religions, and backgrounds can debate concerning what is wrong and what can be done to make things better. Compare us with some other parts of the world - especially those controlled by ISIS - where there is no room for differences, where any are justification for decapitation. I am confident we will solve our problems. It will take time, but it will happen.
Mayor Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore and Police Commissioner, Kevin Davis, and the Justice Department are to be congratulated. We all recall how the only thing Republicans wanted to talk about at the RNC was a supposedly out-of-control, anti-police Baltimore prosecutor.
This is a very delicate time, and let us hope and pray that black citizens of Baltimore can refrain from acting rashly, as they await the Consent Decree. The Justice Department report already has vindicated the people.
This is a very delicate time, and let us hope and pray that black citizens of Baltimore can refrain from acting rashly, as they await the Consent Decree. The Justice Department report already has vindicated the people.
The police, along with the other structures of the state, exist to enforce and reinforce the founding ethos of this country: White supremacy.
You will have no reform until all police unions are decertified from the collective bargaining process as a public nuisance. All progressive city leaders should refuse to recognize these unions and tie them up in litigation.
You will have no reform until all police unions are decertified from the collective bargaining process as a public nuisance. All progressive city leaders should refuse to recognize these unions and tie them up in litigation.
It's hard to believe no one ever thought to do the same analyses the feds did. They were pretty obvious areas to explore, given the incessant complaints of the city's more vulnerable citizens.
Was there no one at the switch? Or has there been a conspiracy from top to bottom since the git-go? Or do the police govern in Baltimore?
What say they assign each city council member to an inner city beat.
Might get their collective attention.
Was there no one at the switch? Or has there been a conspiracy from top to bottom since the git-go? Or do the police govern in Baltimore?
What say they assign each city council member to an inner city beat.
Might get their collective attention.
1
My wife was driving with one of the people working on our house to pick up something at a hardware store. The workman had an old truck, it was mid afternoon and a sunny day, but a policeman stopped them and asked what they were doing in the neighbourhood. My wife told him she lived there and the policeman went away.
Our yardman has been asked several times what he is doing in our neighbourhood. He rides a bicycle, but is always dressed appropriately. Sometimes the police recognized him from precious stops, but sometimes the actually ask the homeowner to confirm.
All the people mentioned above are white and we lived in white neighbourhood. I mention this because the police profile here is not based on race, but on a perception of wealth (or lack thereof).
Have other people seen the same profile with there police departments?
I have no idea whether this profiling has any basis in reality, but the whole idea seems suspect.
Our yardman has been asked several times what he is doing in our neighbourhood. He rides a bicycle, but is always dressed appropriately. Sometimes the police recognized him from precious stops, but sometimes the actually ask the homeowner to confirm.
All the people mentioned above are white and we lived in white neighbourhood. I mention this because the police profile here is not based on race, but on a perception of wealth (or lack thereof).
Have other people seen the same profile with there police departments?
I have no idea whether this profiling has any basis in reality, but the whole idea seems suspect.
1
Someone send the report to Long Island Congressman Peter King, who was yelling this morning about Black Lives Matter and the mothers of black men killed by police at the Democratic convention, equating that with Trump threatening to kill Hillary Clinton and some Supreme Court Justices.
He should be forced to listen to a young black man read him the report after each time he claims that there's some kind of war on cops. They started the war. The people are only defending themselves.
He should be forced to listen to a young black man read him the report after each time he claims that there's some kind of war on cops. They started the war. The people are only defending themselves.
2
This absolutely makes my blood boil, but like the article says --sadly, I can't be surprised. It's just sickening to me to see the actual statistics behind this. Just a few from the article -- while Baltimore's population is 63 percent black, 91 percent of those arrested for discretionary offenses were African-American, and 95 percent of the pedestrians stopped more than 10 terms in the past five years were black.
Some might argue that this is due to blacks making up a majority of Baltimore's population, but these statistics are absolutely disproportionate. There is a massive difference between making up 63 percent of the population and being arrested 91 percent of the time for "trespassing" or "failure to obey". Research like this needs to be supported and brought to the forefront of political discourse, as the police culture of ingrained racism must change, and soon. We can't allow this to continue and persist.
Here are some other facts from the report which are not mentioned by the article, but are vital -- the BPD have a template for trespass arrests. Guess what's already written in the template? That a "black male" committed the crime. Additionally, police found contraband twice as often when searching whites as compared to blacks during vehicle stops and 50% more often during pedestrian stops. And yet who is stopped and arrested more? This isn't the nature of the probability of the population, this is unadulterated racism.
Some might argue that this is due to blacks making up a majority of Baltimore's population, but these statistics are absolutely disproportionate. There is a massive difference between making up 63 percent of the population and being arrested 91 percent of the time for "trespassing" or "failure to obey". Research like this needs to be supported and brought to the forefront of political discourse, as the police culture of ingrained racism must change, and soon. We can't allow this to continue and persist.
Here are some other facts from the report which are not mentioned by the article, but are vital -- the BPD have a template for trespass arrests. Guess what's already written in the template? That a "black male" committed the crime. Additionally, police found contraband twice as often when searching whites as compared to blacks during vehicle stops and 50% more often during pedestrian stops. And yet who is stopped and arrested more? This isn't the nature of the probability of the population, this is unadulterated racism.
2
The Justice Department study highlights the racial disparity in pedestrian searches and arrests and chastises the BPD for its anti-street gang “corners clearing” tactics. But you could drive a patrol car for hours through many white neighborhoods without seeing a single pedestrian, people gathered on street corners, or any suspicious activity. For that matter, you wouldn’t see any activity because there isn’t any activity except on flat-screen TVs and cell phone displays
6
Einstein (allegedly), "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results."
The wrong people are cops—period. They can't be retrained, made to be more sensitive, etc. Empathy and respect CANNOT BE TAUGHT! They are the result of the galaxy of experiences that comprise each, "simple separate person."
Black and Hispanic citizens are under zero obligation—legally AND morally—to allow themselves to be murdered by agents of the state. They have the right—and the obligation—to protect themselves.
Cops kill because they can do so with impunity. Black cops, white cops—it makes no difference. Remember Dallas!
The wrong people are cops—period. They can't be retrained, made to be more sensitive, etc. Empathy and respect CANNOT BE TAUGHT! They are the result of the galaxy of experiences that comprise each, "simple separate person."
Black and Hispanic citizens are under zero obligation—legally AND morally—to allow themselves to be murdered by agents of the state. They have the right—and the obligation—to protect themselves.
Cops kill because they can do so with impunity. Black cops, white cops—it makes no difference. Remember Dallas!
17
That's quite an overlooked point you bring up that I believe warrants more attention. Trainings will only benefit systemic reform if a serious vetting process is enforced nationwide in hiring police officers. Bill Maher on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert highlights this point, that there is a trend of men who had issues commanding respect in school and in their younger years flocking towards positions of authority. And the danger is that they might see a career in law enforcement as an attractive chance to settle old scores of not being respected in life before. Like he said, being a police officer should not be revenge for high school. And there are psychological tests that can help detect any such red flags. Not to mention the history of KKK members being employed in law enforcement. Any previous affiliation with a terrorist group like the KKK, should warrant direct rejection.
3
Worse than that: Empathy and respect *can be and often are* eroded, deadened, demolished. Even cops who have the best of intentions coming onto the job, when they find themselves in a culture in which tolerance and basic humanist values are not just undervalued but are aggressively punished by fellow officers and superiors, can quickly learn all the wrong lessons. Sad to say, it seems "good cops in a rotten department" only exist in movies and books and television shows--in practice, a "good cop in a bad department" is really just a bad cop going through a transitional phase.
1
It is absolutely necessary that many jurisdictions get their police department's act together. However, in general, police departments reflect the policies of the political leaders of their communities. The onus cannot simply be put on the cops. Changes are needed in political leadership, and it is up to the residents to make that happen.
One statistic I don't see here that would be interesting and, perhaps telling, would be the ratios of the race of the arresting/stopping officers. Was there a significant difference in the stop/arrest rates of Black and non-Black officers for Blacks and non-Blacks? If there is a marked difference, then the indication would be that culpability lies more with the police department. If that difference is not there, then it seems the larger problem is with a political leadership that is transmitting its beliefs, values, and priorities to the police departments.
One statistic I don't see here that would be interesting and, perhaps telling, would be the ratios of the race of the arresting/stopping officers. Was there a significant difference in the stop/arrest rates of Black and non-Black officers for Blacks and non-Blacks? If there is a marked difference, then the indication would be that culpability lies more with the police department. If that difference is not there, then it seems the larger problem is with a political leadership that is transmitting its beliefs, values, and priorities to the police departments.
8
No connection at all - only with the race of victims. Read the Guardians' The Counted for the stats for 2015....
1
One of the main things that needs to change immediately is that cops who kill unarmed citizens should not be given paid leave while they're being investigated. They should be given desk duty if things aren't so egregious that they're not fired immediately or given time off without pay. Time off with pay is like extra vacation time. It sometimes seems like cops are being rewarded for killing unarmed minorities - like the police force has put a bounty on the heads of minority adults and children!!
24
Sure. The cops are killing people just so they can get that paid leave. (Uh, wait a second, what percentage of cops ever kill anyone in their entire career? Is it a tenth of a percent? I guess 99.9% are content with getting their vacation time the regular way.)
3
Or given a medal for saving lives?
Land of the free
5
I for one and sick and tired of the African American community using the power of government to prey on their own: Baltimore’s police force is 50% black, the Mayor is black, the city council is majority black, the police chief is black, the prosecutor is black, most city judges are black. 93% of murder victims are black. We have stood back to long and allowed this sectarian violence go on.
23
MKM's stats- if correct- point up the shortcoming in the reporting in this story. Since the story is largely silent regarding these facts the soft underlying assumption is a Ferguson like environment where a majority minority population is policed and governed by a biased white minority. If the stats are reliable than the answer lies elsewhere. It's not police / government bias.
4
What about white-on-white violence, so much of it armed white men killing their spouses, girlfriends, men friends? Most white people by far are killed by other whites? Can nothing be done to stop this intradacial killing?
2
Democrat-controlled American cities like Detroit and Baltimore are beyond hope as long as we try to fix them. Well meaning teachers, police officers, and volunteers should give up on the inner cities, and let things hit bottom.
Only then can the inner cities emerge from the ashes of the Great Society, the War on Poverty, the seventy percent out-of-wedlock birthrate, and the soft bigotry of low expectations.
Only then can the inner cities emerge from the ashes of the Great Society, the War on Poverty, the seventy percent out-of-wedlock birthrate, and the soft bigotry of low expectations.
22
Over the last 25 years, crime has gone down by 50%, out-of-wedlock births are down dramatically (the percentage is up, but that's because in-wedlock births are down even more dramatically), educational attainment is up. Social surveys suggest that inner city kids spend more time studying than suburban kids, inner city parents are more involved in their kids' education than suburban parents, and black men are more likely than any other man to be an active father once you take into account the men that can't be involved because they're in jail. That's the trend.
Anecdotally, a lot of neighborhoods in my fair city have gotten much better thanks to citizens organizing themselves (mostly through their churches and public schools, which have a lot of support), and they've also been working with the police to clean things up. Culturally speaking, I've done some work in the worst neighborhoods in the area (which are among the worst in the country), and these areas are full of parents and kids clamoring for education and leaders working hard to keep kids out of trouble. There are many teenagers aspiring to join the military or go to college, and the smartest young adults are working hard to become nurses, engineers, business leaders, and scientists.
Why should we quit on improving the cities, when the good guys are winning?
Anecdotally, a lot of neighborhoods in my fair city have gotten much better thanks to citizens organizing themselves (mostly through their churches and public schools, which have a lot of support), and they've also been working with the police to clean things up. Culturally speaking, I've done some work in the worst neighborhoods in the area (which are among the worst in the country), and these areas are full of parents and kids clamoring for education and leaders working hard to keep kids out of trouble. There are many teenagers aspiring to join the military or go to college, and the smartest young adults are working hard to become nurses, engineers, business leaders, and scientists.
Why should we quit on improving the cities, when the good guys are winning?
21
Or the ACTUAL bigotry of not holding law enforcement responsible to follow the law and as this article shows, hold them accountable for breaking the law and cynically adding to the misery of a neighborhood that rightfully sees them as unfair and dangerous.
2
The Baltimore Police Department polices black neighborhoods more vigorously than white neighborhoods because more than 90 percent of the city’s homicide victims are black. In 2015, 320 black Baltimore residents were murdered compared to 17 white residents. There are similar racial disparities in other type of violent crime. Cracking down on crime in black neighborhoods may produce racially disparate impacts, but it’s not the result of racial bias. It’s the direct result of the racial disparity in crime rates.
http://data.baltimoresun.com/news/police/homicides/index.php?show_result...
http://data.baltimoresun.com/news/police/homicides/index.php?show_result...
37
I sense the same thing in my city of Chicago. Does anyone know HOW the study (which I'm reviewing) adds these disparities in context? Because the NY Times rarely does when it reviews these reports. i.e. the local crime. How the "controls" are in analyzing disparities.
IN CHICAGO, a similar report may come down the pike soon, but the evidence from my research shows the following:
Fact: Around 70% of perpetrators of crime as described by victims and arrests in Chicago are black (Case Reports, Arrest Rates)
Fact: Around 70% of people in contact by police are black (Contact Cards)
Fact: Around 70% of people shot or killed by police are black (Chicago Police Accountability Task Force Report)
QUESTION: If police contact (stops, arrests) match the crime reports, does that mean that the Chicago Police Department does NOT have a “Pattern or practice” of discrimination?
IN CHICAGO, a similar report may come down the pike soon, but the evidence from my research shows the following:
Fact: Around 70% of perpetrators of crime as described by victims and arrests in Chicago are black (Case Reports, Arrest Rates)
Fact: Around 70% of people in contact by police are black (Contact Cards)
Fact: Around 70% of people shot or killed by police are black (Chicago Police Accountability Task Force Report)
QUESTION: If police contact (stops, arrests) match the crime reports, does that mean that the Chicago Police Department does NOT have a “Pattern or practice” of discrimination?
3
Devastating, but obviously this was understood for years and the problem turned away from by authorities.
7
When I was a boy (1970s and 80s) in Kentucky and Tennessee, many counties were still "dry", a relic of Prohibition, I suppose. We heard stories about backwoods sheriffs who raided illegal liquor operations and then sold the goods back to bootleggers or other criminals who were in cahoots with them. One sheriff in Tennessee whom I read about had his deputies hand out free liquor on election day. These cops of course used violence and intimidation against potential snitches or bootleggers who did not play along with these schemes. But everyone involved was white, so race was not a factor. Now in Baltimore, you have a city where the entire municipal, judicial and law enforcement infrastructure is black, as is most of the local population, and the abuses continue. The point is, bad cops, state violence, political corruption and incompetence exist everywhere. This kind of thing flourishes where you have police with little oversight and a lot of poor citizens who are afraid to speak up or too busy fighting a daily struggle even to try.
12
These charges may or may not be true. But the fact that they are made by the most politicized Department of Justice in recent history does not add even a grain or sand to their credibility -- rather it evokes cynicism.
If you don't agree with me, just consider the bogus statistics the DoJ parades to support its charges. This is kindergarten stuff. Telling us that in a city that is 63 percent black, 91 percent of the arrests for "failure to obey" or "trespassing" were African-American is meaningless without information about the rates at which blacks and non-blacks fail to obey and trespass.
You still don't believe me? Well try this. If Vanita Gupta would look into gender differences in arrests for failure to obey, I have no doubt that she'd find that -- by a far greater margin -- males are arrested more often than females. If the ratios prove bias against blacks, why doesn't the far more lopsided imbalance between males and females prove bias against men? You see, even Gupta doesn't believe the DoJ's conclusions are really supported by her "evidence."
Maybe law enforcement should arrest people by lottery. That will eliminate disparities in the arrest rates of blacks and whites in the populations. Is that what the DoJ wants? And, no, I am not being snarky. The DoJ is in the disparities business, not the justice business; just read their reports over the past 4 or 8 years.
As the Romans said, "quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"
If you don't agree with me, just consider the bogus statistics the DoJ parades to support its charges. This is kindergarten stuff. Telling us that in a city that is 63 percent black, 91 percent of the arrests for "failure to obey" or "trespassing" were African-American is meaningless without information about the rates at which blacks and non-blacks fail to obey and trespass.
You still don't believe me? Well try this. If Vanita Gupta would look into gender differences in arrests for failure to obey, I have no doubt that she'd find that -- by a far greater margin -- males are arrested more often than females. If the ratios prove bias against blacks, why doesn't the far more lopsided imbalance between males and females prove bias against men? You see, even Gupta doesn't believe the DoJ's conclusions are really supported by her "evidence."
Maybe law enforcement should arrest people by lottery. That will eliminate disparities in the arrest rates of blacks and whites in the populations. Is that what the DoJ wants? And, no, I am not being snarky. The DoJ is in the disparities business, not the justice business; just read their reports over the past 4 or 8 years.
As the Romans said, "quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"
23
Ian, you have every right to be suspicious of conclusions from data.
However it is equally important to identify the flaws in the research methods rather be than rely on your feelings to counter any findings. Keep in mind the original source of the data are the police department's own records.
However it is equally important to identify the flaws in the research methods rather be than rely on your feelings to counter any findings. Keep in mind the original source of the data are the police department's own records.
5
Elder Watson Diggs
I appreciate your point. Actually, the criticisms of the data that I have seen generally come from academics and activists on the left, but I know of no reason to think the raw data are seriously inaccurate.
