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The Great Racial Disconnect on Police
Townhall.com ^ | August 20, 2014 | Ben Shapiro

Posted on 08/20/2014 7:49:27 AM PDT by Kaslin

On Monday, Rasmussen released a poll of Americans regarding the guilt or innocence of Officer Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot unarmed 18-year-old black man Michael Brown six times in Ferguson, Missouri. Those polls show that 57 percent of black adults think that Wilson should be found guilty of murder; 56 percent of whites, by contrast, are undecided on the matter.

The latter position is the correct one. Witnesses, including one Dorian Johnson, claim that Brown was pulled over by Wilson, attacked by him and pulled into the car, ran, stopped when told to freeze by Wilson, held up his hands, and was then shot. Other witnesses -- more than a dozen of them, according to local media -- say that Brown attacked Wilson, went for Wilson's gun, fled before being told to stop, then charged Wilson before being shot.

Here's what we do know: Despite original media reports labeling Brown a "gentle giant," Brown and shooting witness Dorian Johnson did participate in a strong-arm robbery of a local convenience store. We know that despite original witness reports suggesting that Brown was shot in the back, he was not. We know that contemporaneous witness accounts caught on tape suggest that Brown charged at Wilson. And we know that a young black man is dead with six bullets in him at the hands of a white cop.

And to huge segments of the black community, that last fact is the only one that matters. The full facts do not matter to extremists in the black community and to their white leftist enablers, particularly in the media. A full 41 percent of black Americans believe that riots and looting represent "legitimate outrage." Not protesting -- riots and looting. Just 35 percent of blacks think that looters and rioters are criminals taking advantage of the situation.

There is a pattern here: a widespread belief in the black community that the justice system is rigged against them. That belief is not without basis -- there is no question that America has a history of racism within the criminal justice community. By the same token, there is also no question that American law enforcement is the least racist it has ever been, by a long shot, and that racism within the law enforcement community is broadly considered unacceptable and vile.

But the belief in a racist justice system seems to have maintained its stranglehold inside the black community. That belief, taken to its extreme, means support for black criminality. It is no coincidence that during the O.J. Simpson trial, 60 percent of black Americans did not believe O.J. was guilty. It is also no coincidence that many white Americans perceive black support for murderers like O.J. Simpson and riots in Ferguson as support for lawlessness, and therefore pooh-pooh charges of police racism. When crying racism becomes crying wolf, it is hard to take such charges seriously.

The solution, however, lays neither in knee-jerk accusations of racism from the black community nor in immediate dismissals of individual accusations by the white community. It lies in continued targeting and prosecution of individual racists in the police community, of course -- and far more importantly, it lies in less criminality within the black community. The high levels of crime in the black community contribute to heavier policing, which in turn reinforces perceptions of racial targeting; those perceptions then create resentment against police than ends too often in violent encounters and failure to report crime. And so the cycle starts anew.

It's time to break the cycle. The only way to do that is to focus on the fact that police have no excuse to shoot anyone unless those people are committing criminal acts. On that we can all agree. Yes, we must arduously insist that police hold to that standard, and we must prosecute those who do not to the fullest extent of the law. But by the same token, we must insist that criminal acts stop -- and to do that, we must move beyond simple anti-police sentiment.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
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1 posted on 08/20/2014 7:49:27 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
It all depends on the cop. People both black and white love these guys (aside from the small disarmament minority and thugs)


2 posted on 08/20/2014 7:51:34 AM PDT by cripplecreek ("Moderates" are lying manipulative bottom feeding scum.)
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To: Kaslin

Those polls show that 57 percent of black adults think that Wilson should be found guilty of murder....

___________________________________________________

That surprises me. In a good way. I would have thought that 95% would think that way. But still, 57% is too much. I hope many of that number simply read the facts and refuse to listen to Crump, Sharpton, the MSM and other lying race baters.


3 posted on 08/20/2014 7:53:19 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: Kaslin
It's not the fault of the poor, disenfranchised black people. It's
whitie's
honkey's
the establishment's
America's
God's
MY
Satan's fault...somehow.
4 posted on 08/20/2014 7:57:19 AM PDT by cloudmountain
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To: Responsibility2nd
I hope many of that number simply read the facts and refuse to listen to Crump, Sharpton, the MSM and other lying race baters.

MANY will indeed do what you suggest but the MEDIA will report, via T.V., radio and written media what IT wants us to believe.

RACE BAITING is news and news is what the media lives for, even if it has to do it ITSELF.
What else is "new" here? Nothing.

5 posted on 08/20/2014 8:00:42 AM PDT by cloudmountain
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To: Kaslin
56 percent of whites, by contrast, are undecided on the matter.

I was initially -- but the state of the known facts presently show that the officer was well justified.

6 posted on 08/20/2014 8:00:55 AM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
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To: Kaslin
There is a pattern here: a widespread belief in the black community that the justice system is rigged against them. That belief is not without basis -- there is no question that America has a history of racism within the criminal justice community. By the same token, there is also no question that American law enforcement is the least racist it has ever been, by a long shot, and that racism within the law enforcement community is broadly considered unacceptable and vile.

Its time we stopped qualifying every observation on this subject with this statement and acknowledge that historically - the past 50 or 75 years anyway - the behavior of young black males has been responsible for a good deal of the negativity directed at the black community.

