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hw's avatar

This is an interesting analysis. As with most of America's broken systems, there are multiple factors at play, racism being just one.

You mention the overwhelming numbers of guns, which certainly make Americsn policing more dangerous than is the case in other countries, but you don't mention the fact that many police officers do not favor gun control. In fact, in response to a ban on assault weapons in IL, numerous sheriff's stated their intention to disregard this law. A measure that would increase safety for both civilian and police is not supported by the police.

I may have missed it, but qualified immunity confers a sense to American officers of being above the law...and attempts to prosecute police are often confounded by this arbitrary protection.

Finally, while I agree with your points about staffing and training, police departments are extraordinarily well funded in the US. The problem is that substantial funds are used for over-militarization (which you note) and hundreds of millions (if not more) on settlements for a wide variety of police misconduct.

Mote training alone is not the answer (and you don't suggest that this is the case), but structural changes are essential for training to be effective. Police unions instill a culture of 'us vs them' that's prevalent in police departments.

There are no simple solutions. Stricter guns laws, elimination of qualified immunity, changes to police unions, greater involvement in the community, enhanced training would all have to be implemented cohesively to effect real change.

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Charles Carter's avatar

A thoughtful and even-handed essay on a subject that could easily fill a book.

I've been curious to see some discussion of the lack of marches and the relatively meager public reaction compared to the Floyd murder. The Nichols murder on video looked at least as awful and violent as that of Floyd. Maybe the arrests so soon after the murder? Maybe most just didn't perceive racism. (Plus it's unimaginable that another DA wouldn't file charges.)

I tend to dislike the 'woke' verbiage of systemic racism and white supremacy. I think there is some poor reasoning and/ or co-opting of language. One interlocutor on Twitter said he couldn't imagine Nichols' assault happening to a white person, though, which rings true to me. I'd love to see ways to enhance economic opportunities for all the poor and won't complain too loudly if I must pay more taxes to do that.

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