My point was very much in the spirit of your suggestion. It is the Department of Justice fraudulent interpretation of the data that I criticized. The DoJ relies on simple disparities between arrest rates adjusted for population size to come up with its conclusion of bias. But the same method would "prove" systematic bias against men as compared with women.
Maybe I missed it, but where is the DoJ's "scathing" report about gender bias in surely every municipality in the country?
I appreciate your point. Actually, the criticisms of the data that I have seen generally come from academics and activists on the left, but I know of no reason to think the raw data are seriously inaccurate.
My point was very much in the spirit of your suggestion. It is the Department of Justice fraudulent interpretation of the data that I criticized. The DoJ relies on simple disparities between arrest rates adjusted for population size to come up with its conclusion of bias. But the same method would "prove" systematic bias against men as compared with women.
Maybe I missed it, but where is the DoJ's "scathing" report about gender bias in surely every municipality in the country?
So the flaws of the research is ... they don't list their controls for actual crime? They just compare percentage of the population with incidents? I'm honestly trying to get a better understanding of these DOJ reports.
My son, who is caucasion, lived in Brooklyn (Bushwick) for 6 months. He would spend evenings sitting outside on the steps of his apartment. He was amazed by how often blacks/hispanics, just walking down the street would be stopped by the police. To his eye, he could see no reason for being stopped. He could hear the interactions and they were often confrontational. It was very eye-opening as was not part of his experience growing up in a white suburban neighborhood.
35
Until individual police officers face consequences fro their actions, they won't change their behavior. We've just seen that they can take a man off the street who is doing nothing wrong and kill him with impunity. This type of behavior will only change when (if) they find out they can no longer get away with it.
11
Other than carrying an illegal switchblade, which is illegal, he was doing nothing wrong.
That and the fact that he was a convict who was involved in 20 other criminal cases, five of which were still active at the time of his death. Does this warrant death? Of course not. But don't try to tell us he was doing nothing wrong.
That and the fact that he was a convict who was involved in 20 other criminal cases, five of which were still active at the time of his death. Does this warrant death? Of course not. But don't try to tell us he was doing nothing wrong.
11
"he was doing nothing wrong."
How breezily people, not you EinT, excuse the carnage that Freddie Gray inflicted by pushing heroin in his city. Unless of course, you think heroin addiction isn't that bad.
How breezily people, not you EinT, excuse the carnage that Freddie Gray inflicted by pushing heroin in his city. Unless of course, you think heroin addiction isn't that bad.
4
If this results in the Baltimore Police essentially backing off then I truly hope that the Black Community will respond with a vast reduction in crime. I mean, to read these articles you'd think a Black individual has never as much as jaywalked, much less dealt drugs and murdered people. Now's their chance to prove how wrong everyone's been.
I for one look forward to the next decade of peace and prosperity in Baltimore now that the Police have the restrictions placed upon them they so desperately needed.
I for one look forward to the next decade of peace and prosperity in Baltimore now that the Police have the restrictions placed upon them they so desperately needed.
19
Still, your reading of this report should confirm what these communities have been saying all along. If you suggest chrome does not go down in black communities, does this mean the terrorizing of entire communities is therefore justified?
3
The police "backing off' always and forever will result in more crime, not less. Things will get even worse. Someone gets shot and calls the cops, nobody coming, sorry. This has already been documented in ferguson, crime is going up because the cops are pulling out. This mentality, that the cops are causing black men to be responsible for over HALF of all murders in the US is laughable. Half of all murders. Thats 3% (young black males) of the US population for over half of all murders! The problem isn't the all encompassing spectre of systemic racism that everyone is so brainwashed with. If only it was just a single, nebulous, all encompassing ghost of a problem such as that.
18
Do you see the influence of the coming elections in this report ?
5
Another report to tell America what the Kerner Commission Report of 1968 already told America, and I paraphrase:
Every urban rebellion from Watts, to Newark, to Detroit was ignited by an encounter with the police.
There is a two-tier system of policing in America--one for white communities where there is a presumption of “white innocence” and another for black communities where there is a presumption of “black guilt.”
Every urban rebellion from Watts, to Newark, to Detroit was ignited by an encounter with the police.
There is a two-tier system of policing in America--one for white communities where there is a presumption of “white innocence” and another for black communities where there is a presumption of “black guilt.”
25
Right, the majority black police force, in a city lead by a black mayor, with a black DA, under a black President and black AG, are all just letting white people off and hunting down innocent black people for no reason whatsoever. As long as you continue to think this is the true narrative, nothing will ever change because its simply not true. Black people commit a disproportionate amount of crime compared to whites, its shocking. The fact that they end up having more encounters with the police and end up tangled in the justice system bares this out. Every objective statistic illuminates the fact that black people commit more crime and as such end up with more interactions with the police. This isn't racism, it's cause and effect. You wan't to say that systemic poverty in black communities is racist, you can try, but the cops are responding to a symptom of that poverty, one of which they are not the cause.
27
Otto Kerner was jailed for being a crook. Telling the media what it wants to hear is one of the last steps in trying to avoid jail for a crook.
1
Apparently your statistics reveal that Latinos do not commit crimes...........??????
If you're a "good cop" who watches other cops abuse or intimidate or arrest somebody because they were "walking while black" then you're not a good cop.
You're an accessory to a crime.
You're an accessory to a crime.
38
Not if they actually committed a crime.
8
"walking while black" is not a crime.
If you are a "good cop" and you tolerate murders among your ranks, you're not a good cop.
Where are all the "good cops" testifying against the ones who routinely kill people for selling single cigarettes, shoot care takers with their hands up trying to protect the autistic person?
All that is required for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.
If you are a "good cop" and you tolerate murders among your ranks, you're not a good cop.
Where are all the "good cops" testifying against the ones who routinely kill people for selling single cigarettes, shoot care takers with their hands up trying to protect the autistic person?
All that is required for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.
2
In his autobiography, the retired NYT columnist wrote about his early days as a police beat reporter for the Baltimore Sun. He observed the same bias and racism in the Baltimore Police Dept. in the 1950s that apparently persist today, 60 years later. Police chiefs have recently stated several underlying causes of police brutality against black people, including inadequate training, but not much will change if individual cops don't change their attitudes and thinking from within themselves.
14
The Justice Department's 160-page report will likely be an eye opener when, and if, I get the chance to sit down and read the thing for myself. What's so unfortunate here, it that it's not apparent that Ms. Stolberg has had the chance to read it either, since while her article contains anecdotes, it doesn't really explain the basis for the findings of bias.
For instance, the data showing that blacks accounted for 82 percent of traffic stops could just as easily support the notion that they are more lawless than whites without more information about why the imbalance is attributable to bias. I'm hoping the report makes that connection, but this article would have been more credible if it pointed out the cause and effect rationale.
This comment is geared toward pointing out the poor reporting rather it being a justification for poor police conduct. I'm hoping the Justice Department study finally reveals the longstanding deficiencies police departments have exhibited. But if you're going to write a report on a study that claims bias, than show the cause and effect linkage and don't just slap down a bunch of meaningless statistics.
For instance, the data showing that blacks accounted for 82 percent of traffic stops could just as easily support the notion that they are more lawless than whites without more information about why the imbalance is attributable to bias. I'm hoping the report makes that connection, but this article would have been more credible if it pointed out the cause and effect rationale.
This comment is geared toward pointing out the poor reporting rather it being a justification for poor police conduct. I'm hoping the Justice Department study finally reveals the longstanding deficiencies police departments have exhibited. But if you're going to write a report on a study that claims bias, than show the cause and effect linkage and don't just slap down a bunch of meaningless statistics.
11
How can readers gauge the bias in a story about how biased other people are?
As long as policemen are human, they are learning where the dangers and arrests are in their work. Unless you are prepared to call every cop a wascally way-sist, you must admit that the job TEACHES the cop to be more wary of black pedestrians and drivers.
Sorry if that sends you to your quiet space.
Were I doing a study on such human behaviors, I'd go to other settings like American Indian reservations where the cops have to deal with Anglo and resident crime and driving.
I'd also study black policemen in heavily Latino areas in L.A. and San Antonio, the two places with the longest history of having dangerously impenetrable Latino neighborhoods.
As long as policemen are human, they are learning where the dangers and arrests are in their work. Unless you are prepared to call every cop a wascally way-sist, you must admit that the job TEACHES the cop to be more wary of black pedestrians and drivers.
Sorry if that sends you to your quiet space.
Were I doing a study on such human behaviors, I'd go to other settings like American Indian reservations where the cops have to deal with Anglo and resident crime and driving.
I'd also study black policemen in heavily Latino areas in L.A. and San Antonio, the two places with the longest history of having dangerously impenetrable Latino neighborhoods.
7
It is becoming apparent that as the list of towns showing racial bias keeps increasing that they all have one thing in common. Almost all the cities and towns have been under the control and management of Democrats for years. See Ferguson, Chicago, Baltimore etc etc.
Perhaps if the citizens were to elect the other political party to manage the city government this blatant racism would not go undetected and uncorrected for so long.
Perhaps if the citizens were to elect the other political party to manage the city government this blatant racism would not go undetected and uncorrected for so long.
13
You're kidding, right? The Republicans? The party that has nominated Donald Trump, the most racist, bigoted, intolerant candidate in decades? The party that works hard to suppress the voting rights of people of color? The party that has embraced Nixon's southern stragety, dog whistles, race baiting and more? The party of Rudy Giulani and stop and frisk policing? Surely you jest. . .
17
James,
Our fair city, Pittsburgh, has been electing Democrats continuously since 1934 and you saw the fruits of that over the past Regatta weekend! Machine politics, as perfected by the Democrats, puts a stranglehold on the citizens of any city unfortunate to be infected by it.
Our fair city, Pittsburgh, has been electing Democrats continuously since 1934 and you saw the fruits of that over the past Regatta weekend! Machine politics, as perfected by the Democrats, puts a stranglehold on the citizens of any city unfortunate to be infected by it.
2
DS's statement asks about the rate that blacks commit crimes in Baltimore. It is a good question. But I see that question as a part of a loop. Societal bias - conscious and unconscious - causes greater difficulty for African Americans to find jobs and makes poverty and crime in their communities more likely, which provokes increased bias by police. But bias it is to automatically assume that dark skin naturally equates with badness.
3
Id like to know whether Baltimore also engages in policing for profit much like Ferguson. How much of the department/city budget is derived from fines and code violations? How aggressive is the city with asset forfeiture? Even in those communities where racial bias cannot be proven, I suspect the issue of municipalities financing operations through aggressive fine structures is widespread, targeting the poor and minority, those least able to fight back
7
More anti-police agenda reports from Obamas biased justice department. Blacks are certainly treated differently by police and by society. Not because of the content of melanin in their skin - but because they commit violent crime at rates far above other racial groups. Change the propensity to commit crime and maybe society will treat you differently. While you are at it, change the disrespectful attitude toward the police, and any authority. If you don't respect anything, no one is going to respect you.
19
Respect is a two-way street. If the police come into my neighborhood acting
Ike an occupying army and show no respect or consideration for the people who live there, we are certainly not going to show any respect for them. an armed thug in a blue uniform, when all is said and done, is still a thug.
Ike an occupying army and show no respect or consideration for the people who live there, we are certainly not going to show any respect for them. an armed thug in a blue uniform, when all is said and done, is still a thug.
11
When such a pervasive pattern of unlawful and unconstitutional police conduct has been documented, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that essentially all of the police officers in Baltimore have either participated in this conduct themselves or been complicit in it through silence or failure to report illegality or encouragement of it as supervisors. It seems very doubtful that many of these cops will respond to these revelations in any way but resentment and denial and circling the wagons.
Baltimore should fire and replace its entire police department. Obviously there would be practical problems. But there doesn't seem to be any other way to either sent a message that we have a constitution or even simply halt this pattern of racist "policing."
Baltimore should fire and replace its entire police department. Obviously there would be practical problems. But there doesn't seem to be any other way to either sent a message that we have a constitution or even simply halt this pattern of racist "policing."
4
I guess it’s encouraging in one sense, but reports and protest movements and community dialogues can become a way for participants to *feel* as if they’re doing something, as if something is happening, without anything actually changing. Raising awareness can become little more than bearing witness, and that begins to look like a therapeutic exercise more than anything.
1
Baltimore’s police force may indeed by biased and in need of institutional change, but this article does a poor job of conveying why, other than rhetorically. We learn that blacks make up 63% of the population but 91% of failure to obey or trespassing arrested. Why doesn’t this tell us that blacks are doing more trespassing and failing to obey? Certainly the videos we have seen of ultimately fatal traffic stops involving black drivers show escalation each time on the part of the civilians. The article leads us to believe that black drivers don’t merit being stopped 82% of the time, but the piece does nothing to substantiate this other than to obliquely hint at it. If we condemn Trumpian innuendo and baseless assertions, we should condemn the same from the Times: the figures it presents here in no way sustain its thesis.
17
"Certainly the videos we have seen of ultimately fatal traffic stops involving black drivers show escalation each time on the part of the civilians."
That is an extremely subjective statement. The videos I've seen have shown needless escalation and lack of training on the part of the officers.
That is an extremely subjective statement. The videos I've seen have shown needless escalation and lack of training on the part of the officers.
9
"Certainly the videos we have seen of ultimately fatal traffic stops involving black drivers show escalation each time on the part of the civilians."
There's that inconvient truth again.
There's that inconvient truth again.
1
Imagine two groups that live in the same, fictional city.
Group 1 is 90% of the population and commits 10% of the murders.
Group 2 is 10% of the population and commits 90% of the murders.
Should we expect police to stop these groups in proportion to their share of the population, or their share of the crimes committed? Or would we expect Group 2 to have a disproportionate share of encounters with police relative to their population?
I'd argue the latter.
Now imagine a different, real city where Group 1 is 60% of the population and commits 95% of the murders. Group 2 is 40% of the population and commits 5% of the murders. That's Baltimore.
Again - would we expect Group 1 to experience roughly 60% of the police encounters, or roughly 95%?
This is not an argument that the criminal justice system is fair or creates a good outcome for our communities. The war on drugs has been disastrous failure. But this isn't about rogue, racist cops - this is about the way we as a society have criminalized certain activities, created black markets in them, then relentlessly enforced these laws.
I believe there are racist, brutal cops and I believe the system is broken. But looking at these stop and arrest statistics without acknowledging the reality of patterns of crime embedded in various communities is trying to sell a narrative, not understand a complicated problem. And, at the end of the day, 95% of murder VICTIMS are part of Group 1.
Group 1 is 90% of the population and commits 10% of the murders.
Group 2 is 10% of the population and commits 90% of the murders.
Should we expect police to stop these groups in proportion to their share of the population, or their share of the crimes committed? Or would we expect Group 2 to have a disproportionate share of encounters with police relative to their population?
I'd argue the latter.
Now imagine a different, real city where Group 1 is 60% of the population and commits 95% of the murders. Group 2 is 40% of the population and commits 5% of the murders. That's Baltimore.
Again - would we expect Group 1 to experience roughly 60% of the police encounters, or roughly 95%?
This is not an argument that the criminal justice system is fair or creates a good outcome for our communities. The war on drugs has been disastrous failure. But this isn't about rogue, racist cops - this is about the way we as a society have criminalized certain activities, created black markets in them, then relentlessly enforced these laws.
I believe there are racist, brutal cops and I believe the system is broken. But looking at these stop and arrest statistics without acknowledging the reality of patterns of crime embedded in various communities is trying to sell a narrative, not understand a complicated problem. And, at the end of the day, 95% of murder VICTIMS are part of Group 1.
46
As so many readers point out, raw numbers are meaningless if not corrected for the rate of criminal behavior. We have learned not to expect such simple arithmetic from journalists with an agenda, but are there no analysts in the DOJ who have taken Statistics 101?
25
It isn't on the sign out front, but the word ''Political'' is always the third word in the DOJ'd name whenever a progressive runs the White House.
The last political handler to serve this president admitted that he was there to take care of ''his people.''
Freddie Gray accidentally killed himself. Trust the witnesses. Accidental suicides are often referred to as homicides.
The last political handler to serve this president admitted that he was there to take care of ''his people.''
Freddie Gray accidentally killed himself. Trust the witnesses. Accidental suicides are often referred to as homicides.
3
You haven't taken statistics 101 if you don't know about the base-rate fallacy which is what you (and the others you laud) are committing.
1
You do't appear to understand the base rate fallacy: "Ignoring statistical information in favor of using irrelevant information, that one incorrectly believes to be relevant, to make a judgment. This usually stems from the irrational belief that statistics don’t apply in a situation, for one reason or another when, in fact, they do."
Blacks make up 2/3 of the population of Baltimore. They commit 9/10 of the crime. Are the cops supposed to stop whites in the same percentage as they stop blacks for the sake of fairness?
49
Actually, I think the point of the article was that blacks probably commit 2/3 of the crime (in keeping with their population ratio) but account for 9/10 of the arrests because they are much more likely to be arrested than non-blacks committing the same crime.
1
No, not for the sake of fairness. For the sake of justice. The cops are supposed to stop whites for the same reason that they stop blacks. So if a black cuts across someone's yard and is arrested for tresspassing, a white who does the same thing should be arrested too. I'm sure this is simply not the case.
