Racial bias of the Baltimore Police

[southernhybrid]

www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/us/justice-department-to-release-blistering-report-of-racial-bias-by-baltimore-police.html

The Justice Department has found that the Baltimore Police Department for years has hounded black residents who make up most of the city’s population, systematically stopping, searching and arresting them, often with little provocation or rationale.

In a blistering report, coming more than a year after Baltimore erupted into riots over the police-involved death of a 25-year-old black man, Freddie Gray, the Justice Department is sharply critical of policies that encouraged police officers to charge black residents with minor crimes. A copy of the report was obtained by The New York Times.

The critique is the latest example of the Obama administration’s aggressive push for police reforms in cities where young African-American men have died at the hands of law enforcement.

The findings, to be released Wednesday, are the first formal step toward the Justice Department’s reaching a settlement with Baltimore — known as a “consent decree” — in which police practices would be overhauled under the oversight of a federal judge. The department started the inquiry at the invitation of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

This looks like blatant racism to me. Anyone want to create some imaginative excuses for this awful behavior? It gets a bit sickening when some here try to defend law enforcement's bigotry.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

You're supposed to say "if the shoe fits" and not question it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

This looks like blatant racism to me. Anyone want to create some imaginative excuses for this awful behavior? It gets a bit sickening when some here try to defend law enforcement's bigotry.

Awful behavior, yes. Racism--not so sure here. They're going where the crime is.

 

[Trausti]

This looks like blatant racism to me. Anyone want to create some imaginative excuses for this awful behavior? It gets a bit sickening when some here try to defend law enforcement's bigotry.

Awful behavior, yes. Racism--not so sure here. They're going where the crime is.

The problem with Baltimore is too much law and order.

 

[dismal]

Awful behavior, yes. Racism--not so sure here. They're going where the crime is.

The problem with Baltimore is too much law and order.

Nah, it's too much Democrats. Democrat run cities are always cesspits of racism.

 

[atrib]

The police are just trying to uphold the law. If the police kill or imprison a black person for "resisting arrest", the person was obviously a thug and deserved it. That they (the thugs) were allegedly selling loose cigarettes or jaywalking has nothing to do with it. They were "resisting arrest" which is punishable by instant execution.

/authoritarian fascist mode off

 

[southernhybrid]

This looks like blatant racism to me. Anyone want to create some imaginative excuses for this awful behavior? It gets a bit sickening when some here try to defend law enforcement's bigotry.

Awful behavior, yes. Racism--not so sure here. They're going where the crime is.

Did you even read the article? The police were basically making up shit in order to arrest or harass Black people. Awful behavior and racist behavior.

Read the first sentence again.

The Justice Department has found that the Baltimore Police Department for years has hounded black residents who make up most of the city’s population, systematically stopping, searching and arresting them, often with little provocation or rationale.

 

[braces_for_impact]

Awful behavior, yes. Racism--not so sure here. They're going where the crime is.

Did you even read the article? The police were basically making up shit in order to arrest or harass Black people. Awful behavior and racist behavior.

Read the first sentence again.

The Justice Department has found that the Baltimore Police Department for years has hounded black residents who make up most of the city’s population, systematically stopping, searching and arresting them, often with little provocation or rationale.

That was an excellent example of confirmation bias.

 

[thebeave]

www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/us/justice-department-to-release-blistering-report-of-racial-bias-by-baltimore-police.html

The Justice Department has found that the Baltimore Police Department for years has hounded black residents who make up most of the city’s population, systematically stopping, searching and arresting them, often with little provocation or rationale.

In a blistering report, coming more than a year after Baltimore erupted into riots over the police-involved death of a 25-year-old black man, Freddie Gray, the Justice Department is sharply critical of policies that encouraged police officers to charge black residents with minor crimes. A copy of the report was obtained by The New York Times.

The critique is the latest example of the Obama administration’s aggressive push for police reforms in cities where young African-American men have died at the hands of law enforcement.

The findings, to be released Wednesday, are the first formal step toward the Justice Department’s reaching a settlement with Baltimore — known as a “consent decree” — in which police practices would be overhauled under the oversight of a federal judge. The department started the inquiry at the invitation of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

This looks like blatant racism to me. Anyone want to create some imaginative excuses for this awful behavior? It gets a bit sickening when some here try to defend law enforcement's bigotry.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/14/most-baltimore-cops-are-minorities/

Here’s what the data shows about the racial makeup of Baltimore’s finest:

* Of the 2,745 active duty police officers in the department — 1,445 — more than half are African-American, Hispanic, Asian or Native American, according to data provided by the Baltimore police department to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

* Four of its top six commanders are either African-American or Hispanic.

* More than 60 percent of the incumbents at the highest command levels hail from minority communities.

* Among the 46 Baltimore police officers who hold the rank of captain and above, 25 are from ethnic or racial minority groups. That constitutes 54 percent of the command leadership.

In other words, Baltimore is a black-majority city led by a police force whose officers are mostly racial minorities as well.

