Surprising New Evidence Shows Bias in Police Use of Force but Not in Shootings

[smilesammich 10,727]

Not letting go is in my DNA

i can tell. i'm hoping to help you evolve.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

i agree up until the last sentence. they are rare when considering the whole of police interaction but still far too common when considering a person's location/race dictates how often they interact with police.

i also don't believe cops are currently acting on some sort of unspoken free for all license to kill, the issue is more vaguely subconscious yet somehow intrinsic at this point.

In some parts of the country the police are essentially another gang, not necessarily due to racism, more due to the behavior and attitudes of the population they are trying to control. In some ways that isn't a good thing, but for some places that is the most effective way to stay in at least some semblance of control.

I think it's important to recognize and acknowledge that there is an element of police bullying that can cross the line into brutality. Happens too often in some places. That leads to the illusion that deadly force incidents are somehow a natural extension of that very real issue when in reality they seldom are that.

Police officers make mistakes. They are human. When deadly force isn't justified that is the primary reason, not racism, and not just a callous disregard for human life or some crazy notion that the police have a bounty on shooting Blacks.

[smilesammich 10,727]

I think it's important to recognize and acknowledge that there is an element of police bullying that can cross the line into brutality. Happens too often in some places. That leads to the illusion that deadly force incidents are somehow a natural extension of that very real issue when in reality they seldom are that.

Police officers make mistakes. They are human. When deadly force isn't justified that is the primary reason, not racism, and not just a callous disregard for human life or some crazy notion that the police have a bounty on shooting Blacks.

the part in bold, i completely disagree. police bullying alone can ruin someone's life. that is reality for people in 'some places'. but deadly force incidents have lasting, far reaching effects. i think it's easy to forget that only someone who has a basic sense of trust in police can say things like "police officers make mistakes, they are human, when deadly force isn't justified that is the primary reason" and actually believe it.

if a person experiences a death in the family or a loved one's beating at the hands of police they're more likely to believe the part in bold is true. and righteously so. police should want to have as few mistakes as possible, because their mistakes translate into lives lost. instead, i see police making excuses as to why these lives had to be taken.

i had one friend from highschool on fb that is a cop and for the last few years through all of these high profile killings, i've managed to maintain that friendship. well, i had to let that friendship go this weekend over her referring to black people as animals. "why do black people act like animals when one of theirs gets shot and white people don't feel the need to destroy everything??" she is a cop right now, she has the lives of people she considers 'animals' in her hands. i find it hard to believe that race plays no part in these instances, not when i know cops with attitudes like that are considered and defended by their peers as racially unbiased.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I don't often agree with the folks who you are arguing with elitesthuglib, but all too often the police have rightiously shot a truly bad guy, doing or being stopped from doing truly bad things. I think the subject matter is extremely difficult to find a one size fits all narrative, and I feel strongly that the conclusion of the OP is quite accurate in concluding that the police may in fact be more hesitant to shoot a Black person than a White one. And that most police officers avoid shooting anyone in most cases, deserving or not.

[smilesammich 10,727]

I don't often agree with the folks who you are arguing with elitesthuglib, but all too often the police have rightiously shot a truly bad guy, doing or being stopped from doing truly bad things. I think the subject matter is extremely difficult to find a one size fits all narrative, and I feel strongly that the conclusion of the OP is quite accurate in concluding that the police may in fact be more hesitant to shoot a Black person than a White one. And that most police officers avoid shooting anyone in most cases, deserving or not.

the issue of police brutality is so much broader than any one shooting. and it's certainly not only a racial issue. a one size fits all narrative is out of the question. but part of the problem we're seeing now is a general gridlock, an inability to even discuss possible solutions because support of blm equals hating police.

[ExPatty 502]

can we just accept that we disagree here and let it go? you're not going to convince me of your slant, ever.

I think we can all agree to disagree. That doesn't mean you're right; on the contrary all the statistics show you're thoroughly wrong. Blacks do commit more crimes than whites per capita, which commit more in turn than Asians, hence it's not terribly surprising they are going to interact with the police more. That is straight from the DOJ, by the way, so don't like them, take it up with their statisticians. You can't appeal to emotion or experience or any other subjective whatevers. The math is simple and you're simply wrong. I've told you this before, but you don't like the math so you ignore and plead it away with "let's agree to disagree", which is the intellectual equivalent of putting your fingers in your ears and yelling.

an inability to even discuss possible solutions because support of blm equals hating police.