It means that if they patrol black neighborhoods looking for drug crimes, they should be doing the same in white neighborhoods. And I can guarantee you that if they patrolled white neighborhoods on a Saturday night after a big football game, they'd arrest plenty of white kids. And it means those kids should be subjected to the same treatment, meaning arrest, court appearances and jail, that black kids get.
95 percent of 410 pedestrians stopped? That's 390 blacks and only 20 of other races. There are probably patrol officers on that force who don't stop a white person all year. Figures that are so lopsided mean something's systemically wrong.
It means that if they patrol black neighborhoods looking for drug crimes, they should be doing the same in white neighborhoods. And I can guarantee you that if they patrolled white neighborhoods on a Saturday night after a big football game, they'd arrest plenty of white kids. And it means those kids should be subjected to the same treatment, meaning arrest, court appearances and jail, that black kids get.
95 percent of 410 pedestrians stopped? That's 390 blacks and only 20 of other races. There are probably patrol officers on that force who don't stop a white person all year. Figures that are so lopsided mean something's systemically wrong.
12
1. They're supposed to stop people for cause, not race.
2. Underlying your remark is a well-known statistical fallacy, sometimes called the base-rate fallacy. You could look it up.
2. Underlying your remark is a well-known statistical fallacy, sometimes called the base-rate fallacy. You could look it up.
2
File this under "absolutely nothing surprising or new here".
4
Can you imagine the NY Times of 2016 carrying a story that came to ANY other conclusions?
11
Let's look at some facts.One,the Dems have ruled Baltimore politically for about 60 years.The police commissioners were selected by these politicians.The current Dem mayor allowed the rioters to stone police.The City State's Attorney went zero for six on the prosecution of cops for the Freddie Gray incident.The presiding judge was black.This DOJ report looks like it was bolierplated,written in advance,and the blanks were filled in that applied to Baltimore and not other cities where similar reports were prepared by DOJ.This report clearly shows how the LBJ DEM Great Society has been a $22 trillion failure.
16
The problem transcends police stops - though this is the worst perhaps.
I recently relocated within the same city, from a mostly white neighborhood where people own expensive cars and drive through the multi-ethnic neighborhood to get to the highways, to the multiethnic neighborhood. The auto insurance premium was about 35% higher at the new zip code. Even though the cars are 'lower priced', the claim rates cannot be much different, and the 'white folk' drive through there anyway, so the 'incident' rate has to be the same.
Then out of curiosity I checked the surrounding cities where we have similar divergence of zip-code populations. The pattern was the same: the wealthy parts/ zip codes had premiums for liability and collision that were 30-40% higher than the 'working class' neighborhoods.
This is reminiscent of the 1950-60s discrimination against blacks.
Perhaps Mr Trump can address this in one of his speeches.
I recently relocated within the same city, from a mostly white neighborhood where people own expensive cars and drive through the multi-ethnic neighborhood to get to the highways, to the multiethnic neighborhood. The auto insurance premium was about 35% higher at the new zip code. Even though the cars are 'lower priced', the claim rates cannot be much different, and the 'white folk' drive through there anyway, so the 'incident' rate has to be the same.
Then out of curiosity I checked the surrounding cities where we have similar divergence of zip-code populations. The pattern was the same: the wealthy parts/ zip codes had premiums for liability and collision that were 30-40% higher than the 'working class' neighborhoods.
This is reminiscent of the 1950-60s discrimination against blacks.
Perhaps Mr Trump can address this in one of his speeches.
4
Tamza, your car is far more likely to get stolen, broken into, or otherwise damaged while unattended in the poorer neighborhood. One is also going to spend more time driving around the neighborhood where one lives even if one does drive through another neighborhood to get to the highway. It has nothing to do with discrimination whatsoever. Its the liability of the insurer.
7
Over the past 3 or so decades, it is our politicians who have authorized and funded a military-style domestic police force, which is able to operate without regard for the US Constitution. They are the ones we need to hold accountable.
23
Interestingly there was no mention in this story about the rate at which blacks commit crimes in Baltimore. Isn't that relevant to this analysis?
27
No, it is not relevant to (for example) the percentage of stops and searches that don't result in arrests or where the charges are dropped.
Let's keep an eye on reality here. The police do this because they regard all black males as presumptively criminal, because they consider what amounts to illegal punishment (harassing black people with searches and charges that are dropped) as a valid policing strategy, and because -- like so many people unrestrained by law -- they enjoy exercising power.
Trying not to be judgmental about DS, but this is sadly typical -- blaming the victims of lawless police conduct when the victims happen to be black.
Let's keep an eye on reality here. The police do this because they regard all black males as presumptively criminal, because they consider what amounts to illegal punishment (harassing black people with searches and charges that are dropped) as a valid policing strategy, and because -- like so many people unrestrained by law -- they enjoy exercising power.
Trying not to be judgmental about DS, but this is sadly typical -- blaming the victims of lawless police conduct when the victims happen to be black.
30
No. In the USA, one is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around.
5
No it is not; not at all. The overwhelming majority of serial killers are white; would you like to be harassed, beaten, or arrested because of the rate at which Whites commit serial murder? Your comment is simply ignorant; logically bankrupt at best and plain old bigotry/racism at the worst. I would give you the benefit of the doubt that it is the former not the latter; benefit of the doubt is exactly what is, seemingly, never given to a Black citizen of Baltimore or most any Black citizen of the USA.
7
As a Jewish American who was born five years after World War II ended and we learned all about The Holocaust and the ways Jews were being treated in the 1930's the report released by the Justice Department sent chills down my spine. I thought that I was reading a report about the behavior of the police from the Apartheid era in South Africa.
There are those who will read the report and believe that it is speaking only about the actions of the Baltimore Police Department. It is and it is not. It is speaking about the behavior of police departments towards African Americans all across America. Don't doubt that for one minute.
At a time when the Republican candidate for President is spewing forth racism and hatred towards Blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims to the cheers of millions of people across America it seems as though the bigotry those folks have in their hearts towards people of color is widespread, including among those who are supposed to be there to serve, defend, and protect us.
America likes to lecture other countries about their civil and human rights violations but it's time we look in the mirror before we tell others how to treat their own people.
A superpower is not measured by the size of its economy, or by how strong its military may be. It is measured by how it treats it citizens and in that regard America is far from being a superpower.
There are those who will read the report and believe that it is speaking only about the actions of the Baltimore Police Department. It is and it is not. It is speaking about the behavior of police departments towards African Americans all across America. Don't doubt that for one minute.
At a time when the Republican candidate for President is spewing forth racism and hatred towards Blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims to the cheers of millions of people across America it seems as though the bigotry those folks have in their hearts towards people of color is widespread, including among those who are supposed to be there to serve, defend, and protect us.
America likes to lecture other countries about their civil and human rights violations but it's time we look in the mirror before we tell others how to treat their own people.
A superpower is not measured by the size of its economy, or by how strong its military may be. It is measured by how it treats it citizens and in that regard America is far from being a superpower.
24
According to the Baltimore Sun, there have been 180 homicides in Baltimore thus far in 2016. 138 were committed by blacks. 8 were committed by whites. 1 was committed bv and asian. In 33 cases the killer's race is unknown. Assuming the "unknowns" are representative, this means 94% of all homicides are committed by blacks.
In my mind, the numbers bear out the reality of the situation. It might not be what you ant to hear but from a statistical perspective the numbers seem to work.
http://data.baltimoresun.com/news/police/homicides/index.php?show_result...
In my mind, the numbers bear out the reality of the situation. It might not be what you ant to hear but from a statistical perspective the numbers seem to work.
http://data.baltimoresun.com/news/police/homicides/index.php?show_result...
21
What authority is doing the measuring? A fictional authority ?
1
What a surprise. But Baltimore is just the tip of the iceberg. And abuse of civilians in many police departments does not stop by just picking on minorities.
8
The idea that an entire city's police force could be be engaging in such blatant ethnic bias is a lot for a non-ethnic person to digest. A casual review of other comments here will confirm that. Quite a number of respondents have engaged in logistical contortions to show why and how the notion of ethnically biased policing cannot be true: it's a fabrication, it's a distortion, etc.
I advise you everyone with doubts to simply Ask A Black Person! Go ahead! Engage in a dialogue: and be open-minded enough to listen!
The police in many communities have been using intimidation tactics to "keep folks in line" for years: most white people just didn't hear much about it. For example: the Baltimore report cited several instances of Police strip searching people in public: what could be more humiliating than that?
It hasn't been until the last few years, watching the sad list of names get longer, that I've come to realize I've been living in this 'white bubble' myself: ignorant and unaware because it didn't affect my life at all.
Trayvon Martin. Tamir Rice. John Crawford III, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Sandra Bland, Oscar Grant, Anthony Hill, James Boyd, Freddie Gray, Laquan McDonald, Philando Castile... People shot during traffic stops. People quickly gunned down holding toy weapons...
The question we need to answer is: What is it that makes someone's race affect how police perceive threat and danger? How can we, as a society, build trust and interrupt that mechanism?
I advise you everyone with doubts to simply Ask A Black Person! Go ahead! Engage in a dialogue: and be open-minded enough to listen!
The police in many communities have been using intimidation tactics to "keep folks in line" for years: most white people just didn't hear much about it. For example: the Baltimore report cited several instances of Police strip searching people in public: what could be more humiliating than that?
It hasn't been until the last few years, watching the sad list of names get longer, that I've come to realize I've been living in this 'white bubble' myself: ignorant and unaware because it didn't affect my life at all.
Trayvon Martin. Tamir Rice. John Crawford III, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Sandra Bland, Oscar Grant, Anthony Hill, James Boyd, Freddie Gray, Laquan McDonald, Philando Castile... People shot during traffic stops. People quickly gunned down holding toy weapons...
The question we need to answer is: What is it that makes someone's race affect how police perceive threat and danger? How can we, as a society, build trust and interrupt that mechanism?
22
I won't ask a black person. The reason for that is the same reason I won't ask a person who claims they were abducted by aliens - anecdotal testimony is not evidence. It's a story. Your question about what it is about someone's race that affects how police view their threat level. Consider this - Christianity and Islam. Both of them have insane, violent fanatics. But are they equivalent? Not even close. Muslim terrorist attacks occur daily around the world. No such attacks come from Christianity. I'm not defending Christianity, but pointing out the disparity. So law enforcement will likely profile Muslims as a higher degree of threat than Christians. It's not racism or bigotry, but simply statistical analysis.
11
You are right, it is anecdotal, but enough anecdotal evidence can show a pattern. My son (white) lives in Baltimore, and has only once been stopped by the policy while driving, and never stopped by them for any other reason. The same is true of his white friends. All of his (and my) black friends in Baltimore have been stopped by the policy for petty issues. For example, loitering - my friend was waiting outside a restaurant for it to open. That doesn't happen to white people in Baltimore.
5
Ask a black person? Yes I have done that many times. What you will find is an absolute refusal to admit that blacks statistically commit more violet crime. It is always the police bias. there is never any responsibility for their actions. Constant victim card. So go ahead justice department, continue to tell them its not their fault.
6
Reading this article, I was overcome with a sense of sadness. Here we are in the year 2016, and we are still challenged and struggling with racial division. I cannot begin to imagine the sadness and rage African Americans must feel while they continue to be persecuted, frustrated and betrayed by white society. I cannot help but admire how African Americans have fought and persevered just to be treated as equal citizens, and how African American culture has enlightened and enriched America. It is unfortunate, to say the least, how much of the African American culture has evolved through persecution by white people. I, for one, do not understand why white men wanted to or succeeded in enslaving a race of humans to do their work for them as we still to this day struggle with the pervasive consequences of that mistake. As an American Jew, I have a persecuted ancestry, and our persecution persists in modern times as well. Besides the Holocaust when our kind was targeted for annihilation, our persecution seems far more subtle than what African Americans experience. Perhaps if there were a way to distinguish Jews by the color of our skin, we would be targeted and persecuted more 'effectively'. As a white American, I apologize to all African Americans for the discrimination inflicted upon them. As a Jewish American. I cannot help but feel that but for the colors of our skin, our stories would be much more in-kind.
11
As a black American, I really appreciate your comment. I have always felt that ours is a "slow burning" Holocaust. It isn't people being rounded up and murdered, but people killed slowly by the state through discriminatory policing, housing, lending, healthcare, and education.
5
If you grow up in what feels like a "Coup" then you feel you have no options. How can cities in America reflect widely disproportionate freedoms. It is unfathomable.
6
Excessive use of force is never right. But this city is a mess. To be an officer in Baltimore is insanely hard. We can't recruit anyone local/in-the-know, so most of our new recruits/young cops are from out of State. Recruitment has obviously tanked since April '15. None of the new recruits live in the city bc the nice neighborhoods (yes, America, Bmore has nice areas!) are too expensive, and the affordable places are scary, crime-ridden, dirty, and just generally totally unpleasant. Oh, and if you want to start a family, there are like 3 elementary schools in the entire city that are any good (but again, you have to live in a nice area and pay property taxes double that of the surrounding counties). I do think that Bmore officials probably pushed a "broken windows" agenda similar to NYC back in the day, to help w their crime stats, and we did a bad job with that. But let's lay off the hard working cops in this town. I see the abuse they get on a daily basis from the citizenry that hates them (not me!), the DA Department they are supposed to work closely with to help put criminals in jail, and now the rest of the country hating them as well... And it's too much. Reforms are needed but probably starting at the very top, rather than focusing on the 21 yo from central PA newly thrust out onto the awful streets of East Baltimore.
29
Baltimore has always fooled this Irishman because of its Gaelic name (Town of the Large House). It was named after a British governor, and was part of a slave state. While MD joined the Union, it remained a slave state. It's reported that the majority of residents of Baltimore were sympathetic to the Confederacy, and that the city was occupied all through the Civil War, partly to keep it from becoming a rebel camp.
After the war, Baltimore experienced a large influx of freed slaves. To deal with this, the authorities provided separate education for blacks and whites, separate and unequal. Baltimore’s problems have a long history. This reminds me of the condition of Catholics in Northern Ireland and of the backlash from those Unionists/Protestants who resent any concessions to Catholics. Notably, the largely sectarian police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, was eliminated and replaced with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, a double admission—that the name of Ulster had been hi-jacked and that the RUC was inadequate, to put it mildly. (I’m an Ulster man, not born in NI).
After the war, Baltimore experienced a large influx of freed slaves. To deal with this, the authorities provided separate education for blacks and whites, separate and unequal. Baltimore’s problems have a long history. This reminds me of the condition of Catholics in Northern Ireland and of the backlash from those Unionists/Protestants who resent any concessions to Catholics. Notably, the largely sectarian police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, was eliminated and replaced with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, a double admission—that the name of Ulster had been hi-jacked and that the RUC was inadequate, to put it mildly. (I’m an Ulster man, not born in NI).
7
I'll be honest. I exhibit "Bias" too when I enter an all Black neighborhood. I'm a little more on guard, watching my surroundings, aware...
Are you? If you are, you exhibit "bias" too just like the police do.
It's perfectly natural. Until crime goes down in those neighborhoods, you would be foolish not to exhibit "bias" IMO.
Are you? If you are, you exhibit "bias" too just like the police do.
It's perfectly natural. Until crime goes down in those neighborhoods, you would be foolish not to exhibit "bias" IMO.
30
The book "Ghettoside" which is about Compton but applicable nationally, convincingly argues that a major reason for high black on black violent crime is the relative failure to investigate and successfully prosecute violent crime against blacks. Thus, and endless cycle of lawlessness and retaliation, with witnesses afraid to cooperate with police. There are many sides to the overall problem, and better community policing is a significant part of the overall fix. However, I do wish that the criticisms of the police come with the recognition that the police are dealing with societal failures (in areas where most of us do not live), poor housing, drugs, education, etc. The advocates could accomplish a lot by working to encourage education and jobs rather than it seems solely castigating police or authoring manifestos.
16
How can this be?
Baltimore has a black Chief of Police, a black Mayor, a majority black city council and a black prosecutor but somehow the system mistreats it's black citizens?
Maybe. Just maybe. The problem lies with the underlying criminal actions/mentality of many of the cities residents.
Baltimore has a black Chief of Police, a black Mayor, a majority black city council and a black prosecutor but somehow the system mistreats it's black citizens?
Maybe. Just maybe. The problem lies with the underlying criminal actions/mentality of many of the cities residents.
38
This is the why of BLM! Support filming the police everywhere through "photo encounter apps" and Data driven investigations into the many municipal police forces that practice zero tolerance against black and brown people. The money is in the traffic stops,searches and questionable arrests for simple moving violations.
2
Driving while black, walking while black?
Isn't it more like BWB [breathing while black]?
Isn't it more like BWB [breathing while black]?
4
Not surprised at the findings.
Freddie Gray is still dead, and no one was ever held accountable.
So, with the Presidential Elections coming up in November, it would behoove whoever wins the Election try to mend this messed up, and fracture society we are all members in, or we will degenerate further into chaos.
Freddie Gray is still dead, and no one was ever held accountable.
So, with the Presidential Elections coming up in November, it would behoove whoever wins the Election try to mend this messed up, and fracture society we are all members in, or we will degenerate further into chaos.
Except for the city that paid out a $5 million+ lawsuit.
6
", and no one was ever held accountable"
So, going to trial and being acquitted does not constitute being held accountable? It's only justice when the verdict suits your narrative?
So, going to trial and being acquitted does not constitute being held accountable? It's only justice when the verdict suits your narrative?
