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Racial and Class Bias in the Justice System

Silver Soul

Well-Known Member
For the past months, the nation have went through many topics concerning deaths of minority Americans such as Michael Brown, John Crawford, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice. Not to mention 2 NYPD cops one being Chinese and the other Hispanic shot by a deranged man from Baltimore. That led to hostility from the NYPD Union's president against the Mayor of NYC who happens to have a bi-racial son who is black himself all because he told what every African-American father say to their son when it comes to police. This eventually died down with infighting going on within the Union and the people of NYC voicing disapproval for turning backs on the NYC Mayor.

Then comes the DOJ report who not only cleared Darren Wilson but also shed light on the Ferguson police who pretty much answered what the protesters have been saying through out the years... The whole Police Department, courts, and jails are racially biased. Ferguson is a town of 66 percent being African-American but they are made 93 percent of arrests and 88 percent of brutal force by police. Even to the point of arresting them for "manner of walking along roadway". Made racist emails about the President Obama, his wife, and minority Americans in general. Not to mention competing on who can make more citations at a single stop and siccing police dogs exclusively on African American citizens. The municipal judge is also behind increasing fines on traffic stops for people being tickets and also helped with getting rid of fines for his family members, friends, and acquaintances within the local government.

Then comes a much deeper issue, this doesn't just extend to Ferguson but also the whole St. Louis region and America itself. Ferguson made 23 percent of the revenue on arrests on against citizen who are not only African-American but also low-income as well.

So begs the question, do law enforcement care more about the safety of its citizens or more about the money being made in the city, even if it meant ruining lives of citizens like one who lost his job as a contractor?
 
You forgot George Zimmerman.


As much as I'd love to leave that as an adequate first response, there are a few other things that need to be addressed. First, this page says that "in every canine bite incident for which racial information is available, the investigation found, the person bitten was an African- American." That isn't sufficient to prove that your claim that the Ferguson police were "siccing police dogs exclusively on African American citizens." That's a minimal concern about an exaggeration in your post, and I don't want any of that to be taken as negating the undeniable fact that the report solidly indicates an overall pattern of horrendous wrongdoing.



Second, the way you mention the DOJ report on the shooting of Michael Brown indicates you aren't convinced it was fair. Consider this quote from a New York Times article, quoting Eric Holder:

In a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called the report “fair and rigorous from the start,” saying it had been conducted independently from the investigation by the local police and had included the canvassing of more than 300 residences to locate additional witnesses. “The facts do not support the filing of criminal charges against Officer Darren Wilson in this case,” Mr. Holder said. For those who feel otherwise, he said, “I urge you to read this report in full.”





So to answer the basic question you raise in this thread, on whether there is race and class bias in the American justice system, I repeat something this page quotes Barack Obama as saying: "While not typical, the issues raised in the Ferguson report also were not isolated, he said." In short, in some places there is race and class bias, but in plenty of places there are not (to a significant degree, at least). In some incidents, race and class bias are a factor, but in other incidents they are not.




BTW, major points for mentioning class bias. That frequently gets overlooked in these sort of debates, even though the well known higher crime rate in poorer neighborhoods is completely relevant to the actions of law enforcement in neighborhoods with a higher concentration of minorities that are frequently poorer neighborhoods.
 

Silver Soul

Well-Known Member
As much as I'd love to leave that as an adequate first response, there are a few other things that need to be addressed. First, this page says that "in every canine bite incident for which racial information is available, the investigation found, the person bitten was an African- American." That isn't sufficient to prove that your claim that the Ferguson police were "siccing police dogs exclusively on African American citizens." That's a minimal concern about an exaggeration in your post, and I don't want any of that to be taken as negating the undeniable fact that the report solidly indicates an overall pattern of horrendous wrongdoing.

It's not really much of the exaggeration when the report even states that almost all incidents involving police dogs were NON-VIOLENT incidents. Such as a 14-year-old being bitten for waiting for his friends outside. Page 31 of the report.

