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When a black man robs me or beats me up, I have recourse. When a cop does so, I don't. I don't fear black men because, even if they are more likely to harm me,

by lkbm 11y ago

When a black man robs me or beats me up, I have recourse. When a cop does so, I don't. I don't fear black men because, even if they are more likely to harm me, the power dynamic is very, very different. If any random black man had special power over me, I would be afraid of any that hadn't earned my trust. (Men typically do have special power over women, and as a result, we insist that women need to avoid walking alone at night, not dress provocatively, carefully watch their drinks in bars, not wear their hair in a ponytail when running, have their keys ready when they approach their car in a dark parking lot...always be ready for an attack.) So, yes, black men may rob and beat up people at a higher rate than cops, but killing is another thing: ~1000 killed by police in 2015[0][1] 765,000 police with arresting powers[2] (I assume we can ignore the bureaucrats.) = ~765 police per police killing. 42 089 131 black/AA people in the US (2014)[3] Assume 50% males: 21 044 566 2,695 murders committed by blacks in 2014.[4] 90% of homicides committed by males.[4] => 2426. => 8675 black men per murder by black men. So police kill at ten times the rate of black men. (Major caveats: killed != murders; I didn't exclude black children, and it might be easier to avoid being killed by a police officer.) [0] http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-new-estimate-of-killings-by-police-is-way-higher-and-still-too-low/ http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-new-estimate-of-killin... [1] http://killedbypolice.net/ http://killedbypolice.net/ [2] http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/csllea08.pdf http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/csllea08.pdf [3] http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html [4] https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/expanded-homicide-data/expanded_homicide_data_table_6_murder_race_and_sex_of_vicitm_by_race_and_sex_of_offender_2014.xls https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/...

steveeq1 11y ago
Yes, and what percent of these killing are justified and/or in self defense? I'd wager the bulk. They have an inherently dangerous profession. Notice, I'm not saying it's ZERO either, but the risk is much lower than, say, black shootings.
- fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
  According to some, they're all justified. But that's of course ridiculous. * I'd wager that a good fraction of the justified ones ought not be. It's too difficult to prosecute bad actors here. * I'd also say that a good fraction of the justified ones weren't strictly necessary. Better tactics and technology could make an impact on this. >They have an inherently dangerous profession. True, but the danger is often overstated, and there are a couple of ways to cut their risk of harm. ex: Requiring the wearing of seat belts would dramatically cut their risk. >but the risk is much lower than, say, black shootings. I also doubt whether that's the case. Got a source?

by lkbm 11y ago

steveeq1 11y ago

Yes, and what percent of these killing are justified and/or in self defense? I'd wager the bulk. They have an inherently dangerous profession. Notice, I'm not saying it's ZERO either, but the risk is much lower than, say, black shootings.

fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
According to some, they're all justified. But that's of course ridiculous. * I'd wager that a good fraction of the justified ones ought not be. It's too difficult to prosecute bad actors here. * I'd also say that a good fraction of the justified ones weren't strictly necessary. Better tactics and technology could make an impact on this. >They have an inherently dangerous profession. True, but the danger is often overstated, and there are a couple of ways to cut their risk of harm. ex: Requiring the wearing of seat belts would dramatically cut their risk. >but the risk is much lower than, say, black shootings. I also doubt whether that's the case. Got a source?