Reply to Why are American blacks always having issues with the Police?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]More white people are shot by police than African American people.  A friend's brother--whom I know, gentle (white) guy--was beaten up indiscriminately by Chicago police officers and needed medical care afterwards.

But the data are also clear: African Americans are *DISPROPORTIONATELY* killed by police officers at something like 2.5 times white people.

So there's a problem.  A serious problem.[/quote]

African Americans are about 30% of the people shot by police but commit 40-50% of violent crimes.  They're getting shot at lower rates than you would expect based on the proportion of crime they commit.  In addition the percentage of police shooting victims who are black has been trending down for the last 20-30 years even as their share of violent crime has stayed the same.

The issue isn't that African Americans are disproportionately shot by police (numbers strongly suggest that they're not) but that police shoot WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE. The biggest issue (IMO) is the prevalence of guns in the US.  If every person you come in contact with can easily get a gun (and often does) it would tend to make police much more afraid for their lives and more likely to use deadly force.  [/quote]

Yes, I think this is a HUGE issue. Police are paranoid (rightfully so) that a person they are apprehending or pulling over may have a weapon and then they get jumpy w/ the trigger. I feel for police, they have a tremendous job and most do their very best and want to be community partners. There are racists among the ranks and these folks should never be hired or they should be fired ASAP. really feeling for police officers now. We need a great, strong police force in our country. Every racist officer must be dismissed because it weakens the integrity & safety of ALL officers. [/quote]

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