FPD engages in a pattern of deploying canines to bite individuals when the articulated
facts do not justify this significant use of force. The department’s own records demonstrate that,
as with other types of force, canine officers use dogs out of proportion to the threat posed by the
people they encounter, leaving serious puncture wounds to nonviolent offenders, some of them
children. Furthermore, in every canine bite incident for which racial information is available, the
subject was African American.
This disparity, in combination with the decision to deploy
canines in circumstances with a seemingly low objective threat, suggests that race may play an
impermissible role in officers’ decisions to deploy canines

Second, the way you mention the DOJ report on the shooting of Michael Brown indicates you aren't convinced it was fair. Consider this quote from a New York Times article, quoting Eric Holder:

Of course I read the report in full and the dissent among critics was even acknowledged by the President and the Attorney General. Darren Wilson is pretty much proof that Ferguson is not alone in racial bias against minorities because he once served the Jennings PD, which was disbanded because of racial tension. Meaning the whole Michael Brown incident was just the last straw for people to come out and voice out what's really the bigger problem which is America's problem. Darren Wilson may not get punishment but people at the top are getting exposed for the environment they created. I mean for all the conservative talk saying maybe you shouldn't take the crime even if it leads to death despite how petty it is, then explain why African-Americans are less likely to carry contraband then white Americans as well as how the local government gives family members, friends, or acquaintances free passes on their traffic tickets. It shouldn't be a left-right issue.

So to answer the basic question you raise in this thread, on whether there is race and class bias in the American justice system, I repeat something this page quotes Barack Obama as saying: "While not typical, the issues raised in the Ferguson report also were not isolated, he said." In short, in some places there is race and class bias, but in plenty of places there are not (to a significant degree, at least). In some incidents, race and class bias are a factor, but in other incidents they are not.

Of course. yet they are things that can be fixed but not taken enough action on that. Which brings also an issue of the environment, lack of accountability among police officers. Michael Brown incident was ambiguous at best due to lack of camera footage but let's agree that Eric Garner's death wasn't yet the Staten Island Jury didn't want to indict the cop who choked him out despite being caught on video. Even worse, Tamir Rice was shot in less than 2 seconds by a rookie cop who wasn't unfit to be a cop according to camera surveillance which contradicts their statement on how they warned him which is impossible in less than 2 seconds. And yet, the city of Cleveland decided to blame HIM for causing his death despite being 12 and didn't even want to give him treatment as his sister was there crying over him being shot. To be fair, they apologized for their wording which got controversy but that doesn't disprove my point. In fact, here are some incidents where Ferguson officers feeling they can arrest whoever they want and ruin lives in the process. To the point of making arrests for ANYTHING.

Even relatively routine misconduct by Ferguson police officers can have significant
consequences for the people whose rights are violated. For example, in the summer of 2012, a
32-year-old African-American man sat in his car cooling off after playing basketball in a
Ferguson public park. An officer pulled up behind the man’s car, blocking him in, and
demanded the man’s Social Security number and identification. Without any cause, the officer
accused the man of being a pedophile, referring to the presence of children in the park, and
ordered the man out of his car for a pat-down, although the officer had no reason to believe the
man was armed. The officer also asked to search the man’s car. The man objected, citing his
constitutional rights. In response, the officer arrested the man, reportedly at gunpoint, charging
him with eight violations of Ferguson’s municipal code. One charge, Making a False
Declaration, was for initially providing the short form of his first name (e.g., “Mike” instead of
“Michael”), and an address which, although legitimate, was different from the one on his driver’s
license. Another charge was for not wearing a seat belt, even though he was seated in a parked
car. The officer also charged the man both with having an expired operator’s license, and with
having no operator’s license in his possession. The man told us that, because of these charges,
he lost his job as a contractor with the federal government that he had held for years.

In June 2014, an African-American couple who had taken their children to play at the
park allowed their small children to urinate in the bushes next to their parked car. An officer
stopped them, threatened to cite them for allowing the children to “expose themselves,” and
checked the father for warrants. When the mother asked if the officer had to detain the father in
front of the children, the officer turned to the father and said, “you’re going to jail because your
wife keeps running her mouth.”
The mother then began recording the officer on her cell phone.
The officer became irate, declaring, “you don’t videotape me!” As the officer drove away with
the father in custody for “parental neglect,” the mother drove after them, continuing to record.
The officer then pulled over and arrested her for traffic violations. When the father asked the
officer to show mercy, he responded, “no more mercy, since she wanted to videotape,” and
declared “nobody videotapes me.” The officer then took the phone, which the couple’s daughter
was holding. After posting bond, the couple found that the video had been deleted.

