TALKING POINTS 101: BLM v. Racial Profiling

[OneAngryDemocrat]

While some of the tactics of Black Lives Matter have left a bad taste in my mouth, I came to the realization just last night of something I think most folks are overlooking, namely, that the radical right have for ages vociferously promoted racial profiling as an acceptable law enforcement tool.

Now that these same right-wing assholes have stepped up on to their soap boxes to decry the inflammatory rhetoric of BLM, I hafta wonder, where were these hypocritical sacks of shit when police tactics directly promoting a war on the citizenry were being debated? Were they standing up for Big Government's racist policies, or for the harassed citizenry of color?

While in no way condoning the most horrendous of statements that have come from some of the more extreme elements within BLM, it should come as no surprise to anyone that when any one segment of the population is singled out for police scrutiny, that the police scrutinizers would also be singled out - rightfully and properly - by the scrutinized.

If you are in fact 'surprised', then you are also part of the problem the BLM wishes to address: systemic racism.

[Warpy]

1. Cop Culture

An obscure study came out a few months ago (didn't save the link, sorry) that showed cops across the board tended to overestimate a black person's height and weight, making them more of a threat. Black cops were as guilty as white cops of this bias.

Part of this is likely piss poor training, but a lot of it is due to the culture.

We're not going to see any changes with the police and their overreaction to black folks until we manage to get them a little more realistic when it comes to assessing physical threat.

(Couldn't find a link, did find this little gem at Salon: http://www.salon.com/2014/03/11/study_police_see_black_children_as_less_innocent_and_less_young_than_white_children/ )