Since it is National Police Week, Trump gave a speech yesterday recognizing all the officers killed in the line of duty. He declared that the attacks on law enforcement “must end right now.” Lets get a few things straight:
Regardless of what the latest Law & Order episode told you, being a police officer is not the most dangerous profession. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that law enforcement doesn’t even rank in the top 10 for deaths on the job. There are more fatalities among construction and sanitation workers. Why not focus on all the people who lose their lives while removing our trash? Are they simply not worthy? Dr. King was assassinated while trying to unionize sanitation workers in Memphis. And it was the FBI – a law enforcement agency – which set him up. Remember that.
Police officers are not under attack. We are. Lets do some basic math. In 2016, 143 police officers were killed, while 963 civilians were killed by police officers. This means that one cop was killed every 2.5 days; while 2.6 people were killed every single day by the police. Adding insult to injury is the fact that between 2005-2015, only 13 officers were charged with murder/manslaughter. As Martinot & Sexton argue, the police are an impunity machine: the judge, jury, and executioner wrapped into one. Focusing on the “blood spilled from our heroes in blue” is ridiculous – especially when we take into account who they are killing. Native Americans, blacks, poor folks, and people with mental illnesses are disproportionately murdered by the police. This is oppression. Police officers are only “heroes” to those who have an interest in maintaining white supremacy/anti-blackness, capitalist exploitation, and hetero-patriarchy.
Spreading the lie that police are under attack justifies the oppression of marginalized communities. By framing cops as victims, people of color are depicted as aggressors who deserve deportation, incarceration, and/or murder. The Trump administration has proposed cuts to all social programs that will help people, but seeks to increase spending for the police to further destroy those communities. This means that police departments can become more militarized to suppress black and brown folks in the name of “law and order.”
National Police Week is a celebration of State violence.
Zone of Non-being 
May 16, 2017 at 4:53 pm
Disagree: Not all police are like that! Yes police die in the line of duty, but also do our firefighter, paramedics, as well as our soliders fighting the wars oversea to protect us, and coming in to stop these city racist fights.Yes, all violence needs to stop, racist fights or not, there are also innocent people being killed, there are innocent children being killed in Chicago over what? A gang fight with guns or over drugs when the kids are in their house or in a car is that going to stop? I wish it did,because I hate hearning kids being killed because of dumb parents acting like punks, or people being killed by drunk drivers.
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May 16, 2017 at 5:23 pm
“Not all police are like that.” Like what?
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May 16, 2017 at 4:54 pm
My Uncle is a police officer and never once fired his weapon.
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May 16, 2017 at 5:30 pm
That is nice, but also irrelevant to the topic at hand. With all due respect, I am not interested in your uncle or anyone else’s uncle. I am interested in the SYSTEM of policing. The institution of policing is unethical, irrespective of whether or not your uncle fires his weapon. This piece has a number of articles embedded in the links. Take the time to read them. I do not deal with individual analysis. That is for psychologists and social workers. I am a sociologist. I am a philosopher. I deal with SYSTEMS. I do not take intellectual cop outs by speaking about one person’s uncle.
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May 17, 2017 at 5:06 pm
Oh snap….
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May 16, 2017 at 5:06 pm
Reblogged this on bookmarkchronicles.
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May 16, 2017 at 5:24 pm
Thanks for the reblog, Rae =D
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May 16, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Reblogged this on shelbycourtland and commented:
“Police officers are only “heroes” to those who have an interest in maintaining white supremacy/anti-blackness, capitalist exploitation, and hetero-patriarchy.”
I cannot argue with that! And if I were you, I wouldn’t even come all up in here to try!
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May 16, 2017 at 6:40 pm
Thanks for the reblog Shelby! Lol, the arguments are certainly hilarious haha
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May 16, 2017 at 6:54 pm
Aren’t they do? I’m daring ’em to bring ’em on to my blog. I’m raring to go! LOL!