This documentary evidence of explicit racial bias is consistent with reports from
community members indicating that some FPD officers use racial epithets in dealing with
members of the public. We spoke with one African-American man who, in August 2014, had an
argument in his apartment to which FPD officers responded, and was immediately pulled out of
the apartment by force. After telling the officer, “you don’t have a reason to lock me up,” he
claims the officer responded: “N*****, I can find something to lock you up on.” When the man
responded, “good luck with that,” the officer slammed his face into the wall, and after the man
fell to the floor, the officer said, “don’t pass out motherf****r because I’m not carrying you to
my car.” Another young man described walking with friends in July 2014 past a group of FPD
officers who shouted racial epithets at them as they passed.

BTW, major points for mentioning class bias. That frequently gets overlooked in these sort of debates, even though the well known higher crime rate in poorer neighborhoods is completely relevant to the actions of law enforcement in neighborhoods with a higher concentration of minorities that are frequently poorer neighborhoods.

That is true but it has to be acknowledged but remember that police culture do add to that type of problem. Especially post-9/11 in regards to police militarization and stereotypical images of what a criminal looks like. As well as America having the most people in prisons in the world with a significant number being minor drug offenses and more minorities being punished more for that than white Americans. This is where a quote from Lisa of The Simpsons becomes quite relevant:

Mom, I know your intentions are good but aren't the police the protective force that maintains the status quo for the wealthy elite? Don't you think we ought to attack the roots of social problems instead of jamming people into overcrowded prisons?
 
It's not really much of the exaggeration when the report even states that almost all incidents involving police dogs were NON-VIOLENT incidents. Such as a 14-year-old being bitten for waiting for his friends outside. Page 31 of the report.

FPD engages in a pattern of deploying canines to bite individuals when the articulated
facts do not justify this significant use of force. The department’s own records demonstrate that,
as with other types of force, canine officers use dogs out of proportion to the threat posed by the
people they encounter, leaving serious puncture wounds to nonviolent offenders, some of them
children. Furthermore, in every canine bite incident for which racial information is available, the
subject was African American.
This disparity, in combination with the decision to deploy
canines in circumstances with a seemingly low objective threat, suggests that race may play an
impermissible role in officers’ decisions to deploy canines

You just put in bold the exact words I quoted. I read them. I understand them. All you have to do is read the end of the segment you quoted to understand that the report itself comes to a more restrained conclusion than that the Ferguson police never used dogs on anyone who was not African-American. That makes your point an exaggeration, which is unwise. The exact language of the report indicates bad enough things to warrant serious reform without putting words into its mouth.

Of course I read the report in full and the dissent among critics was even acknowledged by the President and the Attorney General. Darren Wilson is pretty much proof that Ferguson is not alone in racial bias against minorities because he once served the Jennings PD, which was disbanded because of racial tension. Meaning the whole Michael Brown incident was just the last straw for people to come out and voice out what's really the bigger problem which is America's problem. Darren Wilson may not get punishment but people at the top are getting exposed for the environment they created. I mean for all the conservative talk saying maybe you shouldn't take the crime even if it leads to death despite how petty it is, then explain why African-Americans are less likely to carry contraband then white Americans as well as how the local government gives family members, friends, or acquaintances free passes on their traffic tickets. It shouldn't be a left-right issue.

Eric Holder mentioned critics in order to dismiss their claims as not based on an objective examination of the evidence. That should be evidence enough that it isn't a left-right issue. Unless you want to engage in the conspiracy theory that the Justice Department was paid off?


Of course. yet they are things that can be fixed but not taken enough action on that. Which brings also an issue of the environment, lack of accountability among police officers. Michael Brown incident was ambiguous at best due to lack of camera footage but let's agree that Eric Garner's death wasn't yet the Staten Island Jury didn't want to indict the cop who choked him out despite being caught on video. Even worse, Tamir Rice was shot in less than 2 seconds by a rookie cop who wasn't unfit to be a cop according to camera surveillance which contradicts their statement on how they warned him which is impossible in less than 2 seconds. And yet, the city of Cleveland decided to blame HIM for causing his death despite being 12 and didn't even want to give him treatment as his sister was there crying over him being shot. To be fair, they apologized for their wording which got controversy but that doesn't disprove my point. In fact, here are some incidents where Ferguson officers feeling they can arrest whoever they want and ruin lives in the process. To the point of making arrests for ANYTHING.

I will say that I don't know much about the Eric Garner case, though the Tamir Rice case appears to be a definite instance of wrongdoing by the police officers involved.