That is sure how it seems, yes. Considering BLM was based on an indisputable lie (Michael Brown as a legit shooting, and that's what the courts and forensics all concluded), considering a great many people who have been put up in front by BLM as champions of their cause turn out to have been justified shoots, what other conclusion can a person draw?

Surely you must realize that when a person acts like a complete moron, is violent, resists arrest, and is shot, and then championed as some sort of victim of police brutality with an immediate assumption of racism by the cop, the rest of us are just shaking our heads wondering what the heck is wrong with people holding that view? Too much crying wolf. This is why sympathies are waning. The legitimate cases of police brutality are being absolutely undermined by the nonsense ones that are no doubt touted as examples of the same brutality. BLM is constantly delegitimizing itself by supporting fools and also acting like fools. Do you truly think people caught up on the highway behind a hundred people protesting are going to be left with a positive impression of who was protesting? http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/07/11/hey-black-lives-matter-stop-terrorizing-our-cities.html

All BLM is doing now is dividing the country massively and making race relations far worse, and getting absolutely nothing positive for blacks in the process.

[smilesammich 10,727]

I think we can all agree to disagree. That doesn't mean you're right; on the contrary all the statistics show you're thoroughly wrong. Blacks do commit more crimes than whites per capita, which commit more in turn than Asians, hence it's not terribly surprising they are going to interact with the police more. That is straight from the DOJ, by the way, so don't like them, take it up with their statisticians. You can't appeal to emotion or experience or any other subjective whatevers. The math is simple and you're simply wrong. I've told you this before, but you don't like the math so you ignore and plead it away with "let's agree to disagree", which is the intellectual equivalent of putting your fingers in your ears and yelling.

That is sure how it seems, yes. Considering BLM was based on an indisputable lie (Michael Brown as a legit shooting, and that's what the courts and forensics all concluded), considering a great many people who have been put up in front by BLM as champions of their cause turn out to have been justified shoots, what other conclusion can a person draw?

Surely you must realize that when a person acts like a complete moron, is violent, resists arrest, and is shot, and then championed as some sort of victim of police brutality with an immediate assumption of racism by the cop, the rest of us are just shaking our heads wondering what the heck is wrong with people holding that view? Too much crying wolf. This is why sympathies are waning. The legitimate cases of police brutality are being absolutely undermined by the nonsense ones that are no doubt touted as examples of the same brutality. BLM is constantly delegitimizing itself by supporting fools and also acting like fools. Do you truly think people caught up on the highway behind a hundred people protesting are going to be left with a positive impression of who was protesting? http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/07/11/hey-black-lives-matter-stop-terrorizing-our-cities.html

All BLM is doing now is dividing the country massively and making race relations far worse, and getting absolutely nothing positive for blacks in the process.

i agree that i disagree with about 98% of this post. and don't you ever point a fox news link in my direction again. ain't nobody got time for that. fingers in my ear and yelling " THAT DOESN"T MEAN YOU'RE RIGHT BLACKS COMMIT CRIME BLACK ON BLACK MURDER WOLFCRY FOOLS SUPPORTING FOOLS BLM HATES BLACK PEOPLE PLEASE MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION ON COMMUTERS THE COMMON GOAL OF EVERY PROTEST EVER"

do you think you've convinced me yet?

[Jacque67 7,328]

i agree that i disagree with about 98% of this post. and don't you ever point a fox news link in my direction again. ain't nobody got time for that. fingers in my ear and yelling " THAT DOESN"T MEAN YOU'RE RIGHT BLACKS COMMIT CRIME BLACK ON BLACK MURDER WOLFCRY FOOLS SUPPORTING FOOLS BLM HATES BLACK PEOPLE PLEASE MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION ON COMMUTERS THE COMMON GOAL OF EVERY PROTEST EVER"

do you think you've convinced me yet?

Does Hannity work better for you?

[smilesammich 10,727]

Does Hannity work better for you?

[OriZ 3,157]

the part in bold, i completely disagree. police bullying alone can ruin someone's life. that is reality for people in 'some places'. but deadly force incidents have lasting, far reaching effects. i think it's easy to forget that only someone who has a basic sense of trust in police can say things like "police officers make mistakes, they are human, when deadly force isn't justified that is the primary reason" and actually believe it.

if a person experiences a death in the family or a loved one's beating at the hands of police they're more likely to believe the part in bold is true. and righteously so. police should want to have as few mistakes as possible, because their mistakes translate into lives lost. instead, i see police making excuses as to why these lives had to be taken.

i had one friend from highschool on fb that is a cop and for the last few years through all of these high profile killings, i've managed to maintain that friendship. well, i had to let that friendship go this weekend over her referring to black people as animals. "why do black people act like animals when one of theirs gets shot and white people don't feel the need to destroy everything??" she is a cop right now, she has the lives of people she considers 'animals' in her hands. i find it hard to believe that race plays no part in these instances, not when i know cops with attitudes like that are considered and defended by their peers as racially unbiased.

