To think there's something seriously wrong with the police in America?

[itsbloodybaltic]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48660143

Phoenix mayor apologises after police threaten to shoot black family

www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-costco-shooting-off-duty-officer-intellectual-disability-20190616-story.html

Costco shooting: Man killed by off-duty officer had an intellectual disability, cousin says

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/utah-police-gun-10-year-old_n_5cffa486e4b06d839dc551f1

Utah Police Chief Defends Officer Who Pointed Gun At Black 10-Year-Old

It's scary how trigger happy they can be.

Many Americans are appalled at the political direction it is taking, and no one would condone the violence on any level.

'Would not condone' is such a cop out. Sitting back and letting it happen is condoning it. Letting Trump get away with the shit he pulls is condoning it.

You don’t have to be shot by police to have your life ruined. Ask any one of the 1200 black people exonerated since 1989, who cumulatively have served over 15,000 years in prison for crimes they did not commit

What about the ones you can't ask because they were executed ?

I honestly think American society is fucked up in so many ways. There's very, very little I admire about how they do things. And to continually go on about being the world's greatest democracy, and claim they're the envy of the world

I wouldn't live there for three times my salary (and I could, through work, if I wanted to).

Black person with two sons
Have loads of family in the US who may never meet my sons as it is unlikely I will take them there.. and I don't think I am in a minority in this..

Black people make up 12 percent of the population and 25 percent of those shot.

White people make up 73 percent of the population and 53 percent of those shot.

The figure I saw was 31%. But as there is no mandatory reporting (and why the hell not) firm figures are hard to come by.

Drilling down into the statistics, black men aged 15-24 are 2% of the population but 15% of those shot. Unarmed black men more likely to be shot than unarmed white men.

Black people more likely to be arrested and sent to prison for drug offences despite a much lower % of black people using or dealing drugs than white people.

Sentences proven to be harsher too.

But it’s no surprise nothing is done. Post an AIBU about it and a handful of people comment. Post something about a CF couple blagging a holiday and it goes for pages and pages. How depressing that people just don’t seem to care about this type of injustice.

I was just reading an article on The Guardian, about the disparity in seeking the death penalty in LA, for black people as opposed to white people, under Lacey.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/18/los-angeles-death-penalty-sentences-jackie-lacey

It is absolutely appalling.

I care. I care very much. Black Lives Do Matter.

Did we all see the American cop (who is also a pastor) calling for LGBTQ people to be rounded up and executed? Won't even lose his just b because 'free speech'.

www-m.cnn.com/2019/06/14/us/tennessee-preacher-cop-lgbtq/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&rm=1

Won't even lose his job*

@Yabbers, the motto means nothing.

www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-police-do-not-have-a-constitutional-duty-to-protect.html

Constitutionally the police don't have to help you, in america i could walk up to you and beat the living day lights out of you, but a cop isn't required by law to stop me from doing so. They can stand by and watch it happen.

According to the U.S. Supreme Court,police have no duty, moral or otherwise, to help those in trouble, protect individuals from danger, or risk their own lives to save “we the people.”

That means if a shooting is occuring in america, police don't by law have to respond and try save us. So protect and serve my arse.

More like imprison and kill

I'm British btw, just highlighting the absoloutle shit show that is the usa and their justice system

Anoni, wasn't a policeman that responded to a school shooting in the US recently prosecuted for not going in?

Anoni, wasn't a policeman that responded to a school shooting in the US recently prosecuted for not going in?

he was sacked certainly. He was armed, and his job was to defend the school, but he just hid outside. I think he was a school defence guard, not police.

In most countries, police are taught to descalate a situation and attempt to resolve it peacefully.

In usa, it seems the opposite. Drawing your weapon should be a last resort but is often the first.

No - you are right - he does appear to have been a deputy sheriff

reason.com/2019/06/06/was-scot-petersons-cowardice-a-crime/

Posted too soon. I came on to say this!

Also mix in toxic masculinity.

I think a jury found Zimmerman innocent.
Eventually. The police claimed they couldn’t arrest or charge him, but were miraculously able to do so when the world’s press got hold of the story. Bear in mind the prosecution case was largely based on evidence from the police (who didn’t think he did anything wrong) the jury can only go on evidence presented. A jury also convicted the Central Park 5.

The Florida law is clear on stand your ground. It's a world away from what the UK would accept.

And yet in Texas, white men are far more likely to successfully use stand your ground defence than black men. SYG doesn’t mean you can just shoot someone and say you were scared.

he was sacked certainly. He was armed, and his job was to defend the school, but he just hid outside. I think he was a school defence guard, not police.

In other news, a black man (who served in the military) was shot as he tried to be “the good guy with a gun” saving people from a mall shooting in Arizona.

Anoni, wasn't a policeman that responded to a school shooting in the US recently prosecuted for not going in?

The legal grounds being used are pretty pathetic. From everything I’ve read they are hoping to use the “everyone knows he was a cowardly stinky poo and we are all really angry about the shooting so none of really care about the official legal position - we are going to convict anyway” argument to convince a jury.

Constitutionally the police don't have to help you, in america i could walk up to you and beat the living day lights out of you, but a cop isn't required by law to stop me from doing so. They can stand by and watch it happen.

The funniest thing is in the UK, I'm actually quite happy for our police to be judged less harshly as an exchange for them standing between us and criminals. For example if a UK policeman were to shoot someone running away who they had genuine belief was carrying a gun, my "reasonable force" bar would be set a bit lower as they would be protecting us.

If there's no duty on US cops to do their job, I'd also hope there's no special treatment if they end up in the dock for assault or murder.

Anyone ever see "Mississippi Burning" ?

Here's what Mississippi policemen charged with murder looked like in court in 1964. 55 years on has anything changed ?

55 years on has anything changed ?

Nope.

Gth1234
The US has a completely different approach to crime that we do. I was watching an episode of hardcore pawn (Les and family running a big pawn shop in Detroit). I don't know if it's real or set up, but they regularly throw people out by force. The other day they had vandals breaking into cars in their car park. They apprehended and handcuffed them, then called the police. If you tried to do that here, you would end up inside.

I've seen that show and agree. The bouncers are HUGE but they need to be - some of the customers are really aggressive and angry and completely bonkers. The son and daughter make me laugh, they loathe each other and the daughter has a vile temper.