BTW, thanks for posting this! You really laid it out!
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May 16, 2017 at 5:44 pm
They are not out to kill innocent people, or of opposite race, they are not just “heroes” they are family too.
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May 16, 2017 at 5:55 pm
They are not heroes at all.
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May 16, 2017 at 5:45 pm
Why is it when people speak out against police brutality some people act as if you’re accusing ALL police officers of committing police brutality? I just don’t get it.
Great piece, my friend.
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May 16, 2017 at 6:00 pm
Thank you!
Lol, you peeped that too!? Always gotta make it about THEM. Always want to make excuses in an attempt salvage a shitty system.
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May 16, 2017 at 6:07 pm
Exactly! Who was referring to ALL cops? 😂
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May 16, 2017 at 6:04 pm
Excuse me! Not heroes? You’re talking to the wrong person then!
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May 16, 2017 at 6:06 pm
You are yet to make a substantive, empirical argument that is not based in your uncle’s biography. If you want to have an actual discussion, you need to cite some statistical FACTS to back your claims.
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May 16, 2017 at 6:34 pm
Yep, you are right. The system is set up specifically to glorify those who have been equipped to suppress. I wrote to Mr. Obama in regard to this and the answer I received was: I have repeatedly convened law enforcement and community leaders in order to help promote dialogue and understanding, and I know that State and local leaders are organizing similar gatherings.”
Can we say “placating” boys and girls? Nothing will change anytime soon is what I got out of his reply.. I actually expected the “tone” of the answer I received because “The President” speaks from the “Office of the President”. As does Mr. Trump.
I have never heard of National Police Week until I saw your post. It seems that this week is meant for them to meet with each other and have picnics and what not. It’s certainly not something I would celebrate.
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May 16, 2017 at 7:37 pm
Hello Ms. Elva! You are right – President Obama’s reply is placating folks. We do not need “dialogue and understanding” – we need the police to be disarmed and dismantled. Politicians seem to think that all we need to do is come together and hold hands. It demonstrates a failure to understand the problem at hand (or, perhaps, they do not care – which is probably closer to the truth).
I have never heard of National Police Week before Trump announced it yesterday. But it makes sense. May is National Military Appreciation Month – so it is only natural that the police, which are being militarized, would have their “time” right in the midst of that, right?
Your comment on Obama placating boys and girls is very astute. It reminds me of an old post of mine I was thinking about re-posting. I do not think you have read it. It debunks the notions of “community policing” and “body cameras” etc. Would love to hear your thoughts when you get a spare moment!
https://zoneofnonbeing.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/supporting-the-police-oppression-with-a-smile/
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May 16, 2017 at 8:11 pm
Okay, I’ll check it out this evening.
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May 16, 2017 at 8:56 pm
Great post, Darryl. These truths, which should be self-evident to all, need to be posted and repeated, endlessly.
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May 16, 2017 at 10:15 pm
Thank you Sha’Tara! Absolutely. Repetition is learning. The propaganda needs to be countered at every turn.
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May 16, 2017 at 9:59 pm
I had to read that statistic several times to let it sink in: one cop killed every 2.5 days vs. 2.6 people killed by cops every day. The shoot-to-kill mentality really mirrors where we are as a collective white hetero-patriarchy society, wherein any deemed threat to our position on any issue, no matter how fallible, is immediately relinquished and a tirade of self-justification follows. Look at how people are so quick to defend themselves and their knowledge, of say vaccinations or anti-, free market economics, Coke vs. Pepsi. Defend unto death without ever listening or learning a damn thing. The method the police have chosen to quickly “de-escalate” threatening situations is a shame on humanity.
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May 16, 2017 at 10:39 pm
Wow, great connection between the practice of policing and the general culture of defensiveness. You are right. Our very being seems to be rooted in a mindframe that imagines itself in a constant state of siege; making any form of meaningful relationship impossible, for the most part.
