There's no statistics for this kind of thing

[GoodEnoughForMe]

As to the larger question if the US justice system is categorically racist:

 

[trader/warrior]

That's selection bias though. "What he says matches the extreme cases we've seen in the past." - yeah, obviously. But how many cases are that compared to the overall number of cases? How many thousands upon thousands of cases every day happen without anything problematic to be reported? You only see the extreme cases, you simply cannot look at these and then draw the conclusion that that's "probably what's happening everywhere all the time."

Yes, I think I said myself that there isn't any hard proof. How would we know how many and whom unreported incidences of police brutality and abuses of justice affect? Absence of evidence does not indicate evidence of absence, this is kind of what the initial thread topic is about. On some topics you just have to keep an informed opinion on what limited information you have, included related statistics and evidence of the broader policing trends that have significant racial issues.

In the end my opinion on this subject on this topic is pretty open because of the lack of hard proof, just leaning towards one side based on what limited information I have.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

That's sort of the whole point of the thread; there is no data because the police are a totally unreliable source. This isn't news to me. I've watched a deputy commit blatant perjury to make a traffic ticket stick. What would you put past that guy if his career were on the line?

 

[trader/warrior]

And I should say, had I only read the part quoted in the OP I would not say "Wow, how racist.", just "Wow, that's police brutality". There's more to the whole article, and and it should be considered in that context as an example of a wider trend he claimed to have observed.

 

[warpus]

That's sort of the whole point of the thread; there is no data because the police are a totally unreliable source. This isn't news to me. I've watched a deputy commit blatant perjury to make a traffic ticket stick. What would you put past that guy if his career were on the line?

The main problem is not a racist police force, the main problem is a corrupt police force that has no oversight. The racist policies and acts come out as a result of that, in certain districts, IMO.

I'm a white dude and I wouldn't mess with the cops in the U.S. You answer their questions, smile, say "yes sir", and do not make any sudden movements, not even with your scrotum. You stand still, pretend you're not human for a while, and play nice. Same as at the border. I can't imagine how much harder interacting with cops it has got to be for visible minorities.

Once racism creeps into a police force, why would it ever go away? Who's there to make it go away? Nobody's looking over these people.

 

[Farm Boy]

Oh, hierarchy and dominance are very human things to experience. It's just unpleasant to undeniably get the business end of them and jarring when you aren't used to it.

Also, racism doesn't creep into the force. It comes in with the people. Procedures to purge racism's actionability is probably a more productive way of looking at it since you aren't going to "keep it out." Hell, the sort of work that is policing probably spawns prejudgements when left unaddressed and uncontrolled.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Do you not have anything like this over there?

 

[Farm Boy]

As with all good questions about the law in America, you need an answer tailored to where you are and what jurisdiction you're in.

 

[rah]

I'm a white dude and I wouldn't mess with the cops in the U.S. You answer their questions, smile, say "yes sir", and do not make any sudden movements, not even with your scrotum. You stand still, pretend you're not human for a while, and play nice. Same as at the border. I can't imagine how much harder interacting with cops it has got to be for visible minorities.

This was the first thing my dad taught me. But we 'white guys' have one big advantage in that when most of grew up, police were to be respected (because they were usually courteous to us, and our parents reinforced the opinion) and it made a big difference because cops can tell when you treat them with respect and usually will respond in kind.

I don't piss off a waiter that's going to be handling my food, so why should I piss off a power hungry person with a gun.

So the long term goal is that cops should act in a way that commands respect

 

[Lexicus]

Racism doesn't need to "creep in" to anything in the United States. The question is how we drive it out.