# What exactly do cops have to fear from black males? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819 "2014-10-09T02:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/41 "2014-10-11T12:29:06Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > So let’s say I buy those stats without question. It would also mean the average White cop has almost nothing to fear given Black usually kill other Blacks, right? No, the stats showed that Blacks were usually killed _by_ other Blacks - that is, that White-on-Black killing is rare. It didn’t say anything about Black-on-White. Logic 101. ---
**Author:** ![Waymore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Waymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waymore)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/42 "2014-10-13T00:36:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Right – young black men, apparently, are in 21 times more danger than young white men. That’s a remarkable difference. > > Do young black men commit 21 times more crime than young white men? I’m pretty sure the answer is no. I’m not seeing the correlation. No black man, or anybody of any race or gender, should ever be the victim of police brutality. If 100% of violent crimes were committed by a certain group, still wouldn’t make it right for them to be brutalized. But, just as a pragmatic point, the more likely you are to come into contact with the police, the more likely your chances of having a bad encounter. > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Who doesn’t take both sets of facts seriously? **Monstro** ’s last post seemed to discount crime statistics. “Yes, there are black people who have given up and turned to criminality. But are these “individual choices”, or reactions to centuries of the same BULLSHIT. If cops are going to assume I’m a criminal anyway, what’s my motivation to be law-abiding? If people are able to watch a video of me being harrassed and terrorized in my own community and all they can do is moralize about my baggy jeans and use of AAVE, then **why should I care about those people’s property or their lives.** ” The part in bold seems like an out and out threat. Read **Stuffy** and **beowulff** ’s post upthread. They pretty much dismiss police brutality. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/43 "2014-10-13T01:57:36Z")
I wonder if 21 times the crime are committed by a percentage pf Black males, or a few Black males commit 21% of the crimes. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/44 "2014-10-13T02:45:41Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > But are these “individual choices”, or reactions to centuries of the same BULLSHIT. Individual choices. Next question. > [@](#): > > If cops are going to assume I’m a criminal anyway, what’s my motivation to be law-abiding? Morality and a sense of personal dignity. Next. > [@](#): > > If people are able to watch a video of me being harassed and terrorized in my own community and all they can do is moralize about my baggy jeans and use of AAVE, then why should I care about those people’s property or _their_ lives. Same answer. **monstro** , askin’ the tough questions. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/45 "2014-10-13T12:12:37Z")
The practical reality of crime is very simple. The vast majority of crimes are committed by the same relatively small population percentage. This is not a race issue. There are plenty of whites, blacks, hispanics and asians that commit crimes. The truth is that a single person can create what can appear as a crime wave. Every big city has certain sections that simply are the source for much of the violent crime. Pop on down to downtown St Louis tonight and walk around for a few hours. Tomorrow, come on back and tell me how the cops are just being totally paranoid. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/46 "2014-10-13T13:40:21Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > The practical reality of crime is very simple. The vast majority of crimes are committed by the same relatively small population percentage. This is not a race issue. There are plenty of whites, blacks, hispanics and asians that commit crimes. The truth is that a single person can create what can appear as a crime wave. > > Every big city has certain sections that simply are the source for much of the violent crime. Pop on down to downtown St Louis tonight and walk around for a few hours. Tomorrow, come on back and tell me how the cops are just being totally paranoid. The practical reality is a bit more complex. Those sections of big cities that are source of much of the violent crime more often than not have a population demographic that skews toward “poor” and “black”. There are certainly poor violent white sections of cities as well. However, I do believe that there is more of a racial element (real or perceived) when the police patrol predominantly black communities. Often the police are outsiders to those community, which creates more of an “occupation” mentality on both sides. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/47 "2014-10-13T16:12:24Z")