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May 17, 2017 at 5:28 am
I’m not America so I can’t base my knowledge on anything but what I read about. I live in Ireland and our police aren’t armed by any means. But, reading horrifying statistics such as the ones above are disgusting. I realise the current situation in America, and for people to applaud the police force when statistics such as these above are as stark, is ridiculous. I can’t begin to understand what it’s like living with this, but for the police to become more militarized… even I can see how problematic this is. Because I live in a gun-free country, it’s hard to understand why the police have guns in the first place but, when there’s a problem so glaringly obvious with the current situation, giving the police more power is just preposterous.
[Shared on Twitter.]
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May 17, 2017 at 10:28 am
Thank you for sharing this piece, and thank you for sharing the information about Ireland not arming officers. That is amazing. Why do you think it works there? Demographics? Economics? Why has it yet to be implemented in America?
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May 19, 2017 at 3:32 pm
No problem! To be completely honest, I don’t think there’s anything that America could take from Ireland. We’re just a small country, mainly the middle of nowhere countryside. We don’t have many police (Gardaí, as we all them here). We don’t have guns at all in this country. It makes everything, especially crime rates, a lot lower. Don’t laws differ slightly depending on the state? Ireland is too small for that. You could travel from the northern-est point in Ireland to the southern-est in like six ours. Also, because we don’t have as many guards, I think it is seen as a lot more prestigious. Not everyone can be a guard (even if there isn’t a lot of combat-like training involved). There’s so many requirements to be a guard. For example, you have to speak fluent Irish and have taken the highest level of Irish in school to qualify. And Irish is a dead language. Most of the population don’t speak Irish. I think it’s really just our circumstances and traditional way of life that makes it easier to thrive as a country without guns. (Random fact that puts what I’m trying to say into perspective: pepper spray is illegal here. If you bring it home with you from America, say, and get caught with it in your car or something, you can be charged.)
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May 17, 2017 at 5:28 pm
Cops are certainly NOT being very heroic when they:
1. Shoot an older black man in the back and then plant false evidence.
http://time.com/4587617/michael-slager-walter-scott-trial-mistrial/
2. Kick a young black man in handcuffs
http://www.11alive.com/news/courts-to-dismiss-all-cases-involving-fired-gwinnett-county-officers/431342698
3. Shoot a black man with his hands up on the ground as he tries to comfort his autistic patient
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-cop-charged-manslaughter-shooting-autistic-man-s-unarmed-therapist-n745716
Let us not forget Alton Sterling, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Philando Castille.
Sincerely,
The Sister of a Retired Cop (21 years service).
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May 17, 2017 at 8:31 pm
Good points Lady G! Absolutely not!
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June 7, 2017 at 10:27 am
“the judge, jury, and executioner wrapped into one. Focusing on the “blood spilled from our heroes in blue” is ridiculous – especially when we take into account who they are killing. Native Americans, blacks, poor folks, and people with mental illnesses are disproportionately murdered by the police. This is oppression.”
Please provide some facts, not opinion, on the DISPROPORTIONATE murdering by police.
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June 7, 2017 at 10:31 am
In the amount of time it took you to copy and paste that excerpt, and comment, you could have entered a few words into Google and found said evidence your self.
I am not going to spoon feed you everything. You are an adult. If you seek knowledge, find it on your own. This article is PACKED with citations, by the way, so your comment proves you have not even checked the citations I DID provide.
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June 7, 2017 at 10:32 am
Oh ok. Thanks. Have a good day
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June 7, 2017 at 10:54 am
I agree you packed it with citations. But, when it came time to draw a conclusion, you simply threw out there that more Native Americans, blacks, poor folks and people with mental illness were killed disproportionately. Yet did not offer evidence to validate the claim. But I did find it for myself so you wouldn’t spoon feed me.