2
This is a cherry-picked version of reality. I'm in my 40's now. I never get stopped by police. But when I was in my 20's and had the propensity to walk around at night, I got stopped a lot. I'm white, but was routinely stopped because young males are statistically more likely to commit violent crime. I didn't feel singled out. I knew why this occurred. Black people commit violent crime far out of proportion per ca pita. That's a fact from the FBI crime statistics going back decades. I believe this is a cultural problem, which is further exacerbated by acting as though there is systemic racism against blacks in the police force. They stop and frisk black people more because they're statistically more likely to be of interest. Cops stop and frisk young men of all races more than older folks like me, because, wait for it, they're statistically more likely to be of interest. Anecdotal testimonies mean absolutely nothing.
20
I disagree that crime is an inherent cultural problem with black communities - that's totally distorting the issue. It is a socioeconomic problem, with substantial historical causes (of oppression) behind it. Black people in this country are unequally impacted by systemic poverty and are born in poor communities that lack proper education (since where you live determines your school, quality of which is determined by tax revenue) and employment opportunities. violence stems from vicious circle of poverty. the solutions doesn't lie in merely reacting to crime by putting people behind bars, but to respond in a manner that restructures the society and eliminated racially biased poverty
27
@Wil, is that supposed to be some kind of Constitutional argument or is it merely a justification for violations of civil rights? Reasonable suspicion is a low bar, but surely merely being a member of a certain race in and of itself be the basis for police scrutiny. The same people get stopped over and over on the logic of some statistical analysis? Bankers and corporate executives steal many thousands of times more money than anybody else... maybe police should follow them around their neighborhoods and administer random searches! Who knows what they'd find?
5
"maybe police should follow them around their neighborhoods and administer random searches! Who knows what they'd find?"
They certainly wouldn't find the money that was stolen, maybe the SEC might, that is the nature of white collar crime; distinctly different than armored robbery. You might comprehend that if you've
ever stared down the barrel of a gun.
They certainly wouldn't find the money that was stolen, maybe the SEC might, that is the nature of white collar crime; distinctly different than armored robbery. You might comprehend that if you've
ever stared down the barrel of a gun.
2
Do these numbers indicate bias or that crime and suspicious behavior are more prevalent in these communities? I'm not saying bias doesn't exist but I do question to the extent this proves bias.
I also feel like police reform is absolutely needed anyway but I caution correlation with causation.
I also feel like police reform is absolutely needed anyway but I caution correlation with causation.
9
> "In Baltimore, a city that is 63 percent black, the Justice Department found that 91 percent of those arrested for discretionary offenses like “failure to obey” or “trespassing” were African-American"
This is the lead sentence in a seemingly damning paragraph.
To the ignorant, this may seem like an outrage, but to an intelligent person it is a situation that needs more investigation before we can say that it indicates any true, unjustified bias against African-Americans
REALITY-CHECK: Blacks as a group, do not commit crime at the same rate as do non-African-Americans, THAT IS A KNOWN FACT.
What isn't known or revealed here is whether the incidence of crime is at a rough proportion to numbers sited above. In fact this most basic, most important factor isn't even addressed
We DO know that African-Americans commit murder at a far higher rate than 'whites', and it is reasonable to assume that:
. . . THAT disproportionality SHOULD BE expected in the more generalized statistics- not necessarily the exact same proportions, but we would *expect* the numbers to be similar
ALSO, it is likewise a fact that there are different policing strategies/tactics in high-crime areas, than what is employed in low-crime neighborhoods
*
FOR ME, the biggest problem is a lack of accountability.
Citizens MUST comply with the Police
. . . but they, in turn should be required {in most cases} to provide a reason & an incident-# AT THE BEGINNING of every stop
THEN we need a *JUST* complaint process
This is the lead sentence in a seemingly damning paragraph.
To the ignorant, this may seem like an outrage, but to an intelligent person it is a situation that needs more investigation before we can say that it indicates any true, unjustified bias against African-Americans
REALITY-CHECK: Blacks as a group, do not commit crime at the same rate as do non-African-Americans, THAT IS A KNOWN FACT.
What isn't known or revealed here is whether the incidence of crime is at a rough proportion to numbers sited above. In fact this most basic, most important factor isn't even addressed
We DO know that African-Americans commit murder at a far higher rate than 'whites', and it is reasonable to assume that:
. . . THAT disproportionality SHOULD BE expected in the more generalized statistics- not necessarily the exact same proportions, but we would *expect* the numbers to be similar
ALSO, it is likewise a fact that there are different policing strategies/tactics in high-crime areas, than what is employed in low-crime neighborhoods
*
FOR ME, the biggest problem is a lack of accountability.
Citizens MUST comply with the Police
. . . but they, in turn should be required {in most cases} to provide a reason & an incident-# AT THE BEGINNING of every stop
THEN we need a *JUST* complaint process
6
The police unions are probably the most intransigent piece of this puzzle. In decades they carved out so many special rights for their members that they act like a state within the state. From full retirement after 20 years of service to the right to speak first to their union representative after a police shooting to coordinate stories and adjust evidence, the unions force cities to hire back the bad apples that costs millions in individual settlements. See the killers of Eric Garner. Back on the force, the city paid 5.9 million. If any other city or state employee causes such damage, they would be long fired and even sued for restitution. But not the police.
3
You might sue an individual policeman and you might win millions. But good luck collecting from a person who makes $100K per year.
Sad how NYT and so many commenters just don't understand statistics. I blame government schools.
21
Baloney. Just more overreach by Obama`s Justice Department lackeys. There was no bias, there was reasonable cause.
9
Hopefully, this report will lead to swift actions in trying to fix this problem with police bias and police violence in Baltimore. In this case, the Mayor, the Police Commissioner and the District Attorney all new that there were problems before this investigation began. They just didn’t know how pervasive the problems were. Since they requested the investigation instead of being dragged into it, there should be no problems in starting to implement the remedies. The police department needs to do a better job of screening and training recruits. They also need to try to hire more police who live in the community and are willing to work with community leaders. Baltimore, like so many other cities, needs to get away from having a police force that acts like an occupying army. Lastly, they need to make sure that cops who won’t follow the rules and won’t follow the laws are fired. The so-called ‘good cops’ who cover up for the bad ones should be charged with obstruction of justice and with filing false police reports.
OK, AND NOW WHAT? We've seen indictments dropped against the police in the BRUTAL MURDER of a young man who was "taken for a ride" because it was revealed that the police had STYMIED the prosecutions! How low can this issue go? HOW LONG before something SUBSTANTIAL is done? I have yet to read of ANY major systemic changes to the way policing is done ANYWHERE in this country since the issue of misconduct was brought to the fore over two years ago now. So the Justice Dept. finds bias.....OK, AND??!!
3
"Blacks make up 60 percent of Baltimore’s drivers, but they account for 82 percent of traffic stops. ..."
Just curious: what is the percentage of muggings, robberies and murders committed by blacks?
If it happens to be close to 82% then the police actions are rational, aren't they?
Just curious: what is the percentage of muggings, robberies and murders committed by blacks?
If it happens to be close to 82% then the police actions are rational, aren't they?
24
There are also more police in black neighborhoods. So more traffic violations will be picked up than in white neighborhoods, where there are far fewer cops.
6
This report is shocking, but the rate of violence in the community - murder, rape, assault - ain't no thing?
8
The only thing this study validates is the prejudice and worthless of the DOJ under Obama. I'm sure this report was vetted by Black Lives Matter before it's release. What was the murder rate in Baltimore before the FBI intervened, and what has it been since? I guess this report is the consolation prize for failing to convict any police for Freddie Gray.
12
Arrogance and entitlement, fed by the unending adulation many citizens lavish upon those who carry a gun and badge in the name of protecting us, regardless of their merit, is now viewed as the RIGHT of those who enforce the law.
We OWE them that, they say.
Well? Of course we do!...
Ah-hem!
However, there’s the small matter of something called “justice”.
For, justice demands that law enforcement give us their very best in turn.
They are expected — nay, REQUIRED — to treat all citizens alike at all times, respecting in the process the rights of all. That means (it would seem obvious) that they are not entitled to shoot first and ask questions later.
This is the truth:
We will never do away with enforcement misdeeds, abuses or bigotry UNLESS that happens.
We must demand, as BOTH their EMPLOYERS and those whom they are hired to protect, that they see us — that's you-and-me — indeed, every one of US — aka “We the People” — as their bosses.
We must DEMAND that police hold all in their ranks to the highest standards.
That there be no excuse for using one's power over another capriciously.
Forgive me, please, men and women in Blue or Brown or Gray, but that's against our Constitution.
We OWE them that, they say.
Well? Of course we do!...
Ah-hem!
However, there’s the small matter of something called “justice”.
For, justice demands that law enforcement give us their very best in turn.
They are expected — nay, REQUIRED — to treat all citizens alike at all times, respecting in the process the rights of all. That means (it would seem obvious) that they are not entitled to shoot first and ask questions later.
This is the truth:
We will never do away with enforcement misdeeds, abuses or bigotry UNLESS that happens.
We must demand, as BOTH their EMPLOYERS and those whom they are hired to protect, that they see us — that's you-and-me — indeed, every one of US — aka “We the People” — as their bosses.
We must DEMAND that police hold all in their ranks to the highest standards.
That there be no excuse for using one's power over another capriciously.
Forgive me, please, men and women in Blue or Brown or Gray, but that's against our Constitution.
4
Sitting in an acting class, the teacher asks the black actors to pretend they are being stopped by police (a whole other issue). All of them, to a man assumed the position and the attitude. It hit me like a brick. It comes so easy to them because they've been through this exact scenario so many times. I guarantee the white guys in the room would have been asking "And what's my motivation?"
6
"All of them, to a man assumed the position and the attitude."
And yet, in almost 100% of the cases where black men were shot or wrestled, none of them assumed the position nor the attitude.
And yet, in almost 100% of the cases where black men were shot or wrestled, none of them assumed the position nor the attitude.
2
I don't know if my first comment went through - I answered the phone and it disappeared. Here's the thought:
we must address the economic destruction in our poorest neighborhoods with better-funded schools, safe daycare for working and student parents, and regular schedules for part-time jobs so that they can be true stepping stones, instead of low-wage handcuffs. Why focus here? Residents can't live in fear for their lives and livelihoods in poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and good police officers can't work in fear for their lives either. A large part of the answer is that the neighborhoods shouldn't be poverty-stricken.
that all said, I was in a terrifying driving while black traffic stop - on our way to a wedding in a nice part of town, with everyone dressed nicely in a nice car. Only our driver's bar association card stopped the hostility, and even then not entirely. The supposed broken taillight was working just fine. We got back into the car shaken and in tears. All that "nice" had gotten horrifically ugly in an instant.
so, yes, I hear the racism issue loud and clear BUT I'm scared about the fact that the financial imperative of rebuilding our poorest communities always seems to come last on the list, if it's mentioned at all.
please vote together to build people AND communities!
p.s. - this should not just be the Democratic party platform - it should also be in the Republican platform (invest in humanity now to reduce costs later!)
we must address the economic destruction in our poorest neighborhoods with better-funded schools, safe daycare for working and student parents, and regular schedules for part-time jobs so that they can be true stepping stones, instead of low-wage handcuffs. Why focus here? Residents can't live in fear for their lives and livelihoods in poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and good police officers can't work in fear for their lives either. A large part of the answer is that the neighborhoods shouldn't be poverty-stricken.
that all said, I was in a terrifying driving while black traffic stop - on our way to a wedding in a nice part of town, with everyone dressed nicely in a nice car. Only our driver's bar association card stopped the hostility, and even then not entirely. The supposed broken taillight was working just fine. We got back into the car shaken and in tears. All that "nice" had gotten horrifically ugly in an instant.
so, yes, I hear the racism issue loud and clear BUT I'm scared about the fact that the financial imperative of rebuilding our poorest communities always seems to come last on the list, if it's mentioned at all.
please vote together to build people AND communities!
p.s. - this should not just be the Democratic party platform - it should also be in the Republican platform (invest in humanity now to reduce costs later!)
8
If it were left up to white supremacists, police would never venture into black neighborhoods except to collect bribes from pimps, drug dealers and gambling house operators. No black person would ever be arrested for killing, beating or robbing another black person or selling drugs to another black person. Police would spend all their time patrolling white neighborhoods to keep them crime free while ignoring crimes in black neighborhoods, as they did before the Civil Rights Era. But white supremacists are not in charge. The Baltimore Police Department crackdown on crime in black neighborhoods was not racist in intent. The goal was give African Americans the same sense of safety and security that residents of affluent white neighborhoods take for granted. The Justice Department study concluded that the Baltimore Police Department used “enforcement strategies that produced unjustified disparities in the rates of stops, search and arrest of African Americans.” It did not find the BPD guilty of racial bias as the New York Times headline implies. The study says the BPD violated Civil Rights statues by using tactics that disparately impacted African Americans, but weren’t “necessary to achieve non-discriminatory objectives.”
10
Of the 2,745 active duty police officers in the department — 1,445 — more than half are African-American, Hispanic, Asian or Native American, according to data provided by the Baltimore police department to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Four of its top six commanders are either African-American or Hispanic.
Four of its top six commanders are either African-American or Hispanic.
6
Why is is that the justice department has to get involved before the egregious behavior of the local police is made public?
If the leaders of the police department are not able to see the obvious or prefer to overlook it, then they should be removed from their jobs as they are not serving the citizens they swore an oath to protect and serve.
They like to talk about not turning in another police officer who is misbehaving so you look the other way and tolerate his / her behavior. How does this person looking away sleep at night?
If only the 99.9% of officers who are solid will report on the others, I'm sure there will be changes.
If the leaders of the police department are not able to see the obvious or prefer to overlook it, then they should be removed from their jobs as they are not serving the citizens they swore an oath to protect and serve.
They like to talk about not turning in another police officer who is misbehaving so you look the other way and tolerate his / her behavior. How does this person looking away sleep at night?
If only the 99.9% of officers who are solid will report on the others, I'm sure there will be changes.
1
Because of a rise in ignorance among the US population, we have allowed authorities to establish a "police state" as opposed to a "police presence!" After 9/11, we allowed the "security" forces to quickly morph into the national security state.
Now add the fact that 1/2 half of Americans are terrified of government, hateful towards "the other" and armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons: Including guns that are WMD and have the ability to kill dozens in seconds!
Did we really believe that this cauldron of hate and insecurity fostered by Fox, Limbaugh, Ingraham, O'Reilly, Hannity, etc., etc., would have a positive outcome?
Now add the fact that 1/2 half of Americans are terrified of government, hateful towards "the other" and armed to the teeth with all sorts of weapons: Including guns that are WMD and have the ability to kill dozens in seconds!
Did we really believe that this cauldron of hate and insecurity fostered by Fox, Limbaugh, Ingraham, O'Reilly, Hannity, etc., etc., would have a positive outcome?
1
According to the Baltimore Sun, there have been 178 homicides in Baltimore thus far in 2016. 138 committed by blacks. 8 committed by whites. Even the 8 homicides committed by whites, I seriously doubt they know who Rush Limbaugh is. Nor do they watch the news, no less Fox news.
7
"Fox, Limbaugh, Ingraham, O'Reilly, Hannity, "
When all else fails, trot out the old bogeymen to blame it on.
When all else fails, trot out the old bogeymen to blame it on.
2
I haven't read the report but intend to. I have no ax to grind on the report; excessive police behavior should always be condemned, and no one should be stopped for driving -- or breathing -- while black. But this article seems to assume that if the number of stops and arrests of blacks is disproportionately high as compared to the percentage of black residents in the City, that alone means the police are unfairly singling out blacks for stops and arrests.
Maybe they are doing that, but lack of proportionality alone doesn't require that conclusion.
My part of Baltimore is low-crime and affluent, with a low police presence. Many other parts of the City are low-income, high-density and high-crime. As might be expected, the police tend to concentrate their resources in those areas, so police presence there is disproportionately higher -- on foot and in patrol cars -- than in low-crime, low-density parts of the City.
A higher police presence in an area normally will translate into more stops and more arrests per capita than in areas with a low police presence -- just as the presence of a cop with a radar gun on a city street will result in more traffic stops than on a street without a cop. No surprises here; stops and arrests are made where the cops are, not where they aren't.
Most of those areas are predominantly black. Little wonder then that most people stopped there are also black. Whether the stops are appropriate is another question altogether.
Maybe they are doing that, but lack of proportionality alone doesn't require that conclusion.
My part of Baltimore is low-crime and affluent, with a low police presence. Many other parts of the City are low-income, high-density and high-crime. As might be expected, the police tend to concentrate their resources in those areas, so police presence there is disproportionately higher -- on foot and in patrol cars -- than in low-crime, low-density parts of the City.
A higher police presence in an area normally will translate into more stops and more arrests per capita than in areas with a low police presence -- just as the presence of a cop with a radar gun on a city street will result in more traffic stops than on a street without a cop. No surprises here; stops and arrests are made where the cops are, not where they aren't.
Most of those areas are predominantly black. Little wonder then that most people stopped there are also black. Whether the stops are appropriate is another question altogether.
7
there is an easy solution to this white institutional racism. That is to massively increase section 8 vouchers in terms of buying power. That way the residents of inner city Baltimore can flee this racism in the suburbs. Plus they can bring the benefits stemming from their diversity there (where it is badly needed).
May this happen soon. No amount of white racism in the suburbs should prevent this!
May this happen soon. No amount of white racism in the suburbs should prevent this!