However, the Michael Brown case was not "ambiguous at best." The fact that you are still holding onto that tends to indicate you are still taking the word of discredited witnesses against the word of those the Justice Department found credible and, might I add, against the physical evidence.


That is true but it has to be acknowledged but remember that police culture do add to that type of problem. Especially post-9/11 in regards to police militarization and stereotypical images of what a criminal looks like. As well as America having the most people in prisons in the world with a significant number being minor drug offenses and more minorities being punished more for that than white Americans. This is where a quote from Lisa of The Simpsons becomes quite relevant:

I'm going to let the probably-had-to-be-there-because-it's-not-clear-whatisthisIdon'teven-The Simpsons quote slide, but one thing needs to be pointed out. Militarization had absolutely nothing to do with the shooting of Michael Brown, the shooting of Tamir Rice, or the death of Eric Garner.
 

Silver Soul

Well-Known Member
You just put in bold the exact words I quoted. I read them. I understand them. All you have to do is read the end of the segment you quoted to understand that the report itself comes to a more restrained conclusion than that the Ferguson police never used dogs on anyone who was not African-American. That makes your point an exaggeration, which is unwise. The exact language of the report indicates bad enough things to warrant serious reform without putting words into its mouth.

I'm just trying to say that Ferguson police were so brutal towards African-Americans to the point that it's not so different from 50 years ago where officers sic dogs on them during Civil Rights protests. Heck, I knew Ferguson PD had racial problems but even I was surprised the actions were that brutal. Not to mention the town is not the only one with these problems.

Eric Holder mentioned critics in order to dismiss their claims as not based on an objective examination of the evidence. That should be evidence enough that it isn't a left-right issue. Unless you want to engage in the conspiracy theory that the Justice Department was paid off?

Sure. In the end, protesters got what they wanted which exposes all the actions police have done through the years. If you kept up with the news lately, police chief and city manager resigned following report's release.

I will say that I don't know much about the Eric Garner case, though the Tamir Rice case appears to be a definite instance of wrongdoing by the police officers involved.

However, the Michael Brown case was not "ambiguous at best." The fact that you are still holding onto that tends to indicate you are still taking the word of discredited witnesses against the word of those the Justice Department found credible and, might I add, against the physical evidence.

I said it because there was no camera footage of that incident unlike others. There's a reason why Jeff Roorda was against issuing body cams and preventing police transparency and that guy with a corrupt past as a police officer was head of a police union. That guy is not the only one who thinks the same way.


I'm going to let the probably-had-to-be-there-because-it's-not-clear-whatisthisIdon'teven-The Simpsons quote slide, but one thing needs to be pointed out. Militarization had absolutely nothing to do with the shooting of Michael Brown, the shooting of Tamir Rice, or the death of Eric Garner.

It did have to do with the protests following that because they treat their own streets so much as a battleground, they don't have the skills to de-escalate the situation as needed and instead make things worse. It's one thing to do your job as an officer but it is another when it comes to violating a person's Constitutional rights.
 

Silver Soul

Well-Known Member
i heard about what happened and now the corrupt pig Jeff Roorda is on the news saying protesters want more dead cops. If we go by his logic, then that's like saying cops want more dead black people and well... look at the scoreboard.
 

bobjr

You ask too many questions
Staff member
Moderator
That's the same one where the police report said that he tried to save the man's life and gave him CPR, and the video shows none of that right? It's funny how people still defend this.
 

The Admiral

the star of the masquerade
I'm just waiting for someone to claim it was staged or doctored or otherwise made to implicate Mr. Poor Defenseless Police Officer for a crime he didn't commit. It's gonna happen. I'll put money down on it.
 

L. Lawliet

Black Ice Trainer
Ok. time for my interpretation of the video

For starters, i urge you to watch in HD. I know cell phone cams suck, but it will provide further insight.
When viewed in HD, at around 17 seconds, you can see a wire coming from the officers vest down to a small black item on the ground, which is consistent with the officers story of the incident that Mr. Scott took the tazer. You can actually see the tazer drop from the man a bit earlier between the 10-15 second mark when Mr. scott began running.

on a second note, the item dropped near the man could have been the officers weapon/magazine. Since the officer fired 8 shots, and that is the average clip size, a magazine drop is not out of the question.

Overall though, it is a shame someone died. A shot to the legs would suffice. killing by officer is not ok with me unless in a situation (i.e a hostage situation or an armed gunman).
 

