In 2017 457 white people were shot to death by police.
In 2017 223 black people were shot to death by police.1
In 2010 the White population in the US was 196,817,552
In 2010 the Black Population in the US was 37,685,848.2
Assuming that comparatively little change has taken place
in the population numbers between 2010 and 2016, the percentage of blacks
killed by police amounted to 5.92 per 1 million people in 2017.
Given the same assumptions, 2.3 white people per 1
million people were killed by police in 2017.
5.92 people shot dead is tragic. In a perfect world, no one would be shot
dead, but in our fallen world, 5.92 people for every million people is quite
miniscule.
Nevertheless, put another way, in 2017 if you’re black,
you would have been 3 times more likely to be killed by a policeman than if you
were white.
Colin Kaepernick attributes this statistic to the
assumption that cops hate black people.
By “taking the knee” during the Pledge of Allegiance at football games he
sought to raise awareness of police brutality towards black people.
To bolster his assertion of police bias, he points to the
disproportionate rate at which blacks as opposed to whites are arrested for
committing violent crimes.3
These are unfortunate statistics but they are irrefutably
true.
Are these statistics true because, indeed, cops hate
black people? As much as Colin Kaepernick would like to hold to this argument,
I don’t think so.
Is it because black people are simply a more violent or
inferior race? Again, I don’t think
so. Blacks have turned out brilliant
scientists, inventors, statesmen, jurists and people who excel in just about
every other field.
Is it because of a high level of poverty that blacks face
in American urban areas? Again, I don’t
think so. Other ethnic groups have
endured similar levels of poverty without resorting to violence.
Allow me, if you will, to introduce another statistic. In 2016 the percentage of black homes that
consisted of only one parent was 62%. In
contrast, the percentage of white homes that consisted of only one parent was
24%.4 The ratio of black single parent homes to white single parent
homes is approximately 3 to 1, the same ratio as black to white deaths by
police and not unlikely a similar ratio of black arrests to white arrests.
The problem facing the black community in America is not
police brutality or racism on the part of police. That may have a part in it, but if so, it is
miniscule. The majority of the problem is the scarcity of positive role models,
fathers in particular. One of the many
benefits of positive role models, aside from love and acceptance, is respect
for authority. Police are, in American
culture, designated to be authority figures.
If an authority figure gives an order, he Is to be obeyed. A defiant response to a police order is only
going to increase the likelihood that one is going to get himself killed. Furthermore,
evidence supporting my suggestion is that arrest rate, whether black or white
can be correlated to whether or not a child grew up in a home with one or two
parents.5
Of late, I’ve been doing considerable studying of history
and historical events. I’ve established
an axiom that whenever a problem arises, if presumptions are made concerning
the root cause of the problem tragedy results.
This axiom, I would hold, applies to current events as well. In 2014, as many of us recall, a young man
named Michael Brown, was killed by a police officer by the name of Darren
Wilson. The circumstances that led up to
his shooting were pretty much ignored in the black community and yet, calls
were made to “tar and feather” officer Wilson, who, as it turned out, had acted
in self-defense. Rioting ensued. Young
Mr. Brown’s death was attributed to a “white, racist cop” and a narrative
generalizing the notion that “cops are racist” was broadcast across the
country. Of course, other anecdotal
incidences of cops killing black youth were played up in the media, but,
beginning with the tragic death of Michael Brown, consistent with my proposed
axiom, tragedy ensued.
Another statistic confirms my axiom. In the year 2014, there was a sharp increase
in urban violence.6 This, of course, was the same year that Michael
Brown was killed, Black Lives Matter made its way onto the national scene, and
massive demonization of the police was pushed.
Are there anecdotal incidences of police misuse of
power? Absolutely! As I write this essay, the death of Botham
Shem Jean, an upstanding citizen who happened to be black, and was murdered by
a white policewoman who apparently had mistaken him for an intruder, is fresh
in the minds of most Americans. This
incident is beyond tragic! What were the
circumstances that led up to this horrific event? Did the policewoman have an innate hatred or
fear of black men? Why was it that she
mistook the victim’s apartment for her own?
Was she on drugs, medication or was she drunk? At this time, any assumption is merely
speculation. God willing, the truth will
come out. No doubt, such incidences need
to be prevented, and hopefully more can be learned to stop such incidences in
the future.
But Mr. Kaepernick does a disservice to the black
community by, with a broad stroke, transferring blame for its woes upon the
police. It is a presumptive approach to
problem solving and only, as I’ve stated, exacerbates the problem.
Although I’m not black, and my suggestions may, thus, go
unheeded, allow me to, nevertheless, offer at least two solutions.
1.
Legislation has been passed which I believe has
weakened the black family. It would
require further essays and further research to confirm it, but I’m of the
opinion that this legislation dates back to LBJ and the “Great Society.” Such
legislation ought to be reversed.
2.
Boys, in particular, need role models. Mentoring, coaching, tutoring and other
activities on the part of regular good ole’ fashioned American volunteers
should be encouraged so that these children can have positive role models to
look up to. Young men with respect for
authority won’t endanger themselves by defying authority. Young men who have examples of people who
show responsibility will learn responsibility.
In the meantime, yes, “taking the knee” may have grown
out of genuine frustration, but blaming the black communities problems on the
police is a dangerous misdiagnosis of the problem.