5
Does anyone truly believe this sort of police bias is only going on in Baltimore? When anyone brings up police bias the normal reply is to deflect to black on black crime. True 92 percent of crime suffered by blacks are committed by another black. Do we ever hear 87 percent of crime suffered by whites is committed by another white person? Why is white on white crime never the topic? Anyone without an agenda knows what Black Lives Matter really means. It means Black Lives Should Matter also! Having a black mayor or black police commissioner is only window dressing as is body cameras that can be turned on and off at will. Having black elected and appointed officials in Baltimore has not changed the culture of policing in Baltimore. I think just the opposite I think it has emboldened this repugnant style of policing of the poor and people of color. One has to believe if there was true leadership at the top this behavior would not be condoned. With a wink and a nod from the top down this goes on daily all across the country.
2
Why is white on white crime never the topic? You obviously need a basic course in statistics.
Because the black crime rate is many times higher than the white crime rate.
So for every 1,000 blacks that are murdered, 92 percent that are murdered by other blacks. For every 1,000 whites that are murdered, 87 percent are murdered by other whites.
But for every 1,000 blacks, 10 are murdered. For every 1,000 whites, only two are murdered.
Get the difference?
Because the black crime rate is many times higher than the white crime rate.
So for every 1,000 blacks that are murdered, 92 percent that are murdered by other blacks. For every 1,000 whites that are murdered, 87 percent are murdered by other whites.
But for every 1,000 blacks, 10 are murdered. For every 1,000 whites, only two are murdered.
Get the difference?
11
All crime is murder? So in your world the 92 percent of black crime is murder? So why don't you consider the 87 percent rate of white on white crime murder? You don't because you know neither is true. Most crime is committed amongst people who live near each other. Since we a still a very segregated society most crime is committed by people who look like each other. More whites use drugs than blacks but more blacks go to jail for using drugs. Do you ever ask yourself why? When drugs were ravaging the people of color communities few really cared. Now that the drug problem is no longer a problem of the poor and disenfranchised it has become a national problem? Do you ever ask yourself why? It is I who you said need a basic course in statistics. I could say a great deal of people need a lesson in humanity but I will not. For I only have one person to like at in the mirror and that's me. For people to blame the victim for being the victim is beyond the pale and has no true merit. To think that well meaning folks think its alright for a segment of our society to feel as though they are oppressed and blow off these peoples cries I find repugnant. Statistics will prove they have a case now and have had a case for years about uneven treatment by our police.
2
Perhaps blacks are stopped and searched because they commit a hugely disproportionate number of crimes.
19
Perhaps Arab looking men should be stopped and searched because they commit the large majority of terrorist acts... well, with the exception of the murderous white Chechnya Tsarnaev brothers, that Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik, various black Somalis, and all those skinny white dudes that have been shooting up schools for 15 years or so. Yeah, lets stop and search sulking young white guys.
6
The Baltimore Police Policy of 'Zero Tolerance' in African American Neighborhoods is just a New Way of saying 'Keep the Coloreds Down'
'Zero Tolerance is a pretty good description of a Bigot
'Zero Tolerance is a pretty good description of a Bigot
3
All the way back in 1980, the Baltimore Police Department was found by a federal court to have discriminated against blacks and women in its hiring practices. This story represents the other shoe dropping. What is appalling is that 1980 was 36 years ago. My guess is that little to no progress has been made on hiring, either.
2
The whole political establishment in Baltimore is corrupt. If it wasn't, a majority of the problems recounted in the DOJ report would have been solved. Racial discrimination? Oh, please. Note the complexion of the six cops who were acquitted despite the illegal tactics of the incompetent State's Attorney, Marilyn Mosby who was elected solely because she, too, is black. The whole inner city, except for a few gated communities around the Inner-Harbor is a cesspool.
11
I am tired of this story and of police officers being incessantly criticized.
Police officers have an important job to do--perhaps the most important one in any society. As they try to do this job, the very people they are trying to serve curse at them, ignore their directions, break multiple laws, throw things at them and sometimes kill them. Police are then criticized for abusing their authority. What authority? If we agree that the police have authority, then we cannot complain that an officer takes additional steps to enforce the law when faced with blatant disrespect and/or physical resistance.
These stories always beg the question--what came first, the chicken or the egg. Are their more crimes first or more arrests? Is a man who has been stopped THIRTY TIMES for loitering guilty of loitering or is he being harassed? Is a police officer using force or did the suspect resist arrest?
As a white English teacher in an all-black school, I see parallel issues between the streets and the classroom. My students call me racist when I ask them to sit down and be quiet. Many of them attempt to goad me into saying something out of anger. During my 1st year, I complained that students were not issued consequences after calling me names and/or cursing at me. My union rep asked me "is bitch really that bad?" That was 17 years ago and yes, I still believe that being called a bitch is really that bad.
Police officers have an important job to do--perhaps the most important one in any society. As they try to do this job, the very people they are trying to serve curse at them, ignore their directions, break multiple laws, throw things at them and sometimes kill them. Police are then criticized for abusing their authority. What authority? If we agree that the police have authority, then we cannot complain that an officer takes additional steps to enforce the law when faced with blatant disrespect and/or physical resistance.
These stories always beg the question--what came first, the chicken or the egg. Are their more crimes first or more arrests? Is a man who has been stopped THIRTY TIMES for loitering guilty of loitering or is he being harassed? Is a police officer using force or did the suspect resist arrest?
As a white English teacher in an all-black school, I see parallel issues between the streets and the classroom. My students call me racist when I ask them to sit down and be quiet. Many of them attempt to goad me into saying something out of anger. During my 1st year, I complained that students were not issued consequences after calling me names and/or cursing at me. My union rep asked me "is bitch really that bad?" That was 17 years ago and yes, I still believe that being called a bitch is really that bad.
14
Not as tired as black people being abused and disrespected by police with a license to use lethal and deadly violence against whoever they choose whenever they choose with impunity.
4
So "additional steps" should include strip-searching people who haven't done anything? Or arresting more folks for "traffic violations" than actually own cars in the city? If you really think having authority gives police the right to disrespect people, well, the Nazis felt the same way. (And given that you seem to have no respect for your students, it's no wonder they have no respect for you. You can bet they know you see them as "just" blacks, not as people.)
2
If we made everything legal, there wouldn’t be any crime. In the late 1800s, New Orleans passed Ordinance No. 13,032, which created Storyville, a 16-block red-light district in which prostitution was “tolerated” and gambling and narcotics trafficking was allowed to flourish. Today, some people seem intent on making urban black neighborhoods replicas of Storyville. For example, the Black Lives Matter Platform calls for the total decriminalization of drugs and prostitution, asserting that “decriminalization would ensure that individuals who use, possess, or sell drugs or trade sex are not subject to arrest, detention or conviction.” It also calls for ban on surveillance technologies and “predictive systems” that police to analyze crime trends and predict where future crimes are most likely to occur. Why not ask African American advocacy groups to list crimes they think should be tolerated in black neighborhoods?
6
William Case,
You hit the nail on the head! The decriminalization of crime is indeed the endgame of BLM along with the accompanying anarchy!
You hit the nail on the head! The decriminalization of crime is indeed the endgame of BLM along with the accompanying anarchy!
2
The message of the carefully coded concealed colored racial police bias found by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department in Baltimore, Maryland is that neither a black population majority city with a black mayor and black police chief is a guarantor of black lives mattering. Freddie Gray did not kill himself.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and her former Police Commissioner Anthony Batts knew or should have known what their cops were doing. So should the city elected officials along with the elected county, state and federal legislative officials. And so should the NAACP with it's Baltimore national headquarters office.
Tamir Rice was also killed in a black majority city Cleveland Ohio with a black mayor Frank Jackson and black police chief Calvin Williams. Tamir Rice was a 12 year old boy playing with a toy gun in broad daylight in a public park.
Black leadership does not deserve nor have they earned a black "pass" for mistreatment of civilian black folks by cops of every hue in professionally trained badged armed blue.
See 'The Mis-Education of the Negro" by Carter G. Woodson; "The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E.B. DuBois; "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison; "Native Son" by Richard Wright; "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and her former Police Commissioner Anthony Batts knew or should have known what their cops were doing. So should the city elected officials along with the elected county, state and federal legislative officials. And so should the NAACP with it's Baltimore national headquarters office.
Tamir Rice was also killed in a black majority city Cleveland Ohio with a black mayor Frank Jackson and black police chief Calvin Williams. Tamir Rice was a 12 year old boy playing with a toy gun in broad daylight in a public park.
Black leadership does not deserve nor have they earned a black "pass" for mistreatment of civilian black folks by cops of every hue in professionally trained badged armed blue.
See 'The Mis-Education of the Negro" by Carter G. Woodson; "The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E.B. DuBois; "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison; "Native Son" by Richard Wright; "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry
5
How many of us as driver citizens have a nervous reaction or rapid blood pressure increase just at the sight or sound of a police cruiser behind our vehicles? And most of us are not a person of color. This is why we need to rein in police, they're turning into vigilantes and answer to no one except their own. Federal oversight of police departments may be prudent.
Also, can townships and states afford to keep paying out exorbitant sums of money for law suits related to police misconduct, murder and other mayhem?
It is within the best interests of citizens/taxpayers who pay these police forces' salaries to immediately get rid of the bad ones, all of them.
Each and every one of those cops involved with this should have their badges removed already. Will Freddie Gray ever have his day in court? I question how so many derelict cops can live with themselves. Putting all police on a hero pedestal is also questionable, as if they could do no wrongs.
Also, can townships and states afford to keep paying out exorbitant sums of money for law suits related to police misconduct, murder and other mayhem?
It is within the best interests of citizens/taxpayers who pay these police forces' salaries to immediately get rid of the bad ones, all of them.
Each and every one of those cops involved with this should have their badges removed already. Will Freddie Gray ever have his day in court? I question how so many derelict cops can live with themselves. Putting all police on a hero pedestal is also questionable, as if they could do no wrongs.
2
This is a problem everywhere. My adopted nephew, who is from Africa, lives in small-town Maine. He has been stopped by the Maine police about thirty times in the past ten years, for no reason at all--ever, ever. Just one stop after another, with no explanation, and he's never been issued a ticket. He is a totally law-abiding, religious, church-going person. And it isn't just the police who racially profile, either. He jogs in the early morning and sometimes people will call the police, "There's a black man running in my neighborhood!" The police go tearing out, stop, and question him as if he's some kind of criminal. Again and again and again. And this is in Maine, in a county that has one of the lowest crime rates in the entire nation.
9
"And this is in Maine, in a county that has one of the lowest crime rates in the entire nation."
Why do you suppose that is?
Why do you suppose that is?
4
That's why I refuse to live anywhere where white people are the majority. I am only considering minority majority states. It's racial terror.
"That's why I refuse to live anywhere where white people are the majority."
Then you can understand when others have the obverse attitude?
Then you can understand when others have the obverse attitude?
2
Beyond the obvious racism, when a police department stops so many minority people for real and imagined traffic violations it suggests first and foremost that they don't have much to do and that there are way too many of them drawing a public salary.
2
The only way to really overhaul the police force is to fire everyone and start over. Hire only educated, sane (need to have a psych profile), compassionate people who want to help others, not wield power.
2
In analyzing the statistics you need to ask who is calling the shots on these police patrols, The answer in large part is 911 callers and in Baltimore most of such callers are black. Thats what sets in motion the police response. When police stop a black male because he "fits the description" it sadly is because he does in fact meet the description as called in mainly by black 911 callers. Some areas have so many calls that they take a proactive approach but if there were no crime there would be little or no need to police the area. I sympathize in that it must be extremely frustrating and humiliating for law abiding black men to be stopped (or worse) but to blame this on "racism" is not constructive.
12
I would have a difficult time warming up to police who are outfitted with military equipment, riot-ready in paramilitary gear and looking like some robot policemen out of a science-fiction action movie.
Whatever happened to the cop on the beat, wearing his blues and interacting pleasantly with pedestrians on the street and shopkeepers as well?
So I can easily understand the commenter who said we should send them all back to Afghanistan, because they look like they're ready for war. And that mindset, that they're geared up in military gear for street warfare, leads not only to harassment and discrimination, but to the death penalty for walking or driving while black.
Whatever happened to the cop on the beat, wearing his blues and interacting pleasantly with pedestrians on the street and shopkeepers as well?
So I can easily understand the commenter who said we should send them all back to Afghanistan, because they look like they're ready for war. And that mindset, that they're geared up in military gear for street warfare, leads not only to harassment and discrimination, but to the death penalty for walking or driving while black.
2
That pic you're seeing is from the riot, which was basically like a brief war. Otherwise our cops are pretty standard issue. Hand guns, Billy clubs, cuffs.
5
"Whatever happened to the cop on the beat, wearing his blues and interacting pleasantly with pedestrians on the street and shopkeepers as well?"
It's called assassination!
It's called assassination!
1
Nearly all violent crime in Baltimore involves black people. If the city of Baltimore is going to keep the city safe, police are going to have to stop young black men on nearly all their discretionary stops. Failing to do this and wasting time stopping others will jeopardize the lives of everyone in Baltimore, especially young black men. Excessive use of force is wrong and should result in removal from the police force and criminal investigation. But racial profiling is right and necessary for public safety.
11
Until officers are fired; until promotions are based on enforcement of real justice, until a generation of citizens respect enforcement, and they together have forged a new bond that creates dependable safety for all: until, until, until. ! If the Citizens continue to elect racist, this is all for not.
3
The deafening silence this news is greeted with is fascinating. Where are all the comments about how police brutality against Black people is Black people's fault because they don't raise their kids properly, they're naturally more violent or they're just plain inferior? No comments on how the woman who was strip searched on the side of the road in full view of the world must have done SOMETHING to deserve such barbaric treatment.
Some will say that many of the officers accused of killing Freddie Grey were Black. It seems that when a person of colour joins law enforcement, they stop being Black or Brown or Yellow and turn Blue. And when you're Blue you can do whatever you want to whoever you want.
I think the reason that 'Black Lives Matter' enrages so many people in the White community is because BLM is RIGHT. What's happening in Baltimore is happening all over the United States.
I don't think the DOJ's report is going to make one bit of difference. It's too deeply ingrained. Black men and women will keep being harassed and dying and Blue cops will keep getting away with it.
Some will say that many of the officers accused of killing Freddie Grey were Black. It seems that when a person of colour joins law enforcement, they stop being Black or Brown or Yellow and turn Blue. And when you're Blue you can do whatever you want to whoever you want.
I think the reason that 'Black Lives Matter' enrages so many people in the White community is because BLM is RIGHT. What's happening in Baltimore is happening all over the United States.
I don't think the DOJ's report is going to make one bit of difference. It's too deeply ingrained. Black men and women will keep being harassed and dying and Blue cops will keep getting away with it.
4
From your own paper, it appears that black drivers might speed at substantially higher rates: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/21/nyregion/study-suggests-racial-gap-in-...
So why, exactly, are we supposed to take traffic stop rates as evidence of bias/discrimination...?
So why, exactly, are we supposed to take traffic stop rates as evidence of bias/discrimination...?
17
They showed all of this on The Wire many years ago. On the show, the Police Chief wanted to show he was effective and he took the cops off a major drug investigation and instead they arrested every Black youth they saw on the street no matter what. He wanted to "prove" that the police were effective based on number of arrests, major or minor.
Obviously, this was based on reality and it took years and the death of Freddy Gray to prove that it was actual police conduct.
Obviously, this was based on reality and it took years and the death of Freddy Gray to prove that it was actual police conduct.
1
The Democrats have been running Baltimore for the past 50 consecutive years. Who should we blame for all this alleged racism? Sounds like it's time to put a Republican in charge.
11
As a Democrat living in Bmore, I 100% agree. I've voted for the most reasonable candidate in all the Dem primaries and when that fails, me and the other 2% of the city electorate vote for the Republican.
7
This article and the Justice Department findings it reports are blatant examples of the misleading half-truths that result because only one side of the race issue is allowed to be publicly discussed.
What is the other side? It is that African Americans have seven times the per capita violent crime and murder rates as the rest of the American population. Once we enter this 7X factor into the discussion we see that it is not necessarily racist for a city that is 63% black to have 91 percent of those arrested be black.
Why? Because in a city in which 63% of the population has 7x the per capita violent crime rate of the rest of its population the black violent crime rate can be represented by 63 x 7 = 441; the non-black violent crime rate by 37 x 1 = 37; the total violent crime rate by 441 + 73 = 487; and the black percent of the total violent crime rate by 441 / 487 = 90.5544% -- which, with rounding, equals the 91 percent arrest rate which the justice department is citing, unfairly, as proof of racism.
Now, the above calculations are for violent crime rates, and the arrest 91 percent rate discussed in this article was for non-violent crimes, but it is likely a population that commits violent crimes at much higher rates will commit other crimes at much higher rates. And – because of the great harm caused by crime -- it is appropriate that police focus their limited attention in populations in which serious crime is much more likely to happen.
What is the other side? It is that African Americans have seven times the per capita violent crime and murder rates as the rest of the American population. Once we enter this 7X factor into the discussion we see that it is not necessarily racist for a city that is 63% black to have 91 percent of those arrested be black.
Why? Because in a city in which 63% of the population has 7x the per capita violent crime rate of the rest of its population the black violent crime rate can be represented by 63 x 7 = 441; the non-black violent crime rate by 37 x 1 = 37; the total violent crime rate by 441 + 73 = 487; and the black percent of the total violent crime rate by 441 / 487 = 90.5544% -- which, with rounding, equals the 91 percent arrest rate which the justice department is citing, unfairly, as proof of racism.
