More MLK Day Questions
Oh Gail, why was an unarmed black man shot to death by the police this weekend? Were the police fearful that he had a weapon? Oh, yeah, he was naked. Nothing short of deadly force was needed by two strong MALE police officers? There were no batons? No tasers? No beanbag-firing shotgun? They just had to kill him?
This is seldom the standard operating procedure in white Beverly Hills. Is this an isolated incident or the residue of fear, suspicion and racism? Our police chief calls the questioning of this shooting "disappointing." Not questioning would be outrageous!
P.S. Your statistic on black males in jail is way off. Though the percentage of young black men who have encountered the judicial system is appalling, it is nowhere near 35.5%. That would be over 3 million. The best number available is around 6%. This is still 6 times the percentage of white males. The highest figures seem to be around 16% of black males from 18 to 25 who had dropped out of highschool.
Yes, certainly, local culture plays a part in all this but so do history, racism, education and unequal justice.
©2011 Jonathan Dobrer
www.Dobrer.com
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