General Discussion

loyalsister

(13,390 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 07:37 PM Dec 2014

Who Are Police Killing?

While recent killings by police in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City receive national attention, the fact is that from 1999 through 2011, American law enforcement officers killed 4,531 people, 96 percent by firearms and 96 percent of them men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.* The rate of police killings of African Americans has fallen by 70 percent over the last 40-50 years, but their risk remains much higher than that of Whites, Latinos, and Asians.

The five states or jurisdictions where a person is most likely to be killed by law enforcement are New Mexico, Nevada, District of Columbia, Oregon, and Maryland. California ranks sixth from the top. Alabama, North Carolina, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York are the safest (or, perhaps, the worst at reporting).

The racial group most likely to be killed by law enforcement is Native Americans, followed by African Americans, Latinos, Whites, and Asian Americans.

http://www.cjcj.org/news/8113#.VHatOxnacZQ.facebook

3 replies

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Who Are Police Killing? (Original Post) loyalsister Dec 2014 OP

Americans, they are killing Americans, some groups better represented than others. NoJusticeNoPeace Dec 2014 #1

Well said loyalsister Dec 2014 #3

This should not be acceptable to anyone! csziggy Dec 2014 #2

NoJusticeNoPeace

(5,018 posts)

1. Americans, they are killing Americans, some groups better represented than others.

Reply to loyalsister (Original post)

Mon Dec 1, 2014, 07:44 PM

Dec 2014

But until AMERICANS decide that ANY and all police killing is wrong, or most of it anyway, until ALL Americans make it clear to the police community that killing ANY citizen better god damn be an EXTREMELY rare occurrence, better god damn be an action of last resort where there was NO ALTERNATIVE, until we ALL demand that, we will have a problem.

The reason we wont ALL demand that is many of us are just fine with WHO the police are killing, because many of US simply dont see our neighbors or relatives being shot for listening to loud music, eating skittles, jaywalking or playing with toy guns.

Since most of us see that happening to "those other people", most of us just dont see a problem.

loyalsister

(13,390 posts)

3. Well said

Reply to NoJusticeNoPeace (Reply #1)

Mon Dec 1, 2014, 08:21 PM

Dec 2014

"Unlikely to be killed by police" should be among the white privilege list. As we know, privilege is something many are unwilling to part with.

csziggy

(34,131 posts)

2. This should not be acceptable to anyone!

Reply to loyalsister (Original post)

Mon Dec 1, 2014, 08:19 PM

Dec 2014

I wish the charts on that page could be posted here - they really tell a story.

What is encouraging is that it seems as though things are getting better: "In the late 1960s, nearly 100 young black men under age 25 were killed by law enforcement every year. Even as the black youth and young adult population doubled over the last 40 years, police shootings of young black men fell to around 35 per year in the 2000s, a rate decline of 79 percent. While younger African Americans were the victims in 1 in 4 killings by police in the 1968-74 period and 1 in 7 in 1975-84, today, that proportion is 1 in 10."

Let's keep that rate of improvement up by keeping a bright light on the police.

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