Just as a side note before I begin, I do not like referring to anyone in terms of “black” or “white,” yet to help explain differences in “sides” and “groups” I will be doing this.
In the past eight years, there seems to have been a rise in a particular complaint. This specific complaint is that police of a “white” color are targeting a specific ethnic group, "blacks." This current complaint has enraged many, resulting in a few protests, shootings and fights. Having taken in the thoughts of both sides, and heard many news reports, I have come to a few conclusions.
First of all, I do not understand where this specific complaint is coming from. Yes, there is still a little racism that occurs today, but I strongly believe it is not from one specific “side.” Also, it seems that cops are doing their job, and trying to fairly preserve life against any individual who was breaking the law. Yes, mistakes happen, but there is no evidence of rampant racism involved here.
With a quick google search, I found a few different articles of police shootings. There are many cases where “white” cops shot “white” men, and “black” cops shot “white” men, yet no one ever complains or hears about it.
There were cases like Zachary Hammond, where a "white" police man shoots and kills a young "white" man; Gilbert Collar, where a "black" police man shoots and kills a young "white" male; and Jeremy Mardis, where "black" police shot and accidentally killed a white child. For an obvious reason, these events are not widely reported and they are not widely known, unlike like Michael Brown's case in Ferguson (a popular event where a white cop shot an 18-year-old black boy).
If you look over recent reports, the amount of fatal shootings performed by cops is not targeted to any specific group. Take a look at the chart below:
Of the total 1000 deaths caused by a police officer this year, 502 were white, 250 were black, 163 were Hispanic, 18 were Asian/pacific islander and 13 were Native American. In other words, according to the reports, the "black" group is not being singled out at all.
So with all said, why all the hate, anger, constant violence and protests that only "blacks" are being unfairly targeted by cops? My conclusion, that is the obvious reason, is that we are being marketed. For business reasons, the media chooses what it will share, and therefore we are only hearing what they choose to release for a story. Hence, our emotions are being played, and we are quickly acting off of them before looking at facts and reality.
So, please, before you complain, setup protests, or start to shoot innocent people out of anger, do your research. Every life matters.
