Yep, Pretty Much What You Would Expect

I get called cynic a lot when it comes to racial matters.

Folks tell me I see what I want to see. That I'm overly focused on this white/black thing, and that impairs my ability to think clearly. They believe I have a bias that impacts my intelligence.

I get that a lot.

Then I read stuff like this and this.

So, what am I to believe?

As those links show, there seems to be a problem with cops, particularly white cops, shooting black men. Look, I know there is more of a problem with black men shooting black men. I know there is a problem with the amount of power the police have in our society in general. Yet, those two larger problems don't change the fact that far too many black men get shot by white cops.

Certain folks will argue that black men bring it on themselves. It's their own actions that cause police to stop and search them at far higher rates than their white counterparts. See, despite the fact that white men between the ages of 18-35 are more likely to use illegal drugs than any other group, black men are the ones you have to look out for if you're looking for drugs. Just check out what the police chief in Homer, La. had to say about his department's policing policies.

"If I see three or four young black men walking down the street, I have to stop them and check their names," said Mills, who is white. "I want them to be afraid every time they see the police that they might get arrested. We're not out there trying to abuse and harass people—we're trying to protect the law-abiding citizens locked behind their doors in fear."

Not only is he blatantly extolling the benefits of racial profiling despite the fact that the statistics that say white folks are more likely to have drugs, he's actually admitting that his role as a police officer is to instill fear in black people. He wants black people, regardless of their guilt or innocence, to feel that they don't have the right to travel in groups of four or more because they are risking police harassment.

And I'm supposed to have a positive attitude about race?

A 73-year old black man got gunned down in his front yard while hanging out with his family. The young son of a professional baseball player was gunned down while sitting in his own car in front of his own home. Yet, some folks would have you believe it's only belligerent behavior by black males that leads to police shootings and beating. If only black men would learn the rules of the world, they would be safe like their white counterparts who get to carry drugs and own illegal weapons with damn near impunity.

This sentiment is baffling and predictable. It's baffling that people could be so blind to reality, so willfully ignorant of the foibles of humanity. Honestly, do people think police officers are inhuman? Do you think they possess some special reserves of honesty and good will? If you believe that, please explain why. And if you don't believe that, then explain to me why you find it so hard to believe that they might be abusing black people for no other reason than it's easier to do their jobs that way.

It's predictable because people always seem to search for a reason to justify their own biases, and avoid situations that would force them to re-evaluate their worldview. Some folks seem to find critical thinking uncomfortable, whether it be about race, religion or health care. It's simple really. Why are so many black men getting shot and beaten by the cops when they don't carry more drugs than their white counterparts? Let's start the discussion from there and see what happens.

But, I doubt that will happen. Like the councilmen in that story about Homer, La. most white folks, especially conservative white folks, would prefer if black people just get over it. Even though they will complain that the justice system is screwed up and that police are overstepping their boundaries, they don't want to use that common sense when looking at the interactions between the police and black folks. They'd rather stick to pat responses and abrupt dismissals.

Pretty much what you would expect.




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