DEATHS BY POLICE HIGHER THAN US VIOLENT CRIME
THE DESPICABLE murder of George Floyd has shocked the world. But the greater tragedy is that the killing of young black men in America has become so commonplace that the odds of dying at the hands of the police are higher than dying in a motorcycle crash.
When US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien says he doesn’t believe systemic racism in the police exists, it is evidence that racists have permeated the top echelons of the US administration.
The killings are unlikely to stop unless action is taken. The reality is that 99% of police officers are not charged. In the case of officer Derek Chauvin, who allegedly killed Floyd, he had 18 complaints against him. Two resulted in a letter of reprimand.
The most that happened to Chauvin is that he was put on paid administrative leave in 2006 pending an investigation into the shooting of Latrell Toles. Five years later he and other officers shot a Native American and were again placed on paid leave.
Another officer complicit in Floyd’s murder,, Tou Thao, also has a history of brutality, with six complaints lodged against him. Each case was closed without disciplinary action except one, which remains open.
In 2017, Thao and another officer were sued for the use of excessive force against Lamar Ferguson, who said the officers beat him in 2014.
Ferguson had been walking home with his pregnant girlfriend when he was approached by Thao and another officer. He was handcuffed, thrown to the ground and beaten. He was so badly hurt they were forced to take him to hospital.
These are the sick policemen who prey on African-Americans in Minneapolis and keep getting sent back on to the street. No wonder the city went up in flames.
The sick policemen keep getting sent back
on to the street
In 27 of the 50 largest US cities, the rates of police killings are higher than the rates of violent crime. Surely that makes the police the biggest part of the problem?
In Kansas City, Missouri, and Columbus, Ohio, police killings are double the rate of violent crime.
While Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz might acknowledge racism is a problem, it doesn’t change the fact that in his state African-Americans, who make up 5% of the population, comprise 20% of those killed by police, and they are five times more likely to be killed than white Americans.
If there was political will, measures could be put in place to restrain the police and ensure prosecution for their crimes. The Police Use of Force Project found that choke-hold and stronghold bans in some areas in the US had reduced police killings by 22%.
New York mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday the US had to change the way policing was done. He’s called for the repeal of Bill 15A, which inhibits transparency when it comes to police behaviour.
De Blasio said there had been a history of tension between the African-American community and NYPD members. He said it was time for politicians to listen to community leaders.