3 ms·

I do not think two datapoints can really support any conclusions here. Are there other cases to point to?

KirinDave 14y ago
http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/the-case-around-fla-teen-kiera-wilmot-is-part-of-a-bigger-more-disturbing-pattern/ http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/the-case-a... P.S., How many young black children's lives being unfairly altered is "a significant dataset" for you to answer the question, "Is a white prosecutor in sub-urban Florida _really_ racist?" I'd like to know the actual number.
- betterunix 14y ago
  The article you linked to only has two cases for this specific prosecutor. I have little doubt that there are racist cops and racist prosecutors in this country, but for this specific prosecutor I am not seeing good evidence of a racist motivation. On the other hand, I see quite a bit of prejudice in your comment -- you seem fixated on the fact that the prosecutor is white and works in suburban Florida.
  - sophacles 14y ago
    Actually, those are relavant data points. Assuming you can get racism rates for the population "white people in suburban florida", you can set a base probability of the specific person from that population being racist. This would affect the sample sizes of data needed to determine if that person was racist.
    - betterunix 14y ago
      Except that not all those datapoints were from suburbs, let alone suburban Florida, and there were still only a handful of them. The sample is also biased, as it excludes white people receiving harsh treatment (it happens). I do not personally doubt that black Americans are mistreated; I watched black friends of mine being mistreated when I was a teenager. However, I have yet to see any evidence of racism in this case.
      - KirinDave 14y ago
        2 kids in the same district. One is playing around while illegally handling firearms. One is playing around while legally working on a science project at school where they're supposed to be supervised. One child kills another. The other produces a small puff of smoke. Same prosecutor, same area. One case, she deliberates for a month. The other case, she gives a phone recommendation over 3 days. I'm sorry, but given the history of the US this seems like relevant and damning data. Again, I ask: how many children's lives need to be ruined before you have a statistically significant number? Please set the goalpost.
        betterunix 14y ago
        It is entirely possible that the two cases you cite are outliers. It is also likely that you cherry-picked those two cases because they support your point of view. How about this: take a random sample of at least 100 felony cases in which the defendant was a minor prosecuted by that office. If you can find that in that sample, black people were more likely to be prosecuted aggressively than white people, you would have at least taken the first step in demonstrating ongoing racism.
        KirinDave 14y ago
        Actually I'd prefer to have you lay out exactly what it'd take to convince you in a post I can link to. That way if I do find the data, I can point to this post when you shift your goalposts.
        betterunix 14y ago
        Take a sample of 100 random felony cases against black defendants and 100 random felony cases against white defendants prosecuted by this specific prosecutor during a specific period of time and where the defendants were from similar economic backgrounds. Then show that all things being equal, black defendants were prosecuted more aggressively than white defendants. In other words, approach this as if you were a scientist and take the emotion and assumptions out of it.
deleted 14y ago
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http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/the-case-around-fla-teen-kiera-wilmot-is-part-of-a-bigger-more-disturbing-pattern/ http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/the-case-a... P.S., How many young black children's lives being unfairly altered is "a significant dataset" for you to answer the question, "Is a white prosecutor in sub-urban Florida _really_ racist?" I'd like to know the actual number.

betterunix 14y ago
The article you linked to only has two cases for this specific prosecutor. I have little doubt that there are racist cops and racist prosecutors in this country, but for this specific prosecutor I am not seeing good evidence of a racist motivation. On the other hand, I see quite a bit of prejudice in your comment -- you seem fixated on the fact that the prosecutor is white and works in suburban Florida.
- sophacles 14y ago
  Actually, those are relavant data points. Assuming you can get racism rates for the population "white people in suburban florida", you can set a base probability of the specific person from that population being racist. This would affect the sample sizes of data needed to determine if that person was racist.
  - betterunix 14y ago
    Except that not all those datapoints were from suburbs, let alone suburban Florida, and there were still only a handful of them. The sample is also biased, as it excludes white people receiving harsh treatment (it happens). I do not personally doubt that black Americans are mistreated; I watched black friends of mine being mistreated when I was a teenager. However, I have yet to see any evidence of racism in this case.
    - KirinDave 14y ago
      2 kids in the same district. One is playing around while illegally handling firearms. One is playing around while legally working on a science project at school where they're supposed to be supervised. One child kills another. The other produces a small puff of smoke. Same prosecutor, same area. One case, she deliberates for a month. The other case, she gives a phone recommendation over 3 days. I'm sorry, but given the history of the US this seems like relevant and damning data. Again, I ask: how many children's lives need to be ruined before you have a statistically significant number? Please set the goalpost.
      - betterunix 14y ago
        It is entirely possible that the two cases you cite are outliers. It is also likely that you cherry-picked those two cases because they support your point of view. How about this: take a random sample of at least 100 felony cases in which the defendant was a minor prosecuted by that office. If you can find that in that sample, black people were more likely to be prosecuted aggressively than white people, you would have at least taken the first step in demonstrating ongoing racism.
        KirinDave 14y ago
        Actually I'd prefer to have you lay out exactly what it'd take to convince you in a post I can link to. That way if I do find the data, I can point to this post when you shift your goalposts.
        betterunix 14y ago
        Take a sample of 100 random felony cases against black defendants and 100 random felony cases against white defendants prosecuted by this specific prosecutor during a specific period of time and where the defendants were from similar economic backgrounds. Then show that all things being equal, black defendants were prosecuted more aggressively than white defendants. In other words, approach this as if you were a scientist and take the emotion and assumptions out of it.

deleted 14y ago

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