The problem is that police violence against people of color isnt an aberration. Nationally, the data confirm what every person of color in America knows: Black teenagers are 21 times more likely to be shot dead by police than white. The methods of killing are broadening, from chokeholds to Tasers, and the apparatus of violence is widening, too -- think of Troy Davis and Trayvon Martin, in addition to those killed by uniformed agents of the law. The national police killing epidemic rests comfortably on a pedestal of racially discriminatory police practices, including stop-and-frisk and broken windows tactics by local cops that traumatize millions of young men and sweep hundreds of thousands of them into the criminal justice system for offenses no more serious than having a loose joint. Bias in sentencing treats white offenders more leniently than people of color. The result is the mass incarceration of African Americans, and the legalized forms of discrimination that follow, from the denial of the right to vote, housing discrimination, ineligibility for government benefits and more. Last, the militarization of local police forces is also a systemic problem; it encourages law enforcement to act like storm troopers, not public servants, and contributes to both violence and violations of constitutional rights. huffingtonpost/vincent-warren/beyond-the-indictments-bl_b_6159218.html?utm_content=buffer323aa&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=buffer
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 15:03:44 +0000
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