> [@Waymore](#): > > Read **Stuffy** and **beowulff** ’s post upthread. They pretty much dismiss police brutality. 1. Don’t put words in my mouth. 2. Don’t put words in my mouth. 3. I don’t dismiss police brutality. I just refuse to engage in the bullshit that passes for reasonable debate on this issue when it clear to anyone but white people what’s going on. But no, yet again just like last week, and week before and the week before that… here we are again ignoring the elephant in the room. Well fuck that. It’s racism pure and simple. When police encounter black people they see niggers without rights who should bow down to their authority. America does not like Niggers. The End. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/48 "2014-10-14T16:19:01Z")
I wish to live in such an obviously black and white, no grey simple little world like your’s, but unfortunately, I am stuck here in reality land. Bummer. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/49 "2014-10-14T16:39:00Z")
> [@Stuffy](#): > > 1. Don’t put words in my mouth. > 2. Don’t put words in my mouth. > 3. I don’t dismiss police brutality. I just refuse to engage in the bullshit that passes for reasonable debate on this issue when it clear to anyone but white people what’s going on. But no, yet again just like last week, and week before and the week before that… here we are again ignoring the elephant in the room. Well fuck that. It’s racism pure and simple. When police encounter black people they see niggers without rights who should bow down to their authority. America does not like Niggers. The End. You accuse police of stereo typing black people yet you can stereotype police??? We have a lot of interactions between blacks, whites and police everyday in this country, not all of them go bad. Maybe only a small fraction of them go bad. No doubt we have racist cops and no doubt we have racist blacks but is it fair to stero type any of them? ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/50 "2014-10-14T17:10:00Z")
Find me videos of a bunch of white people being routinely violated by cops and then I will think about cutting the police some slack. But right now I feel they might as well be wearing white hoods or flashing gang signs, in any event I’m under no delusion that ‘serve and protect’ applies to my black ass. ---
**Author:** ![LynnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/51 "2014-10-15T10:49:14Z")
I’ve seen this statistic a number of times: Twenty-five percent of adult black males are convicted felons. Is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/52 "2014-10-15T12:58:11Z")
Stuffy, Perhaps part of the reason for some of the negative contact between Police and black men is partially explained by your attitude? The Police are people too and if you project the incredible amount of anger and attitude that you show here at the Police, perhaps you are making a situation that doesn’t need to be negative, negative. The idea that every cop is racist and out to get you is absurd and frankly, paranoid. It is also a rediculously simplistic view of reality. NOTHING is that simple. There are thousands upon thousands of contacts between the Police and citizenry every day. We have what? Perhaps a dozen videos of Police acting badly. Sure, SOME Police act very badly and nobody wants to justify their poor behavior. In reality, I wish that prosecutors would stop giving these bad Officers slack. At the same time, the bad officers appear to be a drop in the bucket compared to the ones who aren’t making such horrid decisions. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/53 "2014-10-15T14:56:34Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > Stuffy, > > Perhaps part of the reason for some of the negative contact between Police and black men is partially explained by your attitude? The Police are people too and if you project the incredible amount of anger and attitude that you show here at the Police, perhaps you are making a situation that doesn’t need to be negative, negative. The beatings will continue until morale improves? This has got to be one of the most paternalistic tone deaf responses I have ever heard here. Are you George Will? > [@](#): > > The idea that every cop is racist and out to get you is absurd and frankly, paranoid. It is also a rediculously simplistic view of reality. NOTHING is that simple. Hmm, things seemed incredibly simplistic a second ago when you were blaming the vicitms of police brutatility on the bad attitudes of those damn darkies. > [@](#): > > There are thousands upon thousands of contacts between the Police and citizenry every day. We have what? Perhaps a dozen videos of Police acting badly. We have one of these discussions nearly weekly, but since it only black folk… > [@](#): > > Sure, SOME Police act very badly and nobody wants to justify their poor behavior. In reality, I wish that prosecutors would stop giving these bad Officers slack. At the same time, the bad officers appear to be a drop in the bucket compared to the ones who aren’t making such horrid decisions. Please reread your first sentence then come back. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/54 "2014-10-16T11:52:51Z")