Now, the above calculations are for violent crime rates, and the arrest 91 percent rate discussed in this article was for non-violent crimes, but it is likely a population that commits violent crimes at much higher rates will commit other crimes at much higher rates. And – because of the great harm caused by crime -- it is appropriate that police focus their limited attention in populations in which serious crime is much more likely to happen.
34
"It is appropriate."
Let's say that because of concern with violent African Americans, the police disproportionately detain African Americans--even though the individuals detained are doing things that police would ignore with other groups.
That puts those non-violent individuals into the legal system's insane assembly line. It disrupts lives; it creates criminal records where none should exist (which disrupts badly that person's chance to succeed).
And its done not because those individuals were doing something dangerous. when detained. It's done because they look something like many of the people who are dangerous.
So, tell me again how this is appropriate.
Let's say that because of concern with violent African Americans, the police disproportionately detain African Americans--even though the individuals detained are doing things that police would ignore with other groups.
That puts those non-violent individuals into the legal system's insane assembly line. It disrupts lives; it creates criminal records where none should exist (which disrupts badly that person's chance to succeed).
And its done not because those individuals were doing something dangerous. when detained. It's done because they look something like many of the people who are dangerous.
So, tell me again how this is appropriate.
4
Another factor that is completely overlooked, is that many of those most dissatisfied with the police, are so, due to the impact that law enforcement has on their criminal activity; which provides them and their families with an income. Anyone that disrupts this enterprise is going to be viewed as the enemy. Do you believe the drug cartels like the DEA?
3
I didn’t say it was “appropriate” to harass innocent people, as Oscar implied. I said it was “appropriate” to focus more policing on populations that suffer from higher crime rates.
To the extent it is possible to reduce crime in black neighborhoods with less interference in the lives of innocent people, clearly that should be done. But it is not always possible to do so. And it should be remembered just how much black people suffer from black-on-black crime. Over 7000 black people are killed by black people every year. That’s more than 20 times the total number of black people killed by police a year (and that 20-times number includes even the killings by police of black people that are totally justified).
So if “Black Lives Matter”, fighting black-on-black crime is much more important than stopping that part of the unpleasantness to innocent people that is unavoidable if such a fight is to be effective.
To the extent it is possible to reduce crime in black neighborhoods with less interference in the lives of innocent people, clearly that should be done. But it is not always possible to do so. And it should be remembered just how much black people suffer from black-on-black crime. Over 7000 black people are killed by black people every year. That’s more than 20 times the total number of black people killed by police a year (and that 20-times number includes even the killings by police of black people that are totally justified).
So if “Black Lives Matter”, fighting black-on-black crime is much more important than stopping that part of the unpleasantness to innocent people that is unavoidable if such a fight is to be effective.
I don't know why elected officials in cities continue to escape scrutiny from the media over their out-of-control police departments. Nothing much is going to change until citizens start holding mayors and city council members accountable for their lack of oversight over the police. Make the mayor and city council members stand up before TV cameras and answer hard questions about bad police practices and why they are allowed to occur. If you don't like what you hear, kick them out of office at election time.
6
We average about 350 homocides a year. 90% are African American men. These are not police killings. These are black men killing black men. Most are young and most are drug related. It's hard to police a city with these statistics without excercising some degree of prejudice.
58
" It's hard to police a city with these statistics without exercising some degree of prejudice."
Why is it hard?
Why is it hard?
2
So committing crimes against innocent African-Americans will solve the problem?
1
@ Oscar
Try walking around Baltimore at night to get an education.
Just do not go alone or unarmed.
Try walking around Baltimore at night to get an education.
Just do not go alone or unarmed.
Baltimore's police force is majority minority. When such a force engages in discriminatory conduct, it is presumably not because they are racist. More likely it is because stopping and arresting blacks is the best way to control crime. It appears that the Justice Department has proven the opposite of what they intended and has even suggested that white police who disproportionately stop blacks are also effectively doing their jobs.
22
Actually it is because there is systemic oppression of Black people that is built in to the socio-economic system in place. It matters not what ethnicity the police officer is - he or she has been instructed to behave in a certain manner in relation to the various classes and ethnicities that exist. If a police office shot an unarmed white executive while he was pulled over for running a red light, there would be hell to pay, the P.O. understands this implicitly. He/she also understands that boot of the system must remain on Black people. All of the metrics in which the P.O. is evaluated and paid, require he/she produce on the street - arrests, tickets, revenue, "stops" etc.
3
Why not have the DOJ pencil pushers and law enforcement theorists man the neighborhood streets for a month or two, after which the survivors can tell the beat cops how to do their policing...
8
Nothing new here, now, then, move along - and be quick about it. Yep, this sums up what is well known to any first-year criminology or sociology student - that the police find 'crime' where there are deployed to find crime. Just think about it - if the police turned their attention (even a smidgen of the manpower now focused on 'black crime') to white collar crime (Wall Street comes to mind), what would they find. And if the objective is to fill city coffers with fines, then surely one should go where the money is . . .
9
"...if the police turned their attention (even a smidgen of the manpower now focused on 'black crime') to white collar crime (Wall Street comes to mind), what would they find."
A lot of dead people in the urban black neighborhoods where there was no longer a police presence...
A lot of dead people in the urban black neighborhoods where there was no longer a police presence...
9
The police are killing people, the criminals are killing people.
The helpless citizen has nowhere to turn.
The helpless citizen has nowhere to turn.
1
We whites have too long ignored and accepted the way policing and criminal justice have been used to oppress Americans with African, Hispanic or Aboriginal descent. Covered with the justification of fighting crime, police and prisons have contributed mightily to the persistent poverty, despair, family weakness, substance abuse, and yes crime, that afflicts these communities and we have benefitted from the isolation of these communities of color into ghettoes and reservations. Thankfully, the tide is starting to turn, but there will be push back and the solutions will not magically undo the harm over night.
9
Why does the New York Times constantly use the phrase "occupying force" and attribute it to unnamed sources? Do they think things would improve if we withdrew the occupying force from certain redlined districts and let all those poor people police themselves?
12
Yes this is really bad. But this City is run by Blacks. So what does this say? Typical Black on Black violence they look the other way for while Whites get blamed. The greatest violence is in Black neighborhoods against each other.
STOP blaming other people.
STOP blaming other people.
28
Leonora: I recommend you study the origins of cities and the inescapable fact that the original organizing principals were relative power and wealth, however hard-earned, but that cities, from time immemorial, have attracted and created poverty and exploitation. That didn't start in America, with blacks, or with Democrats. But clearly, Americans of all stripes failed to provide adequate justice for all in your cities.
3
The issue at hand is police bias, not neighborhood/community violence. These are two different, if related, problems.
4
I hope the study was more sophisticated than just comparing the racial breakdown of the population vs. the racial breakdown of arrests. Because that is laughably incomplete.
52
Curious how this article lays out the community policing situation without mentioning the architect of Baltimore's Law-and-Order policies, that former tough-on-crime mayor, Martin O'Malley (D).
11
J.Hibier: One man cannot set the ethos of a whole PD.
Another study, another report that simply validates what is widely known about the police. How many commissions have been formed to deal with police corruption and misbehavior? What has changed? Sorry, but anytime police can kill a 12-year-old boy in under 2 seconds and have the state justify it as righteous, there is little reason to believe there is an attitude for reform. If it's okay to kill a 12-year-old boy, then anyone is fair game for the police.
65
No surprise... the police focus their attention on the groups that are committing the vast majority of the crimes. Nothing to see here... move on.
10
Woman Is Accidentally Killed by Police Officer Playing ‘Bad Guy’ at Training Academy in Florida
By KATIE ROGERS AUG. 10, 2016
This is, at a minimum, "negligent homicide", not a "horrible accident", since the officer came "locked and loaded" to what he knew to be a "safety" exercise.
Of course, the officer will walk "Rick Scott-free." Police officers are NEVER held accountable for their actions.
But hopefull the woman's family will sue the City of Punta Gorda, Florida into bankruptcy. She is, after all, white, so white jurors might actually side with her family.
By KATIE ROGERS AUG. 10, 2016
This is, at a minimum, "negligent homicide", not a "horrible accident", since the officer came "locked and loaded" to what he knew to be a "safety" exercise.
Of course, the officer will walk "Rick Scott-free." Police officers are NEVER held accountable for their actions.
But hopefull the woman's family will sue the City of Punta Gorda, Florida into bankruptcy. She is, after all, white, so white jurors might actually side with her family.
Jon: The officer's gun was supposed to be loaded with blanks. He did not knowingly come to the training exercise "locked and loaded". It was a horrible accident, at worst a failure in observing the exercise's safety protocol, and does not reflect badly on our Police Department here in Punta Gorda.
1
There will always be people who feel that people of color deserve to be killed. They must be doing something wrong. It is there fault for driving, walking, standing in groups on the sidewalk, shopping, walking in areas where they do not belong. If they would just make us feel safe, they would not get killed or mistreated so often. If they would just be obedient and accept the deaths by police in their communities and others we would all feel safe. When people marched against lynchings in the south, second class citizenship when riding the buses, march to attend universities, President Kennedy felt and said that the people of color marching and being attacked by the dogs and water hosed were the troublemakers and should just obey the segregation laws of the south. Nothing has changed!
3
To those trying to justify the findings: read the entire report. There are several anecdotes in the report which simply cannot be justified. For example when BPD shoved a Black grandmother to the ground and called her racist and misogynistic slurs when she refused to allow a warrantless search of her home. The officer is still on the force.
What is evident from the report is how BPD abuse contributes to another generation of dismal police/community relations. When the BPD threatened to arrest a father and his 5 year old son at a playground for "loitering", what message do you think it sends to the young child about the police? When the BPD stripped a teenaged boy naked on the side of the street and after not finding anything sent him away without even an apology, what will be his take-away about the police? When the BPD publicly stripped a young woman and then lied about it, how did that improve her trust in the police? The takeaway is that these abuses of power serve to worsen police/community relations.
The report also highlighted the systematic corruption of the BPD. BPD reported one case of officers using racial slurs, but the DOJ found over 100 cases. Not to mention the fact that the DOJ found that the BPD routinely & purposefully misclassified officer racism as a lesser offense to protect them.
This DOJ report detailed the widespread systematic state sanctioned abuse of Black citizens and it is high time we stop justifying it and do something to fix it.
What is evident from the report is how BPD abuse contributes to another generation of dismal police/community relations. When the BPD threatened to arrest a father and his 5 year old son at a playground for "loitering", what message do you think it sends to the young child about the police? When the BPD stripped a teenaged boy naked on the side of the street and after not finding anything sent him away without even an apology, what will be his take-away about the police? When the BPD publicly stripped a young woman and then lied about it, how did that improve her trust in the police? The takeaway is that these abuses of power serve to worsen police/community relations.
The report also highlighted the systematic corruption of the BPD. BPD reported one case of officers using racial slurs, but the DOJ found over 100 cases. Not to mention the fact that the DOJ found that the BPD routinely & purposefully misclassified officer racism as a lesser offense to protect them.
This DOJ report detailed the widespread systematic state sanctioned abuse of Black citizens and it is high time we stop justifying it and do something to fix it.
9
As far as posters like Ryan Bingham, FSM, Bart Stupe, and various others seem to be concerned, those victims should apparently just suck it up because their race is inherently criminal. It's the victims' fault for being black.
1
Citations?
Once again Obama's DOJ only looks at the variable of race without considering any other factors. All of Baltimore's high crime, high violence neighborhoods are black. So it only makes sense that the police would stop and arrest blacks at a higher rate than whites. Look for Baltimore to start to rival Chicago's murder rate as the DOJ forces its cops are forced to coddle the criminals.
22
Police vs Blacks. OK, we get it, Stolberg. You could have provided more information and a little less polemics. Next time try probing: What is wrong with Baltimore that it couldn't clear up this problem on their own, that they needed the Feds to help? Why had past efforts to redirect police efforts away from stop-and-frisk to community policing failed? How much of the problem is bureaucracy and how much is bad history between police and the African-American community. What is Baltimore doing to mend these poor relations? Answers to these questions would have made for better reading than hearing that in Baltimore, zero-tolerance equates "'..breathing while black'" to a criminal activity.
5
The police department in any city is responsive to, and reflective of, the political policies and priorities of governing political authority of that city. Ask yourself this question, which political party instituted the policies that have run Baltimore for the last 40 plus years? Answer; the Democrat party. Elitist, oppressive, authoritative policies; definitely sounds like Democrats to me.
9
Landaddy: I thought the Civil War occurred more than 40 years ago.
From Victor Hugo’s Javert, to Goebbels and Heydrich, to Papa Doc Duvalier’s Tonton Macute, various Latin American death squads, and now Baltimore and Ferguson, police have had their fair share of critics. I tend to equivocate between thinking of police as rigid authoritarian lickspittles for the rich, and undisciplined Caribbean Pirates hungry for urban booty. Usually I do not often see Police as kindly protectors of little old ladies and children. Perhaps that is because I grew up in the gang infested Harbor Gateway area of Los Angeles and West Long Beach. If you see a cop and think of Andy Griffith and Barney Fife, you will probably not understand or agree with my comment.
2
In a city that has a majority of black residents the same sort of thing continues to go on. It's no longer amazing. It's disgraceful. Blacks are no less law-abiding than whites. Driving a BMW while black isn't a reason to stop the driver. Nor is walking around while being black. I would think that the police in a majority black city would treat blacks with more respect but this report shows that they don't. However, our entire society and the way it's structured is biased very much against minorities or anyone who doesn't conform to expectations.
Do police officers and commissioners ever stop to think how humiliating it is to be singled out because of your skin color? Do they understand how upsetting it can be to be stopped, not because you did anything but because you are black? Just because a suspect in a crime is black doesn't mean all blacks should be stopped and searched. Yet there are many cases where a black male has been charged with a crime even though he was not the height or build of the suspect described. Some have gone to jail. And some have been killed. Contrary to what some people think, blacks do not look alike. They certainly don't all have the same skin tones.
It doesn't hurt to be respectful towards the people you serve. It does hurt when you aren't and the people you serve don't trust you and won't help you find a suspect.
Do police officers and commissioners ever stop to think how humiliating it is to be singled out because of your skin color? Do they understand how upsetting it can be to be stopped, not because you did anything but because you are black? Just because a suspect in a crime is black doesn't mean all blacks should be stopped and searched. Yet there are many cases where a black male has been charged with a crime even though he was not the height or build of the suspect described. Some have gone to jail. And some have been killed. Contrary to what some people think, blacks do not look alike. They certainly don't all have the same skin tones.
It doesn't hurt to be respectful towards the people you serve. It does hurt when you aren't and the people you serve don't trust you and won't help you find a suspect.
14
According to the Department of Justice, black people committed 52% of the murders in the
US between 1980 and 2008. Yet blacks represent 13% of the population.
Are you sure about your statement that "Blacks are no less law-abiding than whites. "?
Because the DOJ seems to see things differently.
US between 1980 and 2008. Yet blacks represent 13% of the population.
Are you sure about your statement that "Blacks are no less law-abiding than whites. "?
Because the DOJ seems to see things differently.
7
"Blacks are no less law-abiding than whites" please support this statement.
5
Blacks are less law-abiding than Whites or Asians. Any county police force can tell you that unregistered, uninsured, unlicensed, un-taxed tag violations will be by majority by blacks and Hispanics.
6
Yet not one of the officers involved in Freddie Grey's death was held to account for what was, essentially, an extra-judicial killing. So we are treated to "all lives matter"racist pap from such worthy bigots as Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and a critical mass of the GOP about the "anti-cop" nature of BLM.
If you're black, and getting pulled-over in traffic by armed cops disproportionately to the population-at-large, then your life matters -- a lot -- and you're going to make some noise about it.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
If you're black, and getting pulled-over in traffic by armed cops disproportionately to the population-at-large, then your life matters -- a lot -- and you're going to make some noise about it.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
38
> "Yet not one of the officers involved in Freddie Grey's death was held to account for what was, essentially, an extra-judicial killing"
An African-American Judge looked at all the evidence and all the arguments and decided VERY CLEARLY, no doubt whatsoever, that the Police did not engage in any extra-judicial-killing
I will take his judgement over yours, any, and every day of the week
If you are looking for whoever is responsible for Mr. Grey's death, the ultimate cause was Mr. Grey himself, and his decision to play a game of catch-me-if-you-can with the Police
If he would have responded, as I would have, then beyond a doubt he would still be alive today
EVERY argument put forward by the prosecutors was shot down 100% by the African-American judge. And the most explosive charge of 'rough ride' was disputed by mounds of physical evidence, AND by the testimony of another prisoner who was riding in the same van, at the same time as Mr. Grey
An African-American Judge looked at all the evidence and all the arguments and decided VERY CLEARLY, no doubt whatsoever, that the Police did not engage in any extra-judicial-killing
I will take his judgement over yours, any, and every day of the week
If you are looking for whoever is responsible for Mr. Grey's death, the ultimate cause was Mr. Grey himself, and his decision to play a game of catch-me-if-you-can with the Police
If he would have responded, as I would have, then beyond a doubt he would still be alive today
EVERY argument put forward by the prosecutors was shot down 100% by the African-American judge. And the most explosive charge of 'rough ride' was disputed by mounds of physical evidence, AND by the testimony of another prisoner who was riding in the same van, at the same time as Mr. Grey
6
You don't think all lives matter?
2
"Yet not one of the officers involved in Freddie Grey's death was held to account"
They all went through the ordeal of a trial, as proscribed by our legal system. Once you have been on trial, for your life, get back to us as to how little an imposition it was.
