The young people of the day

[sXs]

'60-75 of all police interaction are with black people while they make up only 13% of the population.'

More black criminals? Or more chance a black person will be stopped, searched, questioned and a 'crime report' will then arise from the 'interaction'?

More logic ? : as 60-75% of interactions involve black people, then 60-75% of police shootings should involve a black victim : or an equally valid interpretation : Police routinely 'interact' with more black people for minor matters which involve no violence where-as they will mainly 'interact' with white people when severe or mortal violence is involved.

26 out of 100 people shot by police are black but they are only 13% of the population : well, what can this mean : in an 'interaction' with police you are twice as likely to be shot if you are black? But, black people seemingly, by your logic, commit 4 times the amount of crime.. so.. actually, black criminals are far less violent and thus less likely to provoke a shooting. No? Conversely, white people are more violent and thus are involved in a higher percentage of shootings for the level of crime they commit, apparently.

So, what do your figures actually prove? Well, they prove everything you say, and none of it : depends which way you slant them.

That is exactly my point. Statistically, you can make the numbers fit your preferred narrative no matter what side you are on. And you would have a valid point.

Cherry picking only those points that fit your argument is not the way to approach this. The idea that the real problem involves police targeting black people is ridiculous. The idea that it is a systemic problem with law enforcement as a whole is ridiculous. A root cause analysis would not be that difficult to do. The data is available.

[DezNutz]

But the prime thing to consider is that 13% is the whole black population in America; while 6.5% is the male black population in America, who are causing this disproportionate crime level. I personally think that it is caused not by Racism today, but Racism of the past. When Blacks came north, post the Abolitionists, the settled into sections of the cities that would one day become Ghetto's. During the 1950's-1960's during the wave of people buying their own houses in "The American Dream", Black's were unable to leave those Ghetto's because they were blocked from moving into a "white neighborhood". All the while we had the Civil Right's movement, and general lessening of the grip of Racism. We went from having them as slaves to having the live in our Ghetto's, to giving them the opportunity to leave those Ghetto's.

I wouldn't say we live in a "post-racism" world. I think that every generation gets a little bit better regarding Racism. The only thing that brakes that lessening of thinking in terms of race is when people get all preachy regarding certain factors of "living black in America". It's the reason for more and more people today desiring to just stop talking about racism if they want it to go away.

Don't know where to begin with this one. Well, let's just start with being on the receiving end of racism doesn't make someone become a criminal or more prone to be a criminal. Being in a ghetto doesn't make you more likely to be a criminal either. You are saying that blacks are prone to being criminals because of past racial aggressions against them. That's a load of crap. There have been plenty of blacks that have lived in the ghetto and didn't become involved in crime, with some becoming extremely successful in life.

What does make a difference with the increases in crime rates is the breakdown of the traditional family structure.

http://marripedia.org/effects_of_family_structure_on_crime

[Most Lee Harmless]

Check out the Freakonomics research on the effects of abortion on crime rates too. Or maybe examine the effect of traditional family values on organised crime, i.e The Mafia. the Cartels, etc, etc...

Perhaps answer this paradox : the life expectancy of a young black male can increase once they are sent to Death Row.

There are no easy answers or pat single-cause solutions :

I was going to write a longer bit on the effects of police training itself : then I found this piece while looking for a similar piece by a Washington police officer I had read a while ago : it says pretty much the same.

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/ar ... on/383681/

[Meliva]

Honestly a lot of crime is essentially like a circle. If a family cant provide enough for it to survive legally, it may start doing illegal activities to get by. This often results in one or more members getting locked up. Which may make things even harder for those who remain free to survive.

Or take absent fathers. When children grow up without good role models, they are more likely to end up as crooks, or lowlifes. This may lead to them having children and abandoning them, repeating the cycle.

Honestly most people are not born bad(a very small minority). Its the environment they are raised in, that normally causes it. Its like with dogs. A dog isn't born mean. They only get mean when raised improperly.

I think that's why a large percentage of crimes are done by blacks. They are often raised in poor environments and often lack good role models. It doesn't excuse them for committing crimes, but I can see why it is the way it is.

[DezNutz]

Check out the Freakonomics research on the effects of abortion on crime rates too. Or maybe examine the effect of traditional family values on organised crime, i.e The Mafia. the Cartels, etc, etc...

Perhaps answer this paradox : the life expectancy of a young black male can increase once they are sent to Death Row.

There are no easy answers or pat single-cause solutions :

No one said there was a single simple answer or that the issue was related to a singular cause. You will find that most issues that effect a large group or community are usually caused by multiple factors. Pointing out a factor doesn't mean that it is the sole factor.

Your paradox isn't a paradox. The statement seems paradoxical as some think it translates to how can someone live longer by being put to death, but in reality, the statement is how can someone live longer by going to prison to wait to be put to death. There is a difference. Death Row is a prison block where the inmates are waiting to be put to death.

[Most Lee Harmless]

It is a paradox : Once you are sentenced to die, there are more safeguards on your well-being than when you are in the general prison population, or even 'free' on the streets : more care and expense is taken to keep you alive and healthy so that you can be killed, eventually, than was ever taken when you were innocent and free.

[Meliva]

The death penalty is rather pointless nowadays. They are given SO many chances to appeal, that it just drags on for ages, costing money in court fees, which the person on death row NEVER has to worry about paying. It would be much simpler to just give 1 year or so and maybe 1 appeal per person. As it is now might as well just drop it completely and just give life instead.

[DezNutz]

The death penalty is rather pointless nowadays. They are given SO many chances to appeal, that it just drags on for ages, costing money in court fees, which the person on death row NEVER has to worry about paying. It would be much simpler to just give 1 year or so and maybe 1 appeal per person. As it is now might as well just drop it completely and just give life instead.

If the death penalty is administered via lethal injection, it's actually cheaper to put them in prison for 20 years than to give them the death penalty that's administered immediately.

[Redish]

There seems to be quite a few posts here suggesting a clear-cut distinction between black and white as well as a couple of us and them comments. I was wondering if anyone has given any thought to what makes one black or white and how that distinction was made in all those statistics quoted in this thread. Surely the basis of that distinction would affect the stats.

[sXs]

There seems to be quite a few posts here suggesting a clear-cut distinction between black and white as well as a couple of us and them comments. I was wondering if anyone has given any thought to what makes one black or white and how that distinction was made in all those statistics quoted in this thread. Surely the basis of that distinction would affect the stats.

Point taken. My post were from data collected from studies done on this issue, or from the FBI crime stat statistics. So That is a question for law enforcement, the victims, or the academics that conducted the studies.