California Police Killings Database Shows ‘Clear Racial Disparities’
Newly released records show that black men have been killed by police in California at eight times the rate of other residents over the past decade.
Jon Candy / CC BY 2.0
Newly released records show that black men have been killed by police in California at eight times the rate of other residents over the past decade.
The Guardian reports:
Statistics published by the California attorney general, Kamala Harris, stated that about 19% of almost 1,000 homicides by law enforcement recorded between 2005 and 2014 were against African American men, who made up only about 3% of the state’s population.
Harris said last week that “clear racial disparities” had emerged from the figures, which also showed African Americans were arrested and died in custody at disproportionately high rates. …
Since 2005, police and law enforcement agencies in California have been required to submit to state authorities detailed reports about deaths in custody. But the information was made accessible and searchable for the first time last week.
“This is the first initiative of its kind across the US, to our knowledge,” said Kristin Ford, Harris’s press secretary. …
At present the federal government does not publish a comprehensive record of people killed by police forces throughout the US. Instead, the FBI runs a voluntary program whereby law enforcement can choose to submit their count of “justifiable homicides” each year.
Read the statistics here.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Wait, before you go…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
TD Original
It started as a hashtag after the acquittal of George Zimmerman—what has the movement accomplished since then?
Interview
While racial equity progress is slow, Melina Abdullah sees enough hope to continue.
TD Original
The Mississippi GOP’s attack on local power in the Black-majority capital has outraged and galvanized city lawmakers.
TD Original
Meet the scholars-for-hire who preach solidarity in service of a software company with a long and sordid record of collaboration.
Opinion
There are thousands of “elite” teams like the Scorpion unit and they come in all calibers, shapes, and sizes.
Column
How a bad system can corrupt good apples.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.