They all went through the ordeal of a trial, as proscribed by our legal system. Once you have been on trial, for your life, get back to us as to how little an imposition it was.
2
This report will probably have two effects.
First, police bias against blacks will decrease, and that's a good thing.
Second, crime in Baltimore will increase, and that’s a bad thing. The victims will primarily be black, but white people—of whom there aren’t all that many in Baltimore—won't be unaffected.
Where is the person who can supply the magic formula for keeping crime low without offending the people who are committing most of the crime?
First, police bias against blacks will decrease, and that's a good thing.
Second, crime in Baltimore will increase, and that’s a bad thing. The victims will primarily be black, but white people—of whom there aren’t all that many in Baltimore—won't be unaffected.
Where is the person who can supply the magic formula for keeping crime low without offending the people who are committing most of the crime?
62
Sounds to me like 'the people who are commiting most of the crime' are the Baltimore Police.
3
Seems that the criminals that most threaten society are the police, their culture and the racism which started in the slave states and has spread throughout the country.
The consequences for police abuse should be certain and severe.
But nothing will change.
All this is just a cover up challenge.
I feel protected. I have white skin, know how to be submissive, and accept with gratitude the policeman's decision.
The consequences for police abuse should be certain and severe.
But nothing will change.
All this is just a cover up challenge.
I feel protected. I have white skin, know how to be submissive, and accept with gratitude the policeman's decision.
2
What you're missing is that treating people like criminals is self-fulfilling. There's no faster way to turn someone into a career criminal than to put them in jail because jail at once introduces them to real criminals and takes away their ability to earn an honest living.
3
Send the cops back to Afghanistan before they kill any more of us. Look at that photo!
15
... or we could send the criminals instead
7
the residents of Baltimore would be better off if they self-policed. The police are doing far more harm than good.
3
Of course, racism has a lot to do with these findings. But another issue is that most police departments are dealing with tight budgets. This is because as Americans we have become entitled to basic services like police and fire departments, without paying in taxes what it takes to run them. We balk when anyone wants to be a grown up, and mention that we need to increase taxes, and we jump for joy like little children at a birthday party when a candidate suggests he/she has a plan where we can pay even less.
12
". . .become 'entitled' to basic services like police and fire ??????" Here on planet Earth, most people rich or poor don't consider police and fire an 'entitlement' but a necessity, especially in large communities with lots of homes and buildings that can catch fire and burn to the ground and people who sometimes do bad things.
Such 'entitlement' departments are funded by taxes which in any community come from three main sources:
1. Property taxes - those too poor to own property pay it only indirectly, through rent charged by their landlords who own the building they live in. It's called trickle-down taxation.
2. Sales taxes - if residents buy anything taxable, it is built into the price; it is a regressive tax, taking a greater percentage of poor people's income than rich people's income. In that sense, poor minorities pay a disproportionate share for police and fire 'entitlements.'
3. Income taxes - if the city or state has an income tax, black people with jobs earning above a certain level pay this tax, which for poor folks working low-wage jobs comes right out of their paycheck.
Considering how they are killed and mistreated by their police department, the residents of Baltimore are paying way too much for this 'entitlement.'
Such 'entitlement' departments are funded by taxes which in any community come from three main sources:
1. Property taxes - those too poor to own property pay it only indirectly, through rent charged by their landlords who own the building they live in. It's called trickle-down taxation.
2. Sales taxes - if residents buy anything taxable, it is built into the price; it is a regressive tax, taking a greater percentage of poor people's income than rich people's income. In that sense, poor minorities pay a disproportionate share for police and fire 'entitlements.'
3. Income taxes - if the city or state has an income tax, black people with jobs earning above a certain level pay this tax, which for poor folks working low-wage jobs comes right out of their paycheck.
Considering how they are killed and mistreated by their police department, the residents of Baltimore are paying way too much for this 'entitlement.'
2
Yet not one officer was found guilty of a crime for killing this man while in custody. It is not acceptable and I hope the family files civil lawsuits against them.
37
Baltimore Cuty reached a $6.4 million civil settlement with the family if Freddie Gray in September 2015.
1
Yes, how utterly tragic that in America you still need evidence in order convict someone of a crime. In our bright progressive future, such anachronisms as due process and fair trials (invented by white men who owned slaves) will be replaced by whatever those who wish to create "space to destroy" want.
11
How many people have been spared of being a Freddie Grey victim since then? Two sides to everything.
5
How many people have cops killed over the last years of concern?
How many cops have been jailed for it by the Federal Government?
Whitewash.
The Feds merely stalled for time for people to cool off. The Feds gave false hopes of justice for Freddie Gray.
How many cops have been jailed for it by the Federal Government?
Whitewash.
The Feds merely stalled for time for people to cool off. The Feds gave false hopes of justice for Freddie Gray.
19
As a passionate advocate against racial discrimination and bias, even I agree that this article is misleading. If the majority of Baltimore consists of black people, it is only natural that black people would be pulled over more often than others. Sure, the percentage of black people stopped is disproportionate to the actual percentage of their population, but because Baltimore consists of so many African Americans, it would be unrepresentative to say that they get pulled over more based on this information alone. This is not to say that black people are all criminals – it is just statistically expected for them to be the majority.
This is in no way promoting the continuation of racial prejudice – in fact, I strongly believe that the existence of racism is too prevalent in our nation. However, if we are supporting a cause, we cannot hide part of the truth. We must approach the problem with a realistic view, because no single side deserves to take all the blame.
This is in no way promoting the continuation of racial prejudice – in fact, I strongly believe that the existence of racism is too prevalent in our nation. However, if we are supporting a cause, we cannot hide part of the truth. We must approach the problem with a realistic view, because no single side deserves to take all the blame.
80
So 5 Baltimore police officers place a suspect in a van, and when he is finally taken out he has a severed spinal cord and a crushed larynx. Based on your suggestion, he was partly to blame for his injuries, and the police bear no responsibility? So where does the blame lie?
2
because no single side deserves to take all the blame.
Well then. It is a good thing that your strawman is not part of the article nor the study.
Well then. It is a good thing that your strawman is not part of the article nor the study.
Sorry, but your comment reflects a lack of understanding of statistics (and your comment being selected as a Times Pick makes me concerned for others' understanding as well). My grad Stats professor would be heartsick!
The data show African Americans are over-represented in the data on police interaction. Their population % is 63%, yet their stops and arrests range from 82-95%. This reflects disproportionate encounters with police. It is inaccurate to say "Well, if they represent the majority of the population, then it makes sense they are involved in most encounters with police". Look at the % of their involvement. I am reasonably confident a statistical analysis would indicate this is a significant deviation from the mean and thus a meaningful finding.
The data show African Americans are over-represented in the data on police interaction. Their population % is 63%, yet their stops and arrests range from 82-95%. This reflects disproportionate encounters with police. It is inaccurate to say "Well, if they represent the majority of the population, then it makes sense they are involved in most encounters with police". Look at the % of their involvement. I am reasonably confident a statistical analysis would indicate this is a significant deviation from the mean and thus a meaningful finding.
3
The Baltimore Police Department launched its “zero tolerance” enforcement strategy in the early 2000s. Its purpose was to reduce the crime rate in Baltimore’s most crime-ridden neighborhoods, which are black neighborhoods. Predictably, the crackdown had a “disparate impact” on the city’s African American residents. The BPD ended the zero tolerance program in 2015 in response to a rising chorus of complaints from its African American Residents. So, the just-published Justice Department study, which covers the period from 2000-2015, applies to a discontinued policing strategy.
The study asserts that the BPD violated statutes that “prohibit law enforcement practices that disparately impact African Americans unless the practices are necessary to achieve non-discriminatory objectives.” The study doesn’t clarify whether the zero tolerance strategy was discriminatory because (a) it targeted African American neighborhoods, or if (b) the strategy was in violation of Title VI and the Safe Streets Act because it included practices that weren’t necessary to achieve a laudable objective. The distinction is important because if the answer is (a) police would have to apply the same policing strategy to low-crime neighborhoods as they due high-crime neighborhoods.
The study asserts that the BPD violated statutes that “prohibit law enforcement practices that disparately impact African Americans unless the practices are necessary to achieve non-discriminatory objectives.” The study doesn’t clarify whether the zero tolerance strategy was discriminatory because (a) it targeted African American neighborhoods, or if (b) the strategy was in violation of Title VI and the Safe Streets Act because it included practices that weren’t necessary to achieve a laudable objective. The distinction is important because if the answer is (a) police would have to apply the same policing strategy to low-crime neighborhoods as they due high-crime neighborhoods.
13
As long as White America continues to have a "zero enforcement" policy when it comes to holding criminals with badges responsible for their crimes, nothing will change.
3
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/14/us/Baltimore-homicides-rec...
'...A sharp increase in homicides that, by the end of the year, left the city with the highest per-capita murder rate in its history...'
No correlation, of course.
'...A sharp increase in homicides that, by the end of the year, left the city with the highest per-capita murder rate in its history...'
No correlation, of course.
3
The Justice Department did not accuse the BPD ofl bias in officer-involved shootings. However, white Baltimore Police officer Wesley Cagle was found guilty last Thursday of first-degree assault for the nonfatal shooting of an unarmed black burglary suspect. The Baltimore jury that recently acquitted Officer William Porter in the death of Freddie Gray consisted of eight blacks and four whites. The Baltimore judge who acquitted the other officers involved in Gray’s death was black.
3
How is it possible for a city where black people hold 63 percent of the vote to be so disenfranchised? It sounds like instead of protesting, people need to be organizing and voting. Bernie Sanders had the right idea when he urged ordinary citizens with extraordinary leadership skills to run for office in their communities. You cannot stop a majority of 63 percent at the ballot box. The current so called 'leadership' would do well to pay attention.
120
Considering how broken the voting system is, doubtful any change would come out of it. If it was that simple then we should not be seen what we see. Same for not enough diverse police departments.
The MD law just changed this year: Until then, if you were a convict, you couldn't vote. It will take a while for people to realize this
1
Eight of the fourteen members of the City Council are black, as have all the mayors since O'Malley. It's not about political representation, it's about poverty and it's about police culture.
1
For decades police officers around the country, police unions, and police sympathizers have responded to criticism of police behavior and tactics with the explanation that policing is "a tough job" and "dangerous." With the DOJ report concerning Baltimore and the earlier DOJ report concerning Ferguson, the DOJ has compiled modern day Brandeis briefs which demonstrate in stark terms the unmitigated racism inherent in modern police departments. The power of these reports comes from their meticulous research and reliance on data, which cuts through tired, empty "law-and-order" arguments of people previously unwilling to acknowledge the problem of police behavior. Importantly, these reports were produced by federal government lawyers which undercuts the last gasps of resistance from people like James B. Comey, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who has argued that criticism of policing by the public was harming public safety.
29
I *used* to be a supporter of unions because in principle they protect workers from their bosses.
But the way in which police unions protect their own who commit crimes has caused unions to lose my support.
But the way in which police unions protect their own who commit crimes has caused unions to lose my support.
1
There is a huge difference between private and public sector unions.
4
But Freddie Gray deserved it for running, I guess?
If you don't *directly* address the officers who are unfit for duty and should be behind bars for their crimes, the message you're sending with these "findings" is clear: "Okay, guys. Fun's over. Go to your sensitivity training and be careful next time. You're wearing body cams now, and you can only make so many excuses for why they mysteriously shut off during a shooting."
This does nothing to restore the public's faith in law enforcement, and by extension the validity of their monopoly on violence. "No cop zones" will continue to grow, "Stop Snitchin" will only ingrain itself further into American culture, and the shootings against police we've seen spike this year will only get worse.
There needs to be justice here. Actual justice. If people believe cops follow a different set of laws, their image will never be repaired and relations with the communities they serve will only continue to deteriorate.
If you don't *directly* address the officers who are unfit for duty and should be behind bars for their crimes, the message you're sending with these "findings" is clear: "Okay, guys. Fun's over. Go to your sensitivity training and be careful next time. You're wearing body cams now, and you can only make so many excuses for why they mysteriously shut off during a shooting."
This does nothing to restore the public's faith in law enforcement, and by extension the validity of their monopoly on violence. "No cop zones" will continue to grow, "Stop Snitchin" will only ingrain itself further into American culture, and the shootings against police we've seen spike this year will only get worse.
There needs to be justice here. Actual justice. If people believe cops follow a different set of laws, their image will never be repaired and relations with the communities they serve will only continue to deteriorate.
18
Nothing is going to change, it never has with passive technics that just not how humans change. Humans stop doing things because of mutual destructions not because one side asks nicely.
What did Freddie Gray "deserve"? The injury that he presented with was determined by the Baltimore Medical Examiner (who ruled the death to be a homicide) to be feigned. There is no evidence that officers abused him prior to his being placed in the police van. Video from the van's route doesn't indicate the "rough ride" which was the sole basis for the Baltimore prosecutor's office.
There is no evidence that anything was done to Freddie Gray, other than having restraints placed on him in response to his actions in the police van.
There is no evidence that anything was done to Freddie Gray, other than having restraints placed on him in response to his actions in the police van.
4
He was placed in a police van without the required restraints, and that was responsible -- at least in part -- for Gray's death. By definition, only one of two conclusions can be drawn from that. (A) The officers didn't care to strap him in, even after his pleas for medical attention. That would be criminal negligence. (B) They intentionally didn't strap him in, and intentionally ignored his pleas for help; read: a "rough ride". That would be manslaughter. By no rational means can a (C) be deduced from facts.
You're welcome to believe the nonsense that came out of this sadly broken city and its wildly corrupt government (New Yorker here, we know that pain too well) but the other story out of Baltimore today? Since Gray's death BPD continue to use the "rough ride" as a punishment for suspects. Shocker.
But sure. Nothing was done to Gray. Totally right.
You're welcome to believe the nonsense that came out of this sadly broken city and its wildly corrupt government (New Yorker here, we know that pain too well) but the other story out of Baltimore today? Since Gray's death BPD continue to use the "rough ride" as a punishment for suspects. Shocker.
But sure. Nothing was done to Gray. Totally right.
3
This will only stop when Baltimore stops electing racist mayors who appoint racist police commissioners. The federal courts need to step in when the elected leaders are racist and violate the constitution.
2
So the African- American mayor of Baltimore is a racist? The commissioner at the time of Mr. Grey's death - an African-American man - was racist? Whites are a minority on the Baltimore PD...all those non-whites are racists?
People need to stop looking at simplistic labels and assumptions.
People need to stop looking at simplistic labels and assumptions.
67
You do realize both the mayor and police commissioner are black, right?
9
Nice one. Both were black. Next.
11
There has always been a police problem, for millennia, since police were invented they have always abused their power with the permission of those in control.
And what we already see in just seven comments specifically the views expressed by Peter Johnson and SteveRR is a complete failure to understand what is under discussion.
And what we already see in just seven comments specifically the views expressed by Peter Johnson and SteveRR is a complete failure to understand what is under discussion.
11
One of the Baltimore cops received almost $130,000 in back pay for a suspension that lasted little over a year. It is an obscene amount of money to be paid for any cop. No wonder our cities are broke.
14
> "One of the Baltimore cops received almost $130,000 in back pay for a suspension that lasted little over a year. It is an obscene amount of money to be paid for any cop. No wonder our cities are broke"
If you think THAT is a problem,
. . . "you ain't seen nu-nu-nu-nuthin' yet"
BY FAR, the biggest ripoff of the Taxpayers is in retirement payouts for Government Employees, which IN MANY CASES, completely dwarfs that personnel expense of current employees
In just one example reported recently, the Fire-Chief of a mid-sized California town is drawing around half a million dollars a year. About 60% is from his current job, and about 40% is retirement from a previous job.
If you think THAT is a problem,
. . . "you ain't seen nu-nu-nu-nuthin' yet"
BY FAR, the biggest ripoff of the Taxpayers is in retirement payouts for Government Employees, which IN MANY CASES, completely dwarfs that personnel expense of current employees
In just one example reported recently, the Fire-Chief of a mid-sized California town is drawing around half a million dollars a year. About 60% is from his current job, and about 40% is retirement from a previous job.
2
"The tensions date to at least 1980..." The implication is that the problems go back further. What did all the mayors of Baltimore do during that time to try to fix the problem? Were they ignorant of what what happening? Or incompetent? Or indifferent? The larger question is this: since every single Baltimore mayor has been from the same party since 1967, why isn't this city a social justice utopia by now?
14
The police are powerful through their union, public perception and the laws that protect them. Is it time to take this to the Supreme court in order to stop the abuse that has been found toward people of color? To change the way they treat all citizens with impunity. Change the law so there is personal responsibility if a policeman mistreats citizens. I believe it is time to get the Supreme Court involved.
11
The California prison system was placed under federal guidance or oversight in the late 1990s to improve medical treatment which had been deemed inadequate in several court cases. Perhaps a "federal receiver" protocol similar to California's would apply to Baltimore. One more layer of oversight, monitoring, and guidance could be beneficial.
4
Larry--All we need is a fair and balanced Supreme Court, that interprets the Constitution in a relevant, up-to-date manner.
2
There are too many cops in America competing with each other for more pay and rank by preying on the public, mostly blacks who cannot afford to defend themselves resulting in high percentages of convictions that falsely imply rampant crime that the cops use to help build their empire.
I laugh at the idea of the federal government overseeing police wrongdoing. Who do you think runs the nations cops and equips them with training and military hardware? C'mon, think.
