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What to "work together" on?



This is an oldie, written about three years ago, but I couldn't resist dusting it off and putting it on this board.  I originally wrote these remarks in response to one of those white suburban church-lady types, who fluted and prattled on about how minorities should go about seeking justice after police shootings and other flagrant abuses.  She withdrew all of her remarks, but the responses of a number of other guests on the blog can be found on this thread on Religion Prof.  I've decided to withdraw her name.


  • Jennifer A. Nolan to ✋✋✋: "Let me help you out with this: white suspects are about twice as likely as black ones to be shot to death by police, as shown by Statista: 'People Shot to Death by U.S. Police by Race,' July 1, 2020, online. Here are the numbers by year for whites, blacks, and Hispanics: 2017: 457 Wte, 223 Blk, 179 Hsp; 2018: 399 Wte, 209 Blk; 148 Hsp; 2019: 370 Wte; 235 Blk; 158 Hsp; 2020: 204 Wte, 105 Blk, 66 Hsp.

    "These numbers really show a general disregard among at least some cops for civilian life and dignity. But the number of black deaths in relation to white ones shows that the black community has a genuine case for claiming racial discrimination in their handling by the police in this country. If you exclude white Hispanics, we make up 60.1 percent of the population, as opposed to 13.4 percent of the population for blacks. Fold in the white Latinos, and you get 76.3 percent of the population as white. So they are gunned down more often, relative to their population size -- which means, there is nothing more for us to "work together" with their community on: We just have to change our attitude and join their call for equal treatment under the laws."


  • Jennifer A. Nolan to ✋✋✋: "One of the shooters is a former cop: this makes him very much an authority as far as most of us are concerned. Law enforcement and former law enforcement are supposed to act professional, especially when heavily armed. The youngster was unarmed and minding his own F*cking business. Love these people or don't, but keep your public actions within the Bill of Rights. Including the Second Amendment, which begins with the phrase "A well-regulated militia..." [which] do[es] not shoot unarmed strangers."

Posted by Jennifer A. Nolan



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