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June 7, 2017 at 11:02 am
With all due respect, Sir, if you keep abreast on reports from the Department of Justice, my statement does not need to be validated at all. It is simply common sense. Anyone who does not know that policing is biased at this point simply has not done their homework, because the evidence is available in abundance
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June 7, 2017 at 11:03 am
So the Washington post is not credible?
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June 7, 2017 at 11:06 am
Eh, it depends. Let me know what you think of my other police post. That one has a bunch of references for you. And by the way, dont think I have failed to notice your remarks are procedural instead of substantive. You are commenting on the way I made my argument, and not my actual argument itself.
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June 7, 2017 at 11:09 am
Not exactly true. It’s not how you made your argument, it’s the meat of it. The title is about oppression. Where oppression is mentioned in your article falls with the disproportionate killings. That is what I’m doing asking for statistics on. The title is oppression, I want to see the facts supporting oppression
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June 7, 2017 at 11:18 am
So let me get this straight: if a member of an oppressed community cannot prove to a member of an oppressor community that there is oppression, the oppression doesnt exist?
Alternative: the oppressor class will always demand a high standard of proof from the oppressed, because they do not want to believe/do not care about the oppression anyway.
Oppression does not have to be proven. It has to be eradicated. This is the problem with men. A woman says she was raped, and men inflate the standards of proof so that they can continue to believe rape never happens.
The demand for statistical proof when someone says they are being oppressed is attitude of an oppressor who does not want to do shit about the problem. It basically says: I am more concerned with you following the formal laws of logic and research than changing the systems that cause the problem.
THAT is why I said go find your own evidence. You do not really want to believe what I said anyway, you are more interested in disciplining me into making sure my writing is up to par, and using the scientific method, etc – all tools of a shitty civilization anyway. What are you going to do to stop the police from oppressing folks?
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June 7, 2017 at 11:24 am
So you immediately classify me as an oppressor? And why? Because I have found the factual numbers on the deaths caused by police and they do not back what you claim? Or is it solely because I’m white? And yes, your comments direct that I am the oppressor and you are a member of the oppression. Again, without knowing anything about me.
Let me guess, the next thing you will throw at me is white privilege? I promise you that if white privilege is working 55-60 hours a week just to try and make OT to get bills paid, I don’t want white privilege any longer.
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June 7, 2017 at 11:27 am
Yes, because you are white. And it is not about privilege. That is such a weak word. Its about POWER.
And because you seem to be a police officer. You have POWER. You are a white male police officer. If you do not understand how that makes you an oppressor, please read more of my posts.
Being a police officer, as bad as it is with the hours and pay, is still a choice. You can still give your two weeks notice. I cannot give two weeks notice on blackness. Theres a difference.
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June 7, 2017 at 11:29 am
Wow. So I am an oppressor because I am a white police officer? And that’s it? No other facts about me? Just a white police officer? This conversation is over sir. Have a great day
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June 7, 2017 at 11:34 am
Lol. Those ARE facts.
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June 7, 2017 at 11:36 am
No sir, those are your internal feelings. Would be no different if this same scenario played out again and me knowing nothing about you I turned and said you were a low down thieving, drug using, crackhead and a thug just because you’re black.
That is basically what u just did to me. But that’s cool. Live on bro.
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June 7, 2017 at 11:42 am
I am a black man. I have no power in this system. You are a white male. This system exists for your benefit. U have power.
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June 7, 2017 at 11:44 am
Lets do this.
Simple questions. Two of them:
Was this country established by white men for the benefit of white men in 1787?
At what point in time, what year, did this country become inclusive of everyone?
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June 7, 2017 at 11:39 am
Lol, so typical. You think your whiteness, maleness, and employment as an agent of government with the authority to kill citizens legally is immaterial .. and that I should consider other pointless personality traits about you like your favorite sports team. Oppression is ALWAYS based on race, sex, religion, etc. So your position in those groups makes you an oppressor whether you like it or not, sir. Read my article on the police that I linked to to explain why
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June 7, 2017 at 11:44 am
I refuse to. It seems to me you have too much hatred built up. Again, you know nothing about me. You simply cannot categorize millions of people because you feel the need to. When you can show proof that more blacks are being killed by white cops for no other reason than being black, then I’ll listen.
