doorhinge isn’t nearly as notable as Smapti or Steophan; he’s just dancing around in a desperate bid for attention. It’s kind of pathetic, really, were I inclined to pity and I am not.
Ignoring the any possible black vs white discrepancy.
These number show how relatively SAFE being ARRESTED by a cop is. Not stopped, ARRESTED.
I live near a major highway. Somebody dies on that road with regularity. My WAG is about 30K folks per day. A month or so of driving that highway is more dangerous than any random cop encounter.
Ignoring the any possible black vs white discrepancy.
These number show how relatively SAFE being ARRESTED by a cop is. Not stopped, ARRESTED.
I live near a major highway. Somebody dies on that road with regularity. My WAG is about 30K folks per day drive that road going to/from work. A month or so of driving that highway is more dangerous than any random cop encounter. And that IS a stop were either me or the cop or usually both is dickish enough that the encounter leads to an actual arrest
I commend you for offering the possibility in the second paragraph, which I think challenges some of the notions you’ve previously put forward.
What the fuck? 
The thing is, it’s pure speculation on my part, because we don’t (based solely on the article you linked to) have any explanations backed with real data. In the past, I’ve questioned using racism as an explanation when there is data that suggests otherwise, and explanations that do fit the data, yet people still claim that racism must somehow be involved.
It would (in theory at least) be easy to test my hypothesis, by getting data on how long people stayed in jail before dying. If there was no significant difference between blacks and whites, it would show it was wrong. It would also be easy to look at the ages, and see if there’s a significant difference.
Point being, it’s fine to speculate that racism may be involved, or any other factor for that matter, but it’s not fine to claim that any difference must be due to racism.
Steophan, I’m going to cut you some slack because IIRC you’re from the opposite side of the pond. Use what you do know about America to answer the following question:
Can you find examples similar to the Sandra Bland “arrest” where racial identities were reversed, where a black cop mistreated a white driver? Couldn’t even find one, hunh? Now suppose that you did find one. What do you think the public reaction would be in a place like Texas? Do you think there’s any chance that black cop would still have his job?
I think that’s what I’ve been doing, even in our disagreements – while I probably have been placing a higher likelihood that racism is involved then you, I’m pretty sure I’ve not stated that some particular statistical difference must necessarily certainly and without a doubt be due to racism.
I think that, at least at first, you phrased things in a way that could easily be interpreted as though you thought it must be racism, and that even if the statistics don’t show it anecdotal evidence shows it is racism, rather than shows that it needs further examination. I think that in many situations, not just race, people assume prejudice or bigotry when something bad happens to them, even if it’s not the case.
I can only speak for myself, and say that if I were mistreated by a cop I wouldn’t consider his (or my) race to be a factor unless it was made explicit. I suspect that would be the case in much of America, including parts of Texas - from what I know of that state it contains some of the most and the least progressive (for want of a better term) people in America.
I’m not aware of any situations where a black cop has been sacked but a white one wouldn’t be, and as you say I can’t find much in the way of reports of black cop/white citizen mistreatment - the only ones I find on Google are on racist blogs. Again, possibly because like most black-on-white crime, it’s not considered racist or racially motivated. I also think it’s correct that the vast majority of such crime isn’t a hate crime.
So, I’d expect if I did find one, unless the cop was explicitly racist, he wouldn’t be sacked - unless the offence was so bad that it would have got any other cop sacked.
[In Iraq, I raided insurgents. In Virginia, the police raided me.](In Iraq, I raided insurgents. In Virginia, the police raided me.)
I think history will show that the heightened police brutality we’re experiencing right now can be traced directly to the War on Terror. We’re reaping here what we have sown elsewhere.
So he laid still, didn’t make any sudden movements, kept his hands where thcould be seen, complied fully with police officers, and he survived completely unhurt?
It’s almost as if what I’ve been saying over the past 100 pages of thread actually works.
Hey,
Let’s not get carried away now.
They should have shot him anyway, for equality.
No, the whole point of the story is that those type of police actions make the public distrust the police.
Agree, but think it got a running start with the War On (Some) Drugs.
I don’t think there was any response to this upthread!
Those of you in this thread who are finding themselves more inclined to defend police actions than others in this thread: Does the above seem to you to be a clear case of police using violence inappropriately?
That cop should not have been given the chance to quit. He should have been fired.
Good article. Same lesson as in the 1988 film Colors.