From the Tampa Bay Times, April 10, 2017:
Police are more likely to shoot if you're black

The interaction of white law officers with black citizens is an issue that isn't going away.

Black Americans have just cause to talk about this issue.

Actually, all Americans have just cause to talk about this issue.

In July of 2016, Harvard economist Roland G. Fryer, Jr. published a study titled An Empirical Analysis of Racial Differences in Police Use of Force.

The study's abstract states, "On non-lethal uses of force, blacks and Hispanics are more than fifty percent more likely to experience some form of force in interactions with police."

In its conclusion, the study states, "On non-lethal uses of force, there are racial differences – sometimes quite large – in police use of force, even after accounting for a large set of controls designed to account for important contextual and behavioral factors at the time of the police-civilian interaction. Interestingly, as use of force increases from putting hands on a civilian to striking them with a baton, the overall probability of such an incident occurring decreases dramatically but the racial difference remains roughly constant."

Yes, statistics alone aren't 100% proof of racism. As the study says, "In the end, however, without randomly assigning race, we have no definitive proof of discrimination."

However, a lack of definitive proof doesn't mean that the possibility of racism has been ruled out.

If anything, the statistics indicate that racism could very well be a factor in the way that white law officers treat black citizens.

Sure, overt and conscious racism in America is nowhere nearly as bad as it was during the previous century. Gone are the days in America when white politicians and government employees enacted blatant anti-black policies.

Still, racism in America is not extinct, and we can't dismiss the possibility of subconscious racial prejudice lurking in the minds of certain public servants.

It is not wrong to bring up this topic. What would be wrong would be to attempt to silence anyone who tries to talk about this topic.

Considering the historical record of race relations in America, black Americans have a reason to have anxiety whenever they encounter white law officers.

White Americans may not understand the reason for the anxiety, but black Americans do.

It does no good for white Americans to dismiss that anxiety as being irrational.
It does no good for white Americans to roll their eyes whenever black Americans talk about the issue.

Even though we are now in the 21st Century C.E., racism isn't completely dead.
Pretending that it is dead doesn't make it so.

I think it's important to remember that the phenomenon of disproportional deaths of Blacks at the hands of law enforcement is hardly new. What is new is the ability to capture video evidence such incidents due to increasing mobile phone ownership. It is significant to acknowledge that most of the incident caught on video were done so by members of the public and not by bodycams worn by police officers.

So whilst many may perceive that Black Americans are claiming that such incidents are on the rise, this is not the case. In recent years The Black Lives Matters Movement has sought to raise the issue in the public consciousness regrettably but by no means surprisingly to be labelled "Activists". That someone should be labelled thus for wishing to challenge the "norm" when that long-established status quo us undeniably unjust is disheartening, to say the least.

Whilst I am by no means a fan of George Soros, indeed I would have hoped and truly believe that a group such as The Black Lives Matter Movement should have no need of backing such as his. This labelling encouraged by the mainstream media only serves to hinder conversation and progress.

This inequitable treatment of Blacks at the hands of law enforcement is by no means unique to The USA. Indeed things are similar in the UK, the only real difference being our police don't routinely carry firearms. Our police force admitted it's institutional racism in the findings of the Martin Lawrence Report. However, America seems to be the nation that most venomously chooses to deny the picture painted by its historical and current acts. When has a problem ever been solved by ignoring it?

This is one of the most difficult and frustrating issues of our times.

What I have seen, is that a certain DYNAMIC is making it vastly harder to deal with.

That dynamic, is the result of alternating leaps to erroneous conclusions back and forth.

Someone recognizes that some violent acts by police are excessive, and protest it. Someone else panics, because they assume that now ALL examples where race and violence is involved, will be explained as racism and excused or blamed, whether it really was racism or not. The first person in turn, fears that because SOME instances of police violence are seen as justified, that the original problem they can still clearly see, is going to be swept under the rug again, so they ramp UP their protests.

And so it goes.

Since prejudice and other isms really are difficult to identify, unless the person overtly declares them, the problem, which IS real, remains impossible to solve by making ONE rule of some kind, or by punishing ONE person over it. And if tensions rise enough, a lot of people are bound to decide to stick their fingers in their ears and shout "la-la-la-la" and hope it goes away by itself. And then the dynamic of leaps kicks in AGAIN, as both sides declare that the people with their fingers in their ears are on THEIR side, or are proof that the OTHER side is refusing to listen.

