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I don't know why you seem to be getting downvoted - this seems to me to be the most important question. Perhaps one of the downvoters can provide some explanati

I don't know why you seem to be getting downvoted - this seems to me to be the most important question. Perhaps one of the downvoters can provide some explanation. In particular, why is it wrong (and, I assume, perceived as racist) to ask whether the problem can be described as "those in power are abusing that power"?

TylerE 10y ago
Ultimately, it can be traced back to the war on drugs, as can many of our societal ills.
Swizec 10y ago
> (and, I assume, perceived as racist) Funnily Trevor Noah is both black and recently immigrated from South Africa. Doesn't get more african-american than that.
- ZeroGravitas 10y ago
  This statement doesn't make any sense to me? A fair bit of his early stand up concerns the complexities of being a mixed race child in South Africa and then the extra layers of complexity that occur when transplanted into the US. From watching that I think he'd disagree with your conclusion.
drumdance 10y ago
I don't understand why, when they do shoot, it's often five or more times. Why not just once or twice, then get out of the way?
- CWuestefeld 10y ago
  Actually, if we assume that force really was appropriate, then what they're doing is correct. Real life firearms are NOTHING like those on TV. First, your chances of actually hitting something from any non-trivial distance isn't that great. Even 10 yards is far from a sure hit, and just hitting doesn't necessarily count for much. Second, the fact that the bad guy took a hit doesn't mean he's going down. In fact, he almost certainly will not. Anything less than a headshot destroying the brain (sorry to be graphic) may well have them still shooting back at you, even if the wound will ultimately prove fatal. Even severing the femoral artery or aorta isn't going to have the bad guy dropping in his tracks. And in such a situation, your goal is to stop the threat. As you can see, ensuring that the treat is stopped requires a lot more than a double-tap.
  - drumdance 10y ago
    In the St. Paul case he fired 5 rounds from just outside the window of the car. Literally just a couple feet away from the guy, not 10 yards. In the Baton Rouge case the guy was on the ground with the cops on top of him. In the UK they manage to subdue dangerous suspects without unloading the entire clip.
- micahbright 10y ago
  Because they are carrying 9mm when they should be carrying .45

TylerE 10y ago

Ultimately, it can be traced back to the war on drugs, as can many of our societal ills.

Swizec 10y ago

> (and, I assume, perceived as racist) Funnily Trevor Noah is both black and recently immigrated from South Africa. Doesn't get more african-american than that.

ZeroGravitas 10y ago
This statement doesn't make any sense to me? A fair bit of his early stand up concerns the complexities of being a mixed race child in South Africa and then the extra layers of complexity that occur when transplanted into the US. From watching that I think he'd disagree with your conclusion.

drumdance 10y ago

I don't understand why, when they do shoot, it's often five or more times. Why not just once or twice, then get out of the way?

CWuestefeld 10y ago
Actually, if we assume that force really was appropriate, then what they're doing is correct. Real life firearms are NOTHING like those on TV. First, your chances of actually hitting something from any non-trivial distance isn't that great. Even 10 yards is far from a sure hit, and just hitting doesn't necessarily count for much. Second, the fact that the bad guy took a hit doesn't mean he's going down. In fact, he almost certainly will not. Anything less than a headshot destroying the brain (sorry to be graphic) may well have them still shooting back at you, even if the wound will ultimately prove fatal. Even severing the femoral artery or aorta isn't going to have the bad guy dropping in his tracks. And in such a situation, your goal is to stop the threat. As you can see, ensuring that the treat is stopped requires a lot more than a double-tap.
- drumdance 10y ago
  In the St. Paul case he fired 5 rounds from just outside the window of the car. Literally just a couple feet away from the guy, not 10 yards. In the Baton Rouge case the guy was on the ground with the cops on top of him. In the UK they manage to subdue dangerous suspects without unloading the entire clip.
micahbright 10y ago
Because they are carrying 9mm when they should be carrying .45