And I don’t have the authority to kill citizens, there is a use of force continuum that must be followed. Like it or not, believe it or not, not all police officer are this beastly image of kill kill kill oppress oppress oppress that you’ve dreamt up
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June 7, 2017 at 11:49 am
Lmao, here we go, “show more proof”. Like I said, read my other article. You dont really want to believe it anyway so its pointless
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June 7, 2017 at 11:03 am
I invite you to read my longer, more reference laden post: “Supporting the Police: Oppression With a Smile”. https://zoneofnonbeing.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/supporting-the-police-oppression-with-a-smile/
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June 7, 2017 at 11:25 am
Bottom line is, you can’t just claim to be something or claim that something has happened without being able to prove it
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June 7, 2017 at 11:54 am
I can claim whatever I want on my blog. You can always X out of it and go on to another blog. I do not have to prove anything to you. As I said if you had been keeping up with reports from the Department of Justice and various law enforcement agencies around the country it is clear that police departments are biased. President Obama acknowledge this. Eric Holder acknowledged this. If you had kept up and are keeping up with reports from various law enforcement agencies around the country you would already know this. No one is asking anyone for proof that Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 because it is obvious at this point.
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June 7, 2017 at 11:57 am
You should have proof yourself. Instead this blog is dead because you have no proof of titled oppression. But get your followers going and start a movement for whatever makes you feel good. I know the numbers of who was killed. I’ve seen the numbers on their race, their gender, their mental illness, their threat level and if they had a weapon or not. Simply put, it doesn’t add up for your fantasy world.
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June 7, 2017 at 12:18 pm
Oh really? Give me that evidence.
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June 7, 2017 at 12:29 pm
I’m not going to spoon feed you. You’re an adult. The information is there. Look for it. Sound familiar?
What the DOJ is referring to is the fact that while yes a higher number of whites were killed by police than blacks, the issue lies in the fact that blacks make up about 13% of the population. That is what the DOJ is referring to
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June 7, 2017 at 12:32 pm
“The issue lies in the fact that blacks make up about 13% of the population” . Im sorry, how is that an issue?
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June 7, 2017 at 12:34 pm
Mathematics would show that blacks are more likely to be killed due to the low population not because it’s some type of purge as you’re believing.
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June 7, 2017 at 12:37 pm
…have you ever taken a statistics course, sir? I ask respectfully.
You arent even reading the reports correctly. The proper reading is this: yes, whites are killed MORE, but blacks are killed at a disproportionately higher RATE. There are more whites in the population (60+%) so more whites being killed is expected. But since there are LESS blacks but they are killed at a rate that is 3X the national population, that is discrimination.
This is the problem. I can tell from your statement you have no understanding of the reports.
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June 7, 2017 at 1:07 pm
So it also has nothing to do with the fact that blacks are arrested 5.35 to 1 in the state of California for committing violent crimes. So make up 13% of the population, commit the highest percentage of violent crimes to include black on black crimes, nearly 2 to 1 white ppl are killed by police verses blacks but because blacks make up 13% of the population, they’re more likely to get killed?
Does it have anything to do with blacks are more likely to have violent encounters with police because of the crime rate in which they have chosen to participate in?
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June 7, 2017 at 12:21 pm
I have told you 3 times to read my article and you have not. Saying the police murder blacks disproportionately is a statement the DOJ agrees with. You are defending a null point. You are living in a fantasy world
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June 7, 2017 at 11:55 am
So the fact that you are still looking for proof even though there is a bunch of proof out there and it is common sense at this point means you do not want to believe this. You are hinged to a reality that is Thoroughly unhinged.