Silly humans.

On my planet we see all of you as meat.

My company's slogan is "Eat More Meat"

We should be there shortly.

interesting

Do they figure in those that run or resist? Not all cops are bad. Yes they have some bad ones (like any profession). Seems the media today lumps all cops as the same and that isn't true. You, also don't hear as much about the good they do. The media focuses on the bad. Even BLM, yes that started out as a positive movement but I have seen for myself, BLM aren't all good either. It is the same everywhere. Good and bad

Interesting that your initial enquiry seems to question the validity of the research findings. The OP by no means suggests that all cops are bad. You yourself state that the media focuses on the bad. Yet you seem to have no qualms about wishing to highlight where negative aspects of BLM events have come to the forefront. The tarring of your brush lacks consistency yellowrose10.

I believe good could come with the aknowledgement of implicit association and how education and media figure into it,,,,

conversations framed with the term 'racist' immediately put people on some offensive/defensive agenda too often

conversations that maybe start with the reality of implicit association, how the brain ASSOCIATES certain images and ethnicities with certain traits, and how that impacts how people in all professions respond to those ethnicities,,,,

may be long overdue and more productive,, as well as training police and those who have the power of deciding the life or death of citizens,,in the realities and unlearning of the implicit associations which cause them to react so disparately,,,,

^^^^This^^^...Agreed!

The BLM movement isn't responsible for the statistics mentioned in that Tampa Bay Times report, and those statistics don't go away simply by saying, "The majority of law officers aren't like that."

The public isn't helped by being told, "Move along citizens. Nothing to see here."
That is because there is something to see here.

Sure, more research on the topic needs to be done to confirm the findings of the current research.
Still, the current research shouldn't be dismissed because one doesn't like its outcome.

That Tampa Bay Times report shines a light on something that is happening.
Saying "It can't be" doesn't do away with what is revealed by the light.

^^^^^ Agreed ^^^^^

Hummm just maybe the reason that more blacks were arrested is due to they commit more crimes in that area...

It is not cut and dry just cause they are black they are getting treated different..Tampa Bay Area has a no tolerance law they do not play games with those that that break the law...


I know this is from a few years back... But when some do research they tend to leave out all the findings...

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/182602-tampa-police-arrest-more-blacks-than-any-other-race-new-data-shows

“If you commit a crime (in Tampa), no matter what your color is, you’re likely going to jail,” said TPD Capt. Ronald McMullen to 10 Investigates. “Arrests are high, but the crime rate’s low. So this is an extremely safe place to live.”

But for its relatively moderate size, the TPD arrested more people in 2013 than any other Florida law enforcement agency. Even at double the size of the TPD, Pransky says the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office made 29 percent fewer arrests.

As for African-American residents, Tampa police made 241 arrests per 1,000 individuals in 2013, versus 85 arrests for every 1,000 white residents. That is nearly 2.5 times that of the St. Petersburg Police, the next-highest agency in Tampa Bay.

McMullen, an African-American and 26-year TPD veteran, counters that the high rate is because most of the area’s crimes are committed by African-Americans, and often against other blacks.

“It’s a sad state of affairs, but 57% of our victims are black,” McMullen told Pransky. “The black-on-black crime (is) the issue in my mind that we need to … focus on.”

I think statistics might help here I don't know. The population of blacks say in the US is roughly 12%, I thought their numbers were significantly higher. In the UK according to Wikipedia anyway its 3%, so truly in the US and UK blacks according to statistics percentage wise are a minority in those countries.

If the police and security forces who are supposed to be the stewards of protection are majority white 75% US and almost 90% white UK aren't doing that, then you become a potential victim to an extremely well armed bully.

No one doubts the immense stresses of their line of work, and unfathomable dangers they might encounter to uphold the law and keep our streets safe and orderly. I am in no way against them, I believe in order over chaos as a law of the universe.

But we've seen how, historically them doors swing both ways, when your security is solely in the hands of other people, and at their mercy in some cases, as a minority percentage wise then your just vulnerable and defenceless, if they flip against you, theirs nothing you can do.

That said, things inevitably change over time, its just the path charted by civilisations and that in the US, perhaps blacks may grow into a defensible nation at some point. Despite being one of the smaller racial groups in the region, they are statistically one of the fastest growing and most economically buoyant.