Sorry Val but the rioters do act like animals. I don't think she meant ALL black people, and actually, animals is not the proper term either as animals don't do that kind of stuff. Have you ever considered that maybe her experiences and what she has seen and been through in her service might be different than yours and the things she encounters and has to deal with on a daily basis might have had an impact on the emotions she has on the subject and her choice of words? I don't think you should really judge her unless you were in her shoes, but, not my (ex)friend to worry about

[OriZ 3,157]

I think we can all agree to disagree. That doesn't mean you're right; on the contrary all the statistics show you're thoroughly wrong. Blacks do commit more crimes than whites per capita, which commit more in turn than Asians, hence it's not terribly surprising they are going to interact with the police more. That is straight from the DOJ, by the way, so don't like them, take it up with their statisticians. You can't appeal to emotion or experience or any other subjective whatevers. The math is simple and you're simply wrong. I've told you this before, but you don't like the math so you ignore and plead it away with "let's agree to disagree", which is the intellectual equivalent of putting your fingers in your ears and yelling.

That is sure how it seems, yes. Considering BLM was based on an indisputable lie (Michael Brown as a legit shooting, and that's what the courts and forensics all concluded), considering a great many people who have been put up in front by BLM as champions of their cause turn out to have been justified shoots, what other conclusion can a person draw?

Surely you must realize that when a person acts like a complete moron, is violent, resists arrest, and is shot, and then championed as some sort of victim of police brutality with an immediate assumption of racism by the cop, the rest of us are just shaking our heads wondering what the heck is wrong with people holding that view? Too much crying wolf. This is why sympathies are waning. The legitimate cases of police brutality are being absolutely undermined by the nonsense ones that are no doubt touted as examples of the same brutality. BLM is constantly delegitimizing itself by supporting fools and also acting like fools. Do you truly think people caught up on the highway behind a hundred people protesting are going to be left with a positive impression of who was protesting? http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/07/11/hey-black-lives-matter-stop-terrorizing-our-cities.html

All BLM is doing now is dividing the country massively and making race relations far worse, and getting absolutely nothing positive for blacks in the process.

Can tell ya right now if it was me there, I'd honk, flip em off, and if it didn't land me in jail and I was first in line - drive right through them. On top of that I'd be pissed off and hate them for life. Don't appreciate being messed with when I'm on the road actually trying to do something productive with my day. I don't understand why the cops(in the link) didn't just tear them apart(or if they had a permit for it which I doubt and don't feel like doing the research for - how it was permitted). I also think it would have been respectful of them to take a few days break after what happened in Dallas. I get that in those places where they protested they weren't the ones who shot these officers, but considering the fact a protest like this is where it happened, and how much these cops have to deal with mentally and physically to start with and then at the aftermath of that, I thought it was completely disrespectful of them to continue protesting as if nothing happened and putting those cops through the same thing and risk right away and right after they have seen what happened to their colleagues. Take a week break it wouldn't kill you, might actually earn you a few brownie points with some people and make you look a little classy for once.

[smilesammich 10,727]

Sorry Val but the rioters do act like animals. I don't think she meant ALL black people, and actually, animals is not the proper term either as animals don't do that kind of stuff. Have you ever considered that maybe her experiences and what she has seen and been through in her service might be different than yours and the things she encounters and has to deal with on a daily basis might have had an impact on the emotions she has on the subject and her choice of words? I don't think you should really judge her unless you were in her shoes, but, not my (ex)friend to worry about

i don't care if she was calling only white rioters animals. and actually, that consideration for what she does and what she's experienced in her life and on the job, is exactly why i draw the line with that sort of language coming from a police officer. it's an ethical line i choose to draw. the line starts with police referring to those they're sworn to protect as animals and the line ends where one human being gets off determining another human being is illegal/garbage.

i didn't judge her, the post she made the 'animal' statement in was also an invitation for anyone that didn't agree with her stance to unfriend her. so i did. i don't normally unfriend people for opinions i don't agree with.