The Admiral

the star of the masquerade
Ok. time for my interpretation of the video

<snip>

Overall though, it is a shame someone died. A shot to the legs would suffice. killing by officer is not ok with me unless in a situation (i.e a hostage situation or an armed gunman).

At least you accept, though, that eight shots in the back with, apparently, intent to kill, is excessive. It seems pretty clear to me that the officer had no respect for the man's life. I don't care if he was resisting arrest, HE DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE. That's all there is to it.
 

Silver Soul

Well-Known Member
Last I recall, didn't Walter Scott feared for his life because he would be arrested for late child support payments? I mean, it's all over a freaking traffic stop so African-Americans can be killed by police for ANYTHING judging from Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and John Crawford. Seriously... there's a reason there are body cams.

Heck, the video exposes the officer's murder so much that his original lawyer went "Screw it, I'm outta here!". The police LIED in their report and one brave soul posted the video fearing his life because who do you believe now.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...orney-dumped-him-as-soon-as-he-saw-video.html

Now for those saying "Ooh, it's an isolated incident" or "Racism is over you race-baiters", um no.
 
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bobjr

You ask too many questions
Staff member
Moderator
It's an isolated incident only because they only believe it when a video comes up, otherwise it turns into "Well he probably deserved it" or "We don't know the full story".
 

7 tyranitars

Well-Known Member
What I don't understand about all this, if the police officer tried to stop Scott from running away he could have shot him in his legs. Don't American policeofficers get trained to do that? I mean if you carry a gun you should atleast be able to aim.
 

Silver Soul

Well-Known Member
Here's three problems:

One, it's all over a traffic stop. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/09/dashcam-video-walter-scott_n_7036898.html

Two, there was NO warrant for Walter Scott's arrest. http://www.mediaite.com/online/there-was-no-arrest-warrant-for-walter-scott/

Three, then the officer wouldn't have try to PLANT the taser to make it look like Walter Scott was the aggressor. That warrants the murder charge just by covering it up

Walter Scott is the end was no threat since he was fleeing for his life. If you look at the Ferguson PD report, Walter Scott's fear is pretty much justified there because the cop doesn't give a damn about his humanity judging from the number of bullets without care. I mean, that is so lazy and cold.

By the way, THIS also happened in South Carolina last year. Person just followed orders and got shot for it!

http://www.wltx.com/story/news/loca...leased-of-trooper-involved-shooting/16187305/
 

Diz~

Combat Specialist
At least you accept, though, that eight shots in the back with, apparently, intent to kill, is excessive. It seems pretty clear to me that the officer had no respect for the man's life. I don't care if he was resisting arrest, HE DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE. That's all there is to it.


Errrr yes he do. The guy was an *******. He definitely deserve to die and that not because of the color of his skin. Now, was it excessive? Sure. Because the cop waste too many bullets to waste one guy. Just shoot him once, and he'll go down pretty quick. Getting shot should hurt a lot. But then again, I was told by my ole Sargent that dead men can sue either. So there that.
 

Silver Soul

Well-Known Member
Errrr yes he do. The guy was an *******. He definitely deserve to die and that not because of the color of his skin. Now, was it excessive? Sure. Because the cop waste too many bullets to waste one guy. Just shoot him once, and he'll go down pretty quick. Getting shot should hurt a lot. But then again, I was told by my ole Sargent that dead men can sue either. So there that.

...Alright. I was going to be nice but that last statement really pulled a nerve. You know why? Not everyone deserves to die just because that guys a jerk. WE HAVE A JUSTICE SYSTEM FOR A REASON! And yet, there are ones who controls it that allowed Eric Garner, Emmett Till
, and John Crawford's killers to get away with it just because two of their murderers had a badge and the middle had racists on their side! There are still people saying out there that Eric Garner and Tamir Rice deserved to die just because they are big and black, that's calling them freaks!

Here's a thing, it doesn't matter if the guy was a jerk or not... you have no position to say that. Zimmerman is a jerk and yet he is still alive and not in jail, OJ Simpson got away with murder and then went to jail for another crime. The Boston Bomber had American rights for a free trial and get rightfully tried for all counts sentencing him to death. Even jerks deserve to have a fair trial and the police officer made the mistake... if you just kill him, then you will allow the police to get away with other killings. That's how it goes. The Justice System needs to be fixed and you sir don't help. So read the Constitution before making such comment!
 
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