7 posted on 08/20/2014 8:01:37 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: Kaslin

We have to focus on the fact that police have no right to shoot someone unless involved in criminal acts. Okay, makes sense as far as it goes.

But where do we draw the line? What about a situation in which police are attacked by a young black man for no apparent reason? An attack in which the police officer has a broken eye socket among other injuries, so the policeman shoots? What if the young black man continues to charge, so the policeman shoots multiple times? Is that acceptable? Where will lines be drawn?


8 posted on 08/20/2014 8:01:45 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego (s)
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To: skeeter

Its time we stopped qualifying every observation on this subject with this statement and acknowledge that historically - the past 50 or 75 years anyway - the behavior of young black males has been responsible for a good deal of the negativity directed at the black community.


I agree. Unfortunately, too many in the media, and liberals, seek to make excuses, talk about the legacy of discrimination, history of police brutality, whatever. They talk about anything except all this gang activity and gang behavior going on. And that is done because it would be racist to talk about gang activity, apparently.


9 posted on 08/20/2014 8:05:44 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego (s)
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To: Kaslin

Who is that Protester/agitator wearing the Police Hat and what looks like medals and long necklaces ? It looks like he’s leading the show there


10 posted on 08/20/2014 8:06:16 AM PDT by molson209 (Blank)
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To: Dilbert San Diego
Where will lines be drawn?

Was going to comment on your question but would give the enemy ideas of what to demand in their idiocy. Is almost like having hamas in the streets making demands as hamas attacks a Police line with rocket fire and small arms once an idea is taken over by the lawless.

11 posted on 08/20/2014 8:11:01 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: Kaslin

Most black never accept the truth. The real racism in America is the black. It is time to face and accuse the real problems in America. Most of the black culture never really fit into the successful America with good education and hard work.


12 posted on 08/20/2014 8:13:40 AM PDT by Logical me
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To: Logical me

It appears to me that much of “black culture” is intertwined with the “gang culture”, and “ghetto culture” and “baby mama/dependency culture”.

Looking back over the decades, it seems like things started falling apart in the ‘60s for the black community.

And an irony there is that the ‘60s were when the Jim Crow laws were done away with, laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed, and schools in the South were desegregated.

But, it is racist for any of us to talk about how destructive the ghetto culture, the gang culture, and the baby mama culture are to a large class of people.


13 posted on 08/20/2014 8:18:31 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego (s)
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To: Dilbert San Diego
And an irony there is that the ‘60s were when the Jim Crow laws were done away with, laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed, and schools in the South were desegregated.

You overlooked one important piece of legislation: The War on Poverty.

And therein the irony ends and the problem begins...

14 posted on 08/20/2014 8:28:11 AM PDT by okie01 (The Mainstream Media: Ignorance on parade.)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Nobody will say it, but the officer was in “enemy territory” and Brown had at least one buddy with him. I would say the only mistake the officer made was trying to handle this situation alone. He should have called for backup before he approached the thug.

For everyone who is trying to be impartial, supposedly, have you ever faced a situation where you were struggling with someone who wanted to kill you? I think you would shoot him 100 times if you had the chance. In spite of the opinions of the cop-haters, most cops show amazing restraint in the face of all kinds of provocation. I challenge people to do this job.


15 posted on 08/20/2014 8:35:13 AM PDT by Pining_4_TX (All those who were appointed to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48)
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To: Responsibility2nd

These were also the lowlifes who cheered when OJ got away with killing his white wife.


16 posted on 08/20/2014 8:39:58 AM PDT by GOPJ ( Looted store owners in Ferguson should to sue the city. They paid for police protection - got none)
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To: Kaslin
OJ is innocent and Wilson and Zimmerman are guilty.

I guess white means guilty and black means innocent these days. Good luck with that.

17 posted on 08/20/2014 8:43:33 AM PDT by Former Proud Canadian
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To: Kaslin

Knee-jerk accusations of racism from the black community is proof that race baiters are on the job 100% of the time looting is the bait for them.


18 posted on 08/20/2014 8:49:59 AM PDT by Vaduz
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To: Pining_4_TX
Police spend 90% of their time and resources in the 'black community'.

All city residents pay for police services but most of that 'service' is given to blacks.

If whites, Hispanics and Asians want protection they pay a monthly fee to a ADT type company. Or buy guns to protect themselves... or form 'watch groups' ... BECAUSE POLICE PROTECTION IS ONLY FOR THE "BLACK COMMUNITY".

It's wrong.

If the 'black community' wants trailer trash high-drama games with cops they can do it on their own dime. Same for the games cops play with the black community... it's a symbiotic sickness... If the black community is forced to pay for their share of police protection - - the incentives will switch - - black criminals will lose status, adults will take back the black community and most of all - the insanity will end.

19 posted on 08/20/2014 9:05:23 AM PDT by GOPJ ( Looted store owners in Ferguson should to sue the city. They paid for police protection - got none)
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To: Kaslin

Politicians are afraid of riots, and doing something substantial about the riot brings threats of even more riots if the rioters don’t get their way.

“You believe what we believe, or else”. Sounds a lot like the terrorists, doesn’t it?

It comes down to, the side which is more afraid of the consequences...loses!


20 posted on 08/20/2014 9:07:24 AM PDT by FrankR (They will become our ultimate masters the day we surrender the 2nd Amendment.)
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