When citizens kill, they go to jail for a long time or are executed. When cops kill, they are "Retrained". Get it?
I laugh at the idea of the federal government overseeing police wrongdoing. Who do you think runs the nations cops and equips them with training and military hardware? C'mon, think.
When citizens kill, they go to jail for a long time or are executed. When cops kill, they are "Retrained". Get it?
21
Has the justice department looked at police bias against men? Although the report didn't cover this issue, I suspect that well over 90% of all police stops were of men, well above the roughly 50% of the population that is male.
Similarly, our jails and prisons are overwhelmingly occupied by men. It's time for the justice department to seriously investigate the criminal justice system's gross bias against men.
Similarly, our jails and prisons are overwhelmingly occupied by men. It's time for the justice department to seriously investigate the criminal justice system's gross bias against men.
91
What do men excel at? War and crime.
1
In broad terms, women tend to turn violence inward, and I believe I have seen statistics about their predominance in mental institutions in the past -- although I haven't seen recent figures. It may simply be that it works out as different institutions for different genders. If anyone knows of a recent study regarding this I'd love to have a link to it.
All of these statistical cases showing that 'police are bias and/or racist' make a huge underlying assumption that each race commits crime at a similar rate.
I'm sick of the comparison that X% of the population is black, but arrested Y% of the time, therefore, police must be racist. Its an embarrassing misuse of statistical analysis to promote an agenda.
I'm sick of the comparison that X% of the population is black, but arrested Y% of the time, therefore, police must be racist. Its an embarrassing misuse of statistical analysis to promote an agenda.
115
A lot of things that are identified as "crime" among black people by police are overlooked among other populations. "Loitering," for example. DWB, too. Cops reify what is or is not treated as "crime." Cops are expected to enforce not only just laws but also the racist strictures of our society. Most cops are better than that, for example, the ones I am related to; some aren't. The latter are usually more accountable to social, economic, and cultural pressure than to the law.
I know a bit about statistical inference, since I have used it professionally and taught its use for 35 years. I regularly have to reject fallacious inferences in reports and publications. I believe that this study is consistent with the inference that some cops are indeed racist and behave accordingly.
This is all quite sad. What Is also sad is that some members of minority communities have finally noticed what the Irish Republican Army did for so many decades, and figured out that they can retaliate, however evil and futile their actions may be. Those criminals can be caught, but not deterred; their passion far exceeds even that of a Trump rally. Thus, bad cops doing bad things get good cops killed.
I know a bit about statistical inference, since I have used it professionally and taught its use for 35 years. I regularly have to reject fallacious inferences in reports and publications. I believe that this study is consistent with the inference that some cops are indeed racist and behave accordingly.
This is all quite sad. What Is also sad is that some members of minority communities have finally noticed what the Irish Republican Army did for so many decades, and figured out that they can retaliate, however evil and futile their actions may be. Those criminals can be caught, but not deterred; their passion far exceeds even that of a Trump rally. Thus, bad cops doing bad things get good cops killed.
2
Dennis--Obviously, it isn't JUST about statistics, but social attitudes which cannot be quantified. Always the need for a simple answer...
1
It's so much easier than talking about the violence, and the effect it has on its victims, the communities, and the people who are supposed to police the communities.
3
I am so glad that Baltimore's police department will be under supervision. New mayor, new police chief and what's under the rug will finally be cleaned out. I am originally from PA on US Rt. 1 just north of Baltimore although I've lived the majority of my life in New England. It still chills my soul to recall the day when my Dad and I were traveling south in the early 1970's and I wanted to stop for lunch in a small town just north of Baltimore. Having been born and raised in the Quaker country just north, my dad was familiar with the sociology of the area well before 'breathing while black' became a thing. He would not even get out of the car and would not talk about it. We drove all the way to DC before we stopped. So glad that this is going to change.
10
It took years before my father and uncles stopped driving straight through to Tennesee, Virginia, and Georgia on vacation--a ten to fifteen hour ride from up here. And they would bring food--they wouldn't risk restaurants. Even when things got better during the 60s/70s, it was a while before they felt safe to stop overnight at hotels.
2
The behavior of the Baltimore Police Department is shameful.
Last night watching a documentary about President Kennedy and the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, I again felt overwhelmed with pain and remorse as to why we cannot solve this problem of racism, bigotry and persecution of African Americans.
Over 50 years after Selma and the Civil Rights Act, it's normal for Republicans to pass voter suppression laws in violation of the Voting Rights Act, for police to wantonly murder innocent African Americans in cold blood for walking, driving and just living while black. For prominent Democratic politicians (D. Wasserman-Schulz, Jim Clyburn) to vote in favor of legislation that red-lines car insurance bought by African Americans.
This country has failed our citizens, endangering them and systematically destroying the one life they have because we have failed to destroy racism.
I wish I had an answer.
An article in the NYT yesterday examined medical neglect of African Americans when being treated by physicians for chronic pain, based on bigoted stereotypes and a general problem of neglect and bad attitudes when treating black patients.
Last night watching a documentary about President Kennedy and the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, I again felt overwhelmed with pain and remorse as to why we cannot solve this problem of racism, bigotry and persecution of African Americans.
Over 50 years after Selma and the Civil Rights Act, it's normal for Republicans to pass voter suppression laws in violation of the Voting Rights Act, for police to wantonly murder innocent African Americans in cold blood for walking, driving and just living while black. For prominent Democratic politicians (D. Wasserman-Schulz, Jim Clyburn) to vote in favor of legislation that red-lines car insurance bought by African Americans.
This country has failed our citizens, endangering them and systematically destroying the one life they have because we have failed to destroy racism.
I wish I had an answer.
An article in the NYT yesterday examined medical neglect of African Americans when being treated by physicians for chronic pain, based on bigoted stereotypes and a general problem of neglect and bad attitudes when treating black patients.
14
According to data compiled by the Baltimore Sun, of the past 100 murders in Baltimore, 5 of the victims were white, 67 were black, and the race of the remaining 28 was not reported. Since interracial murders are relatively rare we can assume that the perpetrators followed the same breakdown.
Thus 93% of murders where race was identified were perpetrated by blacks. So why is it such a surprise that blacks are stopped more often than whites? I also suspect than men are stopped much more often women. I guess that's prima facie evidence of sexism on the part of police.
Thus 93% of murders where race was identified were perpetrated by blacks. So why is it such a surprise that blacks are stopped more often than whites? I also suspect than men are stopped much more often women. I guess that's prima facie evidence of sexism on the part of police.
103
Forget the data. Anyone who saw the Freddie Gray video knows he was treated worse than a dog by the police. It is NOT acceptable.
8
The data in the article were about traffic stops, not murder convictions. Apples and oranges.
Even so, your logic is troubling. If I accept your unfortunate implication that being black has something to do with being a murderer, you can't assume that most black people are suspicious just because most murders in the city are committed by blacks. Data do not work that way.
Even so, your logic is troubling. If I accept your unfortunate implication that being black has something to do with being a murderer, you can't assume that most black people are suspicious just because most murders in the city are committed by blacks. Data do not work that way.
2
njglea, is that the video which the Baltimore Medical Examiner - the person who designated Gray's death a homicide - felt was an unreliable depiction of Gray's state? The video which begins with Gray in the arms of officers, apparently injured (a bystander shouts "his legs are broke"), and ends with him standing up at the back of the police van?
Keep speaking truth to power.
Keep speaking truth to power.
4
For anyone questioning the impact of Obama's legacy on racial injustice as he ends his 8 year term they need to review these recent investigations and denouncements of police practices in Baltimore, Cleveland and Ferguson.
If the President had not appointed two highly regarded Attorney Generals such as Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch who viewed the atrocious events that sparked this debate through an entirely different lens this discussion would have ended with the finding of the courts that judged the officers in each horrific case.
Instead we can now stop trying to blame police officers and look to fix the dysfunctional system that they are serving.
A good example of using legislation to ignight change for social justice.
There is still a long way to go to fix the issues in our criminal justice system that too many of our communities face, but the sunshine has been cast and the rest of us can no longer look the other way.
Thank you President Obama for supplying the sunshine- Let's make sure what you started gets finished.
If the President had not appointed two highly regarded Attorney Generals such as Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch who viewed the atrocious events that sparked this debate through an entirely different lens this discussion would have ended with the finding of the courts that judged the officers in each horrific case.
Instead we can now stop trying to blame police officers and look to fix the dysfunctional system that they are serving.
A good example of using legislation to ignight change for social justice.
There is still a long way to go to fix the issues in our criminal justice system that too many of our communities face, but the sunshine has been cast and the rest of us can no longer look the other way.
Thank you President Obama for supplying the sunshine- Let's make sure what you started gets finished.
17
Complete bull. Obama has done practically nothing for racial justice. The two AGs he has appointed have been awful. The most recent Clinton debacle for this one. And the refusal to prosecute any financial crimes for the last one . . . who of course is now a well paid part of the industry. The only thing that goaded the White House and the DoJ from doing anything after 6 years (!!!) was the horrendous spate of murders by police who apparently believe traffic violations are capital offences. And most important, a foreign newspaper, the UK's Guardian, beginning its count up of police murders day by day. And their in-depth coverage of the Chicago Police Department. You apparently have not noticed that every officer has been cleared so don't pretend there is justice in the system.
3
Since it is a black-majority city council with a black mayor and black head of police it seems a stretch to call this a racial discrimination problem. There is no white establishment to blame for African American problems with the police force and political system in Baltimore.
107
That's exactly what the establishment wants you to conclude.
4
By that logic, racism is dead because we have a black president.
That's not how it works. Institutional bias and discrimination do not disappear because of the complexion of elected officials has changed. That's wildly ignorant of you to claim.
That's not how it works. Institutional bias and discrimination do not disappear because of the complexion of elected officials has changed. That's wildly ignorant of you to claim.
17
apparently black political leaders can be just as racist as whites. Yet black residents still vote them in.
3
Training will have only a limited effect. Police departments have to stop hiring bullies.
138
I think you are right. It does seem that aggressiveness is a hallmark of the profession. I guess it makes sense as it's a tough job that attracts a certain type of person. Unfortunately, it seems to attract an aggressive person. Perhaps we need to draft our police officers like we do the military in time of war. That way, we might get a better mix of personality types in our police. It's not a job I would want to do so I do appreciate and support the police. But, they are out of control and even if it's a small percentage, it's too high a percentage when they have a legal right to kill.
Bullies?? you mean ex military.
1
Perhaps they should hire vocalists to sing 'Kumbaya'?
4
...we need to look at 'statistics' in a meaningful way; sometimes, as they are reported, they distort the facts. The fact of "...a city which is 63% black, that 91 percent of those arrested for discretionary offenses..." is easily misconstrued. In 2014, black men committed half the murders in the U.S., but make up only 12-13% of the population. Given this fact, does it make sense that black men are disproportionately involved in other crimes as well. However, that does not mean the police should show bias towards blacks. Blacks should be treated equally as whites. However, I'm tired of seeing statistics provided which only represent a part of the whole story. Every police force in the country needs to constantly work with its officers to prevent racial bias, as it's a trait that's inside all of us....some more so than others. To accept there is bias is the first step in addressing it.
55
Yes, but actually black men are about 6.6% of the population, the 12/13% figure is all black people so even more reason for for police to be "targeting" or, well, "concerned" at least. That said, there certainly needs to be a systemic overhaul of the approach to dealing with the underlying problems that cause crime and hair trigger policing.
7
Even take away the fact that police did arrest and or stop black people more than any other race and just by using numbers alone will also find the stats for blacks will be higher because more blacks live in the area than other races.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a lie in there someplace................
a city which is 63% black, that 91 percent of those arrested for discretionary offenses..." is easily misconstrued. In 2014, black men committed half the murders in the U.S., but make up only 12-13% of the population.
Then the city is not 63% black if it only 12-13% of population........
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a lie in there someplace................
a city which is 63% black, that 91 percent of those arrested for discretionary offenses..." is easily misconstrued. In 2014, black men committed half the murders in the U.S., but make up only 12-13% of the population.
Then the city is not 63% black if it only 12-13% of population........
3
It is always useful to normalize police data as a function of the behavior of the group purportedly being singled out.
In the case of murders - as reported in the Grey Lady this year 1-16:
93% of murders in Baltimore were committed by young black men
Looking at the data more generally: 86% of serious crime is committed by young Black men
So - why are we surprised that the majority of stops are.... young Black men?
In the case of murders - as reported in the Grey Lady this year 1-16:
93% of murders in Baltimore were committed by young black men
Looking at the data more generally: 86% of serious crime is committed by young Black men
So - why are we surprised that the majority of stops are.... young Black men?
137
The problem with the logic of yor response is that it looks at blackness alone as a likely indicator of criminal activity, exactly the same error police are making. A more meaningful statistic relating to this approach to policing would be to consider the proportion of stops that result in no further action, effectively police harassment from the perspective of the innocent people stopped, searched, or otherwise detained.
Does it matter? I live in Baltimore City and have sat on trials where juries acquit and release the guilty because of their profound distrust of the police. When citizens stop turning to the police, criminals become the de facto authority.
And would you be OK if your son was routinely shaken down by the police and had that experience color his relation to authority and society at large?
Does it matter? I live in Baltimore City and have sat on trials where juries acquit and release the guilty because of their profound distrust of the police. When citizens stop turning to the police, criminals become the de facto authority.
And would you be OK if your son was routinely shaken down by the police and had that experience color his relation to authority and society at large?
53
Trying to justify racial bias and targeting is extremely divisive and unhelpful. While the majority of crime may be committed by young black men, this does not give the police a free pass to unjustly target African Americans. If you read the report closely there is a myriad of examples of blatant systematic discrimination and abuse: the BPD routinely classified officers using racial slurs as a lesser offense to protect them from facing punishment, elderly African Americans were physically abused by police, African Americans were stripped naked in publicly and subjected to humiliating searches and BPD heads routinely told officers to "make something up" when they had no viable charges to levy against African Americans they targeted. This resulted in a large number of discretionary charges against African Americans being dismissed- it was obvious the courts knew the BPD had been misusing its power.
This is about a disproportionate effect. If blacks and whites in Baltimore use illegal substances at equal rates, why is the BPD arresting blacks at 5x the rate? Why is the BPD stopping more blacks than there are blacks in the city- resulting in a fifty year old black man being stopped 30 times in four years? And why did the BPD tell a black father and his young son playing on a playground to leave before he was arrested? This is not just about targeting a group that commits more crime, this is state abuse of power. And justifying this abuse doesn't help anyone involved.
This is about a disproportionate effect. If blacks and whites in Baltimore use illegal substances at equal rates, why is the BPD arresting blacks at 5x the rate? Why is the BPD stopping more blacks than there are blacks in the city- resulting in a fifty year old black man being stopped 30 times in four years? And why did the BPD tell a black father and his young son playing on a playground to leave before he was arrested? This is not just about targeting a group that commits more crime, this is state abuse of power. And justifying this abuse doesn't help anyone involved.
15
And it's also important to look at the entire picture, including socioeconomic data, before making judgments. It's very facile to post statistics without background.
6
And this is a surprise?
We had been pulled over for a failed taillight we had been unaware of; the office politely asked for our registration and license and provided us a warning to get it fixed.
No twenty questions about where we're going and what we're going to do.
No looking into the back seat to see if anything's hidden.
No back up called for.
No appearance of five or six other police cars.
No five or six police officers with their guns drawn and pointed at us.
No gun shots.
We're white.
We had been pulled over for a failed taillight we had been unaware of; the office politely asked for our registration and license and provided us a warning to get it fixed.
No twenty questions about where we're going and what we're going to do.
No looking into the back seat to see if anything's hidden.
No back up called for.
No appearance of five or six other police cars.
No five or six police officers with their guns drawn and pointed at us.
No gun shots.
We're white.
199
This is an unnecessary hot take, based on intentional ignorance of reality and adds nothing to the conversation. The truth is that 99.5% of police interactions in NYC were exactly what you just described - polite, civil and uneventful - this includes interactions with individuals of ALL races. The data is readily available, and was complied from the vest-cam pilot program the NYPD ran last year. The truth is that, at least in NYC, there are thousands of police interactions every day with blacks and hispanics that are routine and boring. Playing the 'I'm white and I'm guilty' game is a great way to farm for sympathy in the comments here, but it is a distraction from actual issues involving police conduct.
8
Wow, this is impressive a sampling of one to prove bias!
3
He opens this excellent article as a community organizer and closes it by unzipping his jacket to reveal the YMCA logo on his shirt.
The bookend mention of Baltimore's Ray Kelly was much more than a powerful literary device. As I read the last paragraph, the slow pull of Ray Kelly's jacket zipper had me reflecting on my own intractable biases which get in the way of my understanding of what can be done.
The bookend mention of Baltimore's Ray Kelly was much more than a powerful literary device. As I read the last paragraph, the slow pull of Ray Kelly's jacket zipper had me reflecting on my own intractable biases which get in the way of my understanding of what can be done.
8
As a social scientist, I am very much looking forward to the crimes statistics after this years' "improvements" are implemented.
42
Dream on, want to be in 2 years the improvement will be gone. Your going to loose if you do.
After fining a large number of unemployed people, eventually they will not be able to pay. So, the police lock them up for not having $money. Now, when the person is released from jail, they can't get a job due to an arrest record. It becomes a vicious cycle.
To not acknowledged this is ignorant and perpetuates the cycle. It also creates a victim who can be repeatedly blamed for a situation he/she didn't create.