# Should People of Color trust the police? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 12, 2017, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-of-color-trust-the-police/786433 "2017-05-12T06:41:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-of-color-trust-the-police/786433/81 "2017-05-18T01:15:28Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > They’re not the same. LE use of deadly force have nothing to do with whether the suspect was engaged in a violent crime. Police use deadly force only when the person they are taking into custody presents a thread of death or serious injury to the officer or other citizens, regardless of the nature of the original offense. A person who robs a bank but immediately puts down their gun when they see the police arrive will likely not be shot (assuming the suspect doesn’t make any furtive movements). A person who shoplifts from a dollar store & then pulls a knife when confronted by an officer is likely to be shot justifiably. > > And this speaks to the huge amount of mis-information that the public goes by in making judgements about LE. How many people think that cops have to read suspects their rights as soon as they put the silver bracelets on? Lots! Yet that is a false perception put out by Hollywood that infects people’s views of LE (Miranda Rights need to be read only when a cop wishes to question a subject about a crime that the officer suspects the person of committing. Thus, no questioning - no need to “mirandize.” > > And what reason to allege abuse? Look at what people are awarded by cities that roll over the instant a suit is filed - regardless of merit. Most municipalities find it cheaper to settle than to fight in court. So while cities are handing out money to people w/o any trial, the public is left w/ the perception that the money is being awarded because the allegation is true. Municipalities settling lawsuits have a lot more to do with cost effectiveness than merit. This does nothing to address any actual concerns – would you say this about any ratio? If the LAPD, for example, killed 20 black people per day, but killed zero white people, would you be concerned that there was a possibility of some wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior? I think the ratio (approx 21 to 9, though the shooting numbers are not well reported) could be concerning, and answering that cops only shoot bad people isn’t good enough, especially when we have multiple examples of cops shooting the wrong people (who usually turn out to be black). ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-of-color-trust-the-police/786433/82 "2017-05-18T02:55:30Z")
Each shooting should be investigated & judged based on the facts in each individual case, not on percentages. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-of-color-trust-the-police/786433/83 "2017-05-18T09:33:18Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > Each shooting should be investigated & judged based on the facts in each individual case, not on percentages. If there is a larger pattern, or there might be, it’s reasonable to consider the possibility of a systemic problem. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-of-color-trust-the-police/786433/84 "2017-05-18T09:41:20Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > And what reason to allege abuse? I don’t suppose “Department of Justice investigations that found widespread patterns of abuse in, among others, Ferguson, Baltimore, and Chicago” would count as a reason, would it? IMO we’re _well_ past “alleging”, and have moved on to “stating earnestly and accurately”. The question is not “is there abuse” but rather “what do we do about this horrible abuse”. > [@](#): > > Look at what people are awarded by cities that roll over the instant a suit is filed - regardless of merit. Most municipalities find it cheaper to settle than to fight in court. So while cities are handing out money to people w/o any trial, the public is left w/ the perception that the money is being awarded because the allegation is true. Municipalities settling lawsuits have a lot more to do with cost effectiveness than merit. Citation needed. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-of-color-trust-the-police/786433/85 "2017-05-18T13:34:09Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I don’t know what it is, but BLM and their supporters seem to pick the absolutely-shittiest causes celebre. There are some really sympathetic black victims of police violence out there, but Michael Brown isn’t one of them. Even the [most sympathetic victims](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/betty-shelby-not-guilty-first-degree-manslaughter/) don’t seem to see much more in the way of results in the criminal justice system. Summary: unarmed man shot while walking towards his car with his hands up. Officer who shot him argued she thought he was going for a weapon in the SUV, but had already searched the vehicle and shot him before he reached the car. Other officers were on scene and told her they had tasers ready to deploy. Not guilty of manslaughter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-of-color-trust-the-police/786433.md?page=4)