I thinks its an emergence and well over due, after all that's happened to them, rising from the ashes of slave history, and overcoming great obstacles, they deserve their own defensibility at some point. Time will tell.

Disclaimer: That written here, bears no relation to my personal flaws.

Due to economic constraints, Blacks are far more likely to live in areas of high crime than their White counterparts. Depending on which source you use Blacks can be responsible for as much as 97% of Black deaths and Whites responsible for about 83% of White deaths. I knew it wouldn't be long before the term "Black On Black Violence" was used during this topic. If a disease which killed 97% of those that contracted it then began to only kill 83%, would we claim we'd found a cure? No, it would still be considered a grave problem. Why when Whites are allowed to live far freer from oppression are they also killing each other at an alarming rate. Yet the phrase "White On White Violence" is very rarely uttered? Maybe because in those cases, it's just considered "the right to bear arms". People are so willing to fall back on the socially accepted rhetoric when it suits their objectives but it also reveals their bias.

Regardless of the reason for the statistics, black citizens should be able to initiate a conversation about the issue without being criticized for doing so.

Black citizens should be able to ponder the possibility of racial prejudice among white law officers without being criticized for doing so.


Yes, such criticism has occurred.

To paraphrase the great Eldridge Cleaver.

"If you're not willing to be a part of the solution, you are choosing to be a part of the problem."

This is applicable no matter what colour you are, Blacks included.

That's related to Florida.
Are you saying Florida represents every single state?
Florida has approximately 50,000 "sworn" (those holding arrest powers) personnel.
Florida has a population of approximately 20,000,000 people.

The number of shootings the article cover is 827 over the course of 5 years.

So in a state of 20,000,000 people 827 people were shot over 5 years by a population of 50,000 people with the power to do so.
Or some percentage of 50,000 people are responsible for killing .000827% of Florida's population per year over a 5 year period.
Even if all 827 people were killed by a racist police officer, that's only approx. 1.7% of the total number of sworn officers.

And I should give a f' about racist cops running amok killing (sometimes justified) .000827% of 1 states population when I've got Bush invading Iraq, Obama pissing on Syria, Trump throwing around MOAB's, and nuclear posturing with Russia, China, and North Korea, not to mention simple things like thousands of deaths per state from car accidents, drug overdoses, household accidents, cancer, obesity, and hospital/doctor errors being the 3rd leading cause of death while the government mandates I help pay for universal healthcare?
I shouldn't criticize a conversation regarding the horrors of what amounts to a statistical anomaly that affects a minority of the population that can't be absolutely proven when there are conversations of horrors that are absolutely proven, effect everyone to far greater and more significant degrees, and seem to be growing?


All Americans have just cause to talk about their hemorrhoids, that doesn't mean I need to treat it like a national crisis because it effects them and they feel it personally.


You use 2 other articles to assert a position, attempt to use facts.
Why did you stop here?
Where are the articles proving that "overt and conscious racism in America is nowhere nearly as bad as it was during the previous century."

And if it's "nowhere nearly as bad as it was," when will you be content?
What goal are you ultimately looking for?
When exactly is it going to be "good enough" from a statistical viewpoint since you're trying to use statistical facts to prove some sort of systemic problem?


Is that the goal?
To "kill" racism dead?
To make sure every single person, at least in the U.S., never ever ever has a racist thought in their head? Conscious, or subconscious, so in absolutely no way can influence behavior in any way possible?

To make sure that there is absolutely no behavior whatsoever in any individual that could in any way be construed at all to any degree to be racist or motivated by racism?

That really isn't a conversation worth having.


Citizens should be able to criticize conversations they feel need criticizing.


It does put them into perspective.
Angelic perfection isn't really possible.


So...you want to silence the people who want to silence other people?

This is ridiculous this is, I tired of this psychological victimhood crap, if you can't get on in the house of your bastard foster father move out, there's thousands of islands south of the country, nobody lives there.

?

Sorry, Geographic's, I talking about United states, there are 7000 islands south in the Caribbean, most of those uninhabited. If I was getting abused by my foster parents (whites) I'd be looking to get away from them, consider moving out, why live there with the abuse (police brutality)? That's just psychological addiction to the abuse.