Stuffy, Are you purposely trying to twist what I am saying? I am not in any way attempting to justify nor minimize the criminal acts of bad Police officers. What I am saying is that there are thousands of Police Officers in the US and with the advent of easily transportable cameras, the bad ones are being revealed. This is a good thing that can only lead to a better, more trustworthy Police force IF the bad behavior is punished by prosecutors. I am not suggesting that your attitude is justification for bad acts by Police Officers. What I am saying is that when you lead with a hateful attitude, it tends to come right back at you. This isn’t restricted to the Police. If you lead with hate towards a 7-11 clerk, you shouldn’t expect a warm and friendly attitude from them. Your insistence that all Cops = bad is silly ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/55 "2014-10-16T11:55:26Z")
Stuffy, I have to wonder if you are black at all. Your attempts to paint what I am saying as racist are stupid and sound more like a white person attempting to play black. Seriously? Those ‘darkies?’ Grow up. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/56 "2014-10-16T13:36:17Z")
> [@LynnM](#): > > I’ve seen this statistic a number of times: > > Twenty-five percent of adult black males are convicted felons. > > Is this correct? Given that many guys in Arkansas have committed crimes while on parole or with a suspended sentence, I wonder if the same person convicted five times constitutes one or five convicted felons in the statistics. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/57 "2014-10-16T15:05:43Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > Stuffy, > > Are you purposely trying to twist what I am saying? > > I am not in any way attempting to justify nor minimize the criminal acts of bad Police officers. > > What I am saying is that there are thousands of Police Officers in the US and with the advent of easily transportable cameras, the bad ones are being revealed. This is a good thing that can only lead to a better, more trustworthy Police force IF the bad behavior is punished by prosecutors. > > I am not suggesting that your attitude is justification for bad acts by Police Officers. What I am saying is that when you lead with a hateful attitude, it tends to come right back at you. This isn’t restricted to the Police. If you lead with hate towards a 7-11 clerk, you shouldn’t expect a warm and friendly attitude from them. > > Your insistence that all Cops = bad is silly No I’m not trying to twist what you said. Go back and read it, those were your words not mine. Own it. What you’re doing is minimizing and I’m fucking tired of it. You act as if these incidents are few and far in between, but as alluded to in my earlier post, I’ve been having this debate nearly every two weeks for the 15 years I’ve been here. And nothing changes and it’s your fault. Not you specifically but you generally as in white people. Because Every. Single. Time. We have to listen to crap like this. Somehow it’s always the niggers fault. Even when it’s clearly not, then it’s the fault of our attitudes. Or if you look at what happened from a certain light and through this Vaseline smeared 70s era Coke bottle while doing the hokey pokey, can’t you see how my gallant hero in blue was in fear of that latest unarmed black man. Or rap music or somehting. I refuse to play anymore. Of course not all cops are bad, but I have to act as if they are or I can be killed with virtual impunity and people like you don’t give a shit. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/58 "2014-10-16T15:06:55Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > Stuffy, > > I have to wonder if you are black at all. Your attempts to paint what I am saying as racist are stupid and sound more like a white person attempting to play black. > > Seriously? Those ‘darkies?’ > > Grow up. Really? That’s great, now I’m a liar, for 15 years apparently. Here I thought your earlier post was insulting. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/59 "2014-10-16T17:09:48Z")
Wow! Just wow. That is some incredibly racist ranting right there. What precisely is it that us white people should do? I have no more power than you do or any of us do. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819/60 "2014-10-16T17:31:33Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > Wow! Just wow. That is some incredibly racist ranting right there. What precisely is it that us white people should do? I have no more power than you do or any of us do. Didn’t you just say this? > [@](#): > > Perhaps part of the reason for some of the negative contact between Police and black men is partially explained by your attitude? You just implied that **Stuffy’s** attitude has something to do with why interactions between cops and other black men go violently bad so often. As if he has the power to cure institutionalized racism and aggression just by putting on a smile and thinking magical happy thoughts. If you’re truly curious about what white people can do, one suggestion is to be empathetic. Don’t assume you know the dynamics unless you lived in the shoes of an experienced black person. Last night, I caught [this clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s8bSMj6Lhk) of Dave Chappelle’s “Killin Me Softly” performance. Rather hysterically, he discusses how white and black interactions with the police radically differ. Something is wrong with the world when pretty much every black man I know and love has had some kind of horrible experience with the police. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-do-cops-have-to-fear-from-black-males/700819.md?page=4)