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June 7, 2017 at 1:17 pm
In 2015 990 people were shot and killed by police. 495 were white and 258 were black. All but 93 of the 990 were armed. Of the 93 unarmed encounters, 32 were white and 38 were black.
You cannot just look at death statistics without also factoring in the crime rate statistics. If blacks are committing more crime then statistics would show they are more likely to have an encounter with police.
If a town had 60% black ppl and 13% white ppl and the white ppl chose to speed through town 60-70% of the time and end up getting caught more because they speed more, does that show discrimination? Of course it doesn’t. Again, you’re looking at end results and not events leading up to.
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June 7, 2017 at 1:23 pm
I can’t take credit for this article and you probably won’t read it, but I did. I read it in its entirety. Over a decade of research went in to this article. You should take the time to read it. It shows you events and reasons leading up to potential encounters with police because of crime. It will also show you that police don’t go around LOOKING FOR BLACKS, POOR, NATIVES OR MENTALLY ILL just to pick a fight with and shoot.
Take http://www.truthjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Color-Of-Crime-2016.pdf
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June 7, 2017 at 1:43 pm
Thank you for sending it. I will read it. I am at work right now though. I will get back to you in a while with my thoughts.
I spent a while researching and writing my other piece on Supporting the Police. You should read that one, if you have time.
Speak soon
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June 7, 2017 at 1:44 pm
I am also going to write an article about the demand for statistical evidence and how it upholds white supremacy, but I am away from my library right now – so when it is done, I will send that new piece to you, since it is in response to your demand for evidence . Thanks!
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September 26, 2017 at 12:43 am
Don’t you ever get tired of playing the victims?
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September 26, 2017 at 4:42 pm
Being a victim is not a game that is “played”. Only an oppressor would think otherwise.
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September 26, 2017 at 4:44 pm
Do me a favor. This is another article I wrote. Read the section on “But All Cops Aren’t Bad” out loud to your husband for me. I will be eternally grateful =D
https://zoneofnonbeing.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/supporting-the-police-oppression-with-a-smile/
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September 26, 2017 at 4:03 pm
I suppose my comment of you getting tired of playing a victim hit a nerve. Lol. Here’s a few facts – not faceless statistics – for you. These weren’t gathered by pouring over data and then using it any way you see fit to prove a point. This is firsthand knowledge. I know you’ll delete this comment because it cuts your argument and exposes your own bias. Here are the facts:
My husband is a police officer. Like clockwork, when he tells me there has been a shooting or violent crime, I can tell you where it occurred and the general description of the suspect and most often, the victim.
19 times out of 20, the shooting occurred on the east side of town and it was black on black crime or on the rare occasion black on white.
Where is your outrage against these violent criminals? Where is your calling for truth here?
I suppose it’s easier for you to spotlight smaller occurrences than those happening everyday in every city.
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September 26, 2017 at 4:41 pm
For some reason, based on the introduction to your commentary, I had high hopes for your conclusion. The way you built it up was nice, but in the end, it was anti-climactic. Overall, your entire argument is not based on “facts” as you claim – but rather, the fact that you are married to a police officer who comes home and tells you about his day oppressing people. If you are trying to be factual, delve into empirical reality: cite some studies and give me the actual references, give me some statistics, etc.
Let ME give YOU some facts:
1). The white on white crime rate is 86%. The black on black crime rate is 93%. That is the nature of crime: people always hurt those who are close to them, in a familial sense, and geographical sense. Communities are still segregated, so it makes sense that white people harm other white people and blacks do the same. Why is it that the former is never framed as a “race problem”, while the latter is? Most serial killers are white. Why is that never framed as a race problem? And when we talk about terrorism, it is a fact that most of the terrorist attacks on American soil are committed by WHITE NATIONALISTS.
2). If you are really interested in locking up all the “violent criminals” – just take a look at your local police department. Police officers have rates of sexual abuse higher than the general population. In fact, the rate at which police are FIRED for sexual assault is higher than the rate at which Catholic priests were exposed.
