4 ms·

> Unlike some of you, I’ve also experienced racism (police stops, How do you know when police stops you because of racism and not regular police work?

DanBC 12y ago
When you get stopped six times more than any of your white friends even though you are not a criminal or engaging in any criminal behaviour. http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18410300 http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18410300 > British Transport Police officers were found to be 31 times more likely to search black people than white people in 2010-2011. Black people were 28 times as likely to be stopped by West Midlands Police and 21 times as likely by the Greater Manchester force.
- grondilu 12y ago
  I'm not sure racism is the only possible explanation for that.
  - mahouse 12y ago
    Exactly. We should have statistics as well on how many times are the police expected to find something on black people more than on white people.
    - jxf 12y ago
      We do. In the report from the above article, the arrest rate was similar for blacks vs. whites. If the arrest rate is similar but the stop rate is disproportionately larger that is a pretty strong suggestion that something is amiss.
      - deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
        arrrg 12y ago
        And that’s called racism. Doesn’t have to be intentional. Doesn’t have to be an evil police officer twirling their mustache.
        owenmarshall 12y ago
        Seriously, this is like problem numero uno with any discussion of racism. Racism doesn't always appear clothed in a pointy bedsheet. As a white guy who tries to avoid assholes, I almost never see overt racism. When someone is overtly racist, it's almost always immediately addressed. That's a good thing! But it makes it super easy to think "Racism Is Over!" when that's your environment.
      - zeroonetwothree 12y ago
        Actually, if the arrest rate is similar it suggests that police are doing a fair job. It suggests that their estimate of "likelihood of being arrested" is equal across the two groups. Consider alternatively that police stop many more men than women. Is that sexism?
        jxf 12y ago
        Not if the arrests are thrown out more often for one group than another. The police can arrest anyone, but that doesn't make it a legal arrest.
- powertower 12y ago
  The statistics being use in that article are intentionally misrepresent the situation by leaving out the context and details... The majority of the crimes (and hence the accompanying stops) take place mostly in non-white communities. Also, in the white areas, the majority of the called in description of the perpetrators of the street crimes are non-white - so a cop is not going to stop a white female while looking for a black male. The reported numbers are not indicative of racist cops, they are indicative of the situation on the ground. I'd also bet good money that if you broke up the numbers to see how white and non-white cops apprehend the different races, it would be about the same.
  - leephillips 12y ago
    Ylem said he's from the US. It's a documented fact that in some states (for example, New Jersey¹) police have had a policy of racial profiling: of pulling people over because they are black. Of course both black and white cops were expected to conform to the policy. There is no context, no other relevant detail. Everyone is driving on the same highway. The cops are told to pull over the blacks and search their cars because blacks are thought to be more likely to be trafficking drugs. ¹https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/driving-while-black-racial-profiling-our-nations-highways https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/driving-while-black-raci...
  - DanBC 12y ago
    British Transport Police is a national police force that operates on the railways. That's not a "non-white community". http://www.btp.police.uk/ http://www.btp.police.uk/

DanBC 12y ago

When you get stopped six times more than any of your white friends even though you are not a criminal or engaging in any criminal behaviour. http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18410300 http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18410300 > British Transport Police officers were found to be 31 times more likely to search black people than white people in 2010-2011. Black people were 28 times as likely to be stopped by West Midlands Police and 21 times as likely by the Greater Manchester force.

grondilu 12y ago
I'm not sure racism is the only possible explanation for that.
- mahouse 12y ago
  Exactly. We should have statistics as well on how many times are the police expected to find something on black people more than on white people.
  - jxf 12y ago
    We do. In the report from the above article, the arrest rate was similar for blacks vs. whites. If the arrest rate is similar but the stop rate is disproportionately larger that is a pretty strong suggestion that something is amiss.
    - deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]
      - arrrg 12y ago
        And that’s called racism. Doesn’t have to be intentional. Doesn’t have to be an evil police officer twirling their mustache.
        owenmarshall 12y ago
        Seriously, this is like problem numero uno with any discussion of racism. Racism doesn't always appear clothed in a pointy bedsheet. As a white guy who tries to avoid assholes, I almost never see overt racism. When someone is overtly racist, it's almost always immediately addressed. That's a good thing! But it makes it super easy to think "Racism Is Over!" when that's your environment.
    - zeroonetwothree 12y ago
      Actually, if the arrest rate is similar it suggests that police are doing a fair job. It suggests that their estimate of "likelihood of being arrested" is equal across the two groups. Consider alternatively that police stop many more men than women. Is that sexism?
      - jxf 12y ago
        Not if the arrests are thrown out more often for one group than another. The police can arrest anyone, but that doesn't make it a legal arrest.
powertower 12y ago
The statistics being use in that article are intentionally misrepresent the situation by leaving out the context and details... The majority of the crimes (and hence the accompanying stops) take place mostly in non-white communities. Also, in the white areas, the majority of the called in description of the perpetrators of the street crimes are non-white - so a cop is not going to stop a white female while looking for a black male. The reported numbers are not indicative of racist cops, they are indicative of the situation on the ground. I'd also bet good money that if you broke up the numbers to see how white and non-white cops apprehend the different races, it would be about the same.
- leephillips 12y ago
  Ylem said he's from the US. It's a documented fact that in some states (for example, New Jersey¹) police have had a policy of racial profiling: of pulling people over because they are black. Of course both black and white cops were expected to conform to the policy. There is no context, no other relevant detail. Everyone is driving on the same highway. The cops are told to pull over the blacks and search their cars because blacks are thought to be more likely to be trafficking drugs. ¹https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/driving-while-black-racial-profiling-our-nations-highways https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/driving-while-black-raci...
- DanBC 12y ago
  British Transport Police is a national police force that operates on the railways. That's not a "non-white community". http://www.btp.police.uk/ http://www.btp.police.uk/