It would seem that the answer is NO.
Studies have shown that we have created a myth around this idea and it has been fed by the media beast. However, when research is really carried out, the evidence shows that the police are not targeting young, male African Americans.
(Side note: I have been around, and close to, plenty of cops in my life and I can assure you that most of them hope never to have to pull their gun. However, I do believe that there is some serious institutional racism built into our law enforcement. My two cents.)
These statistics may shed some light:
Last week, The Washington Post published a study of the police shootings that took place in 2015. Likely they intended the story to be shocking — as on Dec. 24, 965 people were killed by police! Instead, the report quells the notion that trigger-happy cops are out hunting for civilian victims, especially African-Americans. Among its key findings:
- White cops shooting unarmed black men accounted for less than 4% of fatal police shootings.
- In three-quarters of the incidents, cops were either under attack themselves or defending civilians. In other words, doing their jobs.
- The majority of those killed were brandishing weapons, suicidal or mentally troubled or bolted when ordered to surrender.
- Nearly a third of police shootings resulted from car chases that began with a minor traffic stop.
The moral of this story is: Don’t point a gun at the cops and don’t run when they tell you stop, and you’re likely to survive. – Michael Walsh, NY Post
Source: New York Post
Interested in learning more?
Police Brutality: An Anthology