3). America is still segregated. Black people live in black areas and white people live in white areas. Black folks are much more likely to be poor; thus meaning they lack access to transportation (and public transportation is being slashed). The same cannot be said of white folks across the board. So, tell me, how do you figure there is a significant amount of black on white crime? Black people do not even come in contact with white folks on a regular basis — that is how segregation works! Segregation functions to keep the races separate. Therefore, the rate of black on white crime is negligible, and I challenge you to cite a PEER REVIEWED/REPUTABLE study that says otherwise. A screenshot of a Trump tweet won’t cut it, sweetie.
4). You said you are married to a police officer. Here are a few fun facts about police families: police officers have the HIGHEST rates of spousal abuse/domestic violence. This is common sense, and this is also held up by several studies. Police are trained murderers and they bring that violence home with them. So when you say you are married to be a police officer, honestly, my first inclination is to say I am sorry, and ask are you okay?
5). We always hear about terrorism this and terrorism that. On the news, we see a picture of some dark-skinned dude with a beard and Arab sounding name and automatically think we are in danger. But if we are being honest and being mindful of the objective scientific research on the matter: YOU ARE 8 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE KILLED BY A POLICE OFFICER THAN A “TERRORIST.” Where is your calling for truth here?
6). It is not a “small occurrence”. One black person is killed by the police every 28 hours.
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September 26, 2017 at 10:05 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with you that we are still segregated. This is not done on purpose in my opinion. To use your logical, humans tend to want to reside among that which they identify with. As far as the poverty portion of your argument, white people are poor too. Think of those in Appalachia. Poverty is again in my opinion in the hands of the impoverished. There are ways out. One just has to have the desire to rise above their own status quo. I will gladly take a look at my own local police department. By in large I see a vast amount of officers doing good work. Are there bad one? You better believe it but for every bad one, there are 100 who would gladly give their life for yours.
I am married to one of those 100. My husband has never raised a hand to me and to even insular that he has just because of his profession is laughable. Can I give you statistics? Sure I can but why would I want to when I can give you so much more? What I offered you wasn’t an academic view rather a firsthand account. For some reason, those are considered less valuable? I encourage you to come out from behind your data and place your boots on the ground. Talk to some of these officers. Go on a ride along. I think you will see there is a vast difference in your numbers and real time events. Just try it. What have you got to lose? If nothing else, you’d have on heck of a blog entry.
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September 26, 2017 at 10:39 pm
Thank you for your response.
Segregation is not an accident. It was, is, and always will be intentional. Consider the fact that black people, when answering surveys, state they prefer to live in mixed communities. White people, on the other hand, prefer to live in segregated – all white – communities. This is why property values decline when black people move into white areas: the white folks decide to sell their houses and move away. So it is not about a biological human identification … it is about racism and classism. Black people live in areas with other black people because banks and realtors, as they did decades ago, conspire to keep them in certain areas. No one chooses to live in ghettos. The ghetto is the consequence of housing discrimination (this happened to the Jews).
Yes, white people are poor, too. But white poverty is different than black poverty. When white folks are poor, they are more likely to receive wealth and money from their more stable family members. Black people are generationally poor, so this is not a commonality. Poverty is not created equal.
There are ways out of poverty, and some people do get out, but these are exceptions. The fact is that a person who was born to poor parents is more likely to be poor. And since you already conceded that there is segregation, you must also admit that this impacts their trajectories. Living in poverty means lower property values, which leads to lower property taxes going to fund public education. We all know the quality of an education determines wealth in the future. So if black people are FORCED to attend poor schools, they are forced into low paying jobs as well.
I am glad your husband has never beat you.
This is a structural problem, one that cannot be solved or understood on a ride a long. Besides, I am black – so the odds are already high that I will end up in the back of a cop car on a ride a long to jail for that reason alone.
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