So, are black police officers being racist against their own race? Or is it only whitey? Please clarify. I occasionally hear about black on black racism. Do you think this is a good example of it?

 

[fast]

nm

 

[southernhybrid]

www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/us/justice-department-to-release-blistering-report-of-racial-bias-by-baltimore-police.html



This looks like blatant racism to me. Anyone want to create some imaginative excuses for this awful behavior? It gets a bit sickening when some here try to defend law enforcement's bigotry.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/05/14/most-baltimore-cops-are-minorities/

Here’s what the data shows about the racial makeup of Baltimore’s finest:

* Of the 2,745 active duty police officers in the department — 1,445 — more than half are African-American, Hispanic, Asian or Native American, according to data provided by the Baltimore police department to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

* Four of its top six commanders are either African-American or Hispanic.

* More than 60 percent of the incumbents at the highest command levels hail from minority communities.

* Among the 46 Baltimore police officers who hold the rank of captain and above, 25 are from ethnic or racial minority groups. That constitutes 54 percent of the command leadership.

In other words, Baltimore is a black-majority city led by a police force whose officers are mostly racial minorities as well.

So, are black police officers being racist against their own race? Or is it only whitey? Please clarify. I occasionally hear about black on black racism. Do you think this is a good example of it?

Of course it's possible for people to feel anger or hatred toward their own race. I've known a few folks like that. And yes, this very well may be an example of black on black racism, but it's also possible that the black officers were pressured by the white officers to act this way. White officers were also guilty of this racist behavior. It happens in many cities. Baltimore is just the latest one in the news.

Oddly enough, despite living in a small city that is almost half black/white, we don't seem to have this type of problem here with the police. Part of that may be due to the fact that our police department has regular meetings with the citizens and encourages citizens to meet with them about problems. I'm not a fan of the local police but I do give them some credit for at least trying to be more protective of people. That is supposedly what they are hired to do.

I'm working today. Many of my coworkers are black. If I have time, I will ask them about their own experiences.

Sorry my response was so late. My time online is very limited.

 

[thebeave]

You're jumping to the "it's racism" conclusion that's so popular these days. Google Ellen DeGeneres and Usain Bolt to see the latest "racist" nonsense. A more likely explanation is that its a socioeconomic ("class") discrimination. I very much doubt the black Baltimore police officers see other blacks who are living a normal life free of crime and poverty as someone to hate on. And do they hate their black family members and friends just because of their race? On the other hand, I could see black police officers getting pissy, annoyed and ultimately vindictive with fellow blacks who are leading lives of crime, gangs, drug dealing, etc. Doesn't excuse the black police behavior, but jumping to the conclusion that its racism is a bit premature, don't you think?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Awful behavior, yes. Racism--not so sure here. They're going where the crime is.

Did you even read the article? The police were basically making up shit in order to arrest or harass Black people. Awful behavior and racist behavior.

Read the first sentence again.

The Justice Department has found that the Baltimore Police Department for years has hounded black residents who make up most of the city’s population, systematically stopping, searching and arresting them, often with little provocation or rationale.

That sentence doesn't actually show that the Justice Department found racism. They found hounding of black residents--but no mention of whether there was similar hounding of whites in the same areas. The absence of this piece of information strongly suggests to me that there was no racism, just awful behavior.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

You're jumping to the "it's racism" conclusion that's so popular these days. Google Ellen DeGeneres and Usain Bolt to see the latest "racist" nonsense. A more likely explanation is that its a socioeconomic ("class") discrimination. I very much doubt the black Baltimore police officers see other blacks who are living a normal life free of crime and poverty as someone to hate on.

Exactly. I think this is yet another case of socioeconomic discrimination that the anti-discrimination folks pretend is racial.

 

[laughing dog]

Did you even read the article? The police were basically making up shit in order to arrest or harass Black people. Awful behavior and racist behavior.

Read the first sentence again.

The Justice Department has found that the Baltimore Police Department for years has hounded black residents who make up most of the city’s population, systematically stopping, searching and arresting them, often with little provocation or rationale.

That sentence doesn't actually show that the Justice Department found racism. They found hounding of black residents--but no mention of whether there was similar hounding of whites in the same areas. The absence of this piece of information strongly suggests to me that there was no racism, just awful behavior.

If you have bothered to read the linked article, you would have found nuggets like

The most pronounced racial disparities were in arrests for the most discretionary offenses: For example, 91 percent of those arrested solely for “failure to obey” or “trespassing” were African-American, even though the city is 63 percent black, the report found.

In one telling anecdote from the report, a shift commander provided officers with boilerplate language on how to write up trespassing arrest reports of people found near housing projects. The template contained an automatic description of the arrestee: “A BLACK MALE.”

And the article contains a link to the actual DOJ report. So instead of pontificating from ignorance, read the article and the report and then possibly engage in some meaningful discussion.

 

[barbos]

Maybe blacks are more likely to trespass or fail to obey than whites?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Did you even read the article? The police were basically making up shit in order to arrest or harass Black people. Awful behavior and racist behavior.

Read the first sentence again.

The Justice Department has found that the Baltimore Police Department for years has hounded black residents who make up most of the city’s population, systematically stopping, searching and arresting them, often with little provocation or rationale.

That sentence doesn't actually show that the Justice Department found racism. They found hounding of black residents--but no mention of whether there was similar hounding of whites in the same areas. The absence of this piece of information strongly suggests to me that there was no racism, just awful behavior.

If you have bothered to read the linked article, you would have found nuggets like

The most pronounced racial disparities were in arrests for the most discretionary offenses: For example, 91 percent of those arrested solely for “failure to obey” or “trespassing” were African-American, even though the city is 63 percent black, the report found.

In one telling anecdote from the report, a shift commander provided officers with boilerplate language on how to write up trespassing arrest reports of people found near housing projects. The template contained an automatic description of the arrestee: “A BLACK MALE.”

And the article contains a link to the actual DOJ report. So instead of pontificating from ignorance, read the article and the report and then possibly engage in some meaningful discussion.

You are making the totally false assumption that whites and blacks commit crimes at the same rate. We know that's not true, thus showing a difference in the arrest rate shows nothing.

And if the actual arrest ratio is 91% then boilerplate that defaults that way is a reasonable shortcut. Again, you haven't proven racism.

 

[laughing dog]

Did you even read the article? The police were basically making up shit in order to arrest or harass Black people. Awful behavior and racist behavior.

Read the first sentence again.

The Justice Department has found that the Baltimore Police Department for years has hounded black residents who make up most of the city’s population, systematically stopping, searching and arresting them, often with little provocation or rationale.

That sentence doesn't actually show that the Justice Department found racism. They found hounding of black residents--but no mention of whether there was similar hounding of whites in the same areas. The absence of this piece of information strongly suggests to me that there was no racism, just awful behavior.

If you have bothered to read the linked article, you would have found nuggets like

The most pronounced racial disparities were in arrests for the most discretionary offenses: For example, 91 percent of those arrested solely for “failure to obey” or “trespassing” were African-American, even though the city is 63 percent black, the report found.

In one telling anecdote from the report, a shift commander provided officers with boilerplate language on how to write up trespassing arrest reports of people found near housing projects. The template contained an automatic description of the arrestee: “A BLACK MALE.”

And the article contains a link to the actual DOJ report. So instead of pontificating from ignorance, read the article and the report and then possibly engage in some meaningful discussion.

You are making the totally false assumption that whites and blacks commit crimes at the same rate. We know that's not true, thus showing a difference in the arrest rate shows nothing.

And if the actual arrest ratio is 91% then boilerplate that defaults that way is a reasonable shortcut. Again, you haven't proven racism.

I made no assumption. I simply pointed out you are criticizing an article and a report without actual knowledge of the entire contents. Your response missed the obvious point, hence I repeat - So instead of pontificating from ignorance, read the article and the report and then possibly engage in some meaningful discussion. Because until you do, you are simply talking out of your ass.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Did you even read the article? The police were basically making up shit in order to arrest or harass Black people. Awful behavior and racist behavior.

Read the first sentence again.

The Justice Department has found that the Baltimore Police Department for years has hounded black residents who make up most of the city’s population, systematically stopping, searching and arresting them, often with little provocation or rationale.

That sentence doesn't actually show that the Justice Department found racism. They found hounding of black residents--but no mention of whether there was similar hounding of whites in the same areas. The absence of this piece of information strongly suggests to me that there was no racism, just awful behavior.

If you have bothered to read the linked article, you would have found nuggets like

The most pronounced racial disparities were in arrests for the most discretionary offenses: For example, 91 percent of those arrested solely for “failure to obey” or “trespassing” were African-American, even though the city is 63 percent black, the report found.

In one telling anecdote from the report, a shift commander provided officers with boilerplate language on how to write up trespassing arrest reports of people found near housing projects. The template contained an automatic description of the arrestee: “A BLACK MALE.”

And the article contains a link to the actual DOJ report. So instead of pontificating from ignorance, read the article and the report and then possibly engage in some meaningful discussion.

You are making the totally false assumption that whites and blacks commit crimes at the same rate. We know that's not true, thus showing a difference in the arrest rate shows nothing.

And if the actual arrest ratio is 91% then boilerplate that defaults that way is a reasonable shortcut. Again, you haven't proven racism.

I made no assumption. I simply pointed out you are criticizing an article and a report without actual knowledge of the entire contents. Your response missed the obvious point, hence I repeat - So instead of pontificating from ignorance, read the article and the report and then possibly engage in some meaningful discussion. Because until you do, you are simply talking out of your ass.

Once again you resort to personal attacks when you don't have a rebuttal.

 

[laughing dog]

Once again you resort to personal attacks when you don't have a rebuttal.

Perhaps if you read wrote responses that indicate you have actually read what you criticize, you would not feel so hypersensitive and engage in such passive-aggressive personal attacks yourself.