When Force is Hardest to Justify, Victims of Police Violence Are Most Likely to be Black

Lisa Wade, PhD on July 7, 2016

A Pew study found that 63% of white and 20% of black people think that Michael Brown’s death at the hands of Darren Wilson was not about race. This week many people will probably say the same about two more black men killed by police, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.

Those people are wrong.

African Americans are, in fact, far more likely to be killed by police. Among young men, blacks are 21 times more likely to die at the hands of police than their white counterparts.

But, are they more likely to precipitate police violence? No. The opposite is true. Police are more likely to kill black people regardless of what they are doing. In fact, “the less clear it is that force was necessary, the more likely the victim is to be black.”

That’s data from the FBI.

This question was also studied by sociologist Lance Hannon. With an analysis of over 950 non-justifiable homicides from police files, he tested whether black people were more likely to take actions that triggered their own murder. The answer was no. He found no evidence that blacks were more likely than whites to engage in verbal or physical antecedents that explained their death.

There is lots, lots more evidence if one bothers to go looking for it.

Castile and Sterling, unlike Brown, were carrying weapons. People will try to use that fact to justify the police officer’s fatal aggression. But it doesn’t matter. Black men and women are killed disproportionately whether they are carrying weapons or not, whether carrying weapons is legal or not. Carrying weapons is, in fact, legal in both Minnesota and Louisiana, the states of this week’s killings. What they were carrying is no more illegal than Trayvon’s pack of Skittles. Black people can’t carry guns safely; it doesn’t matter whether they are legal. Heck, they can’t carry Skittles safely. Because laws that allow open and concealed carry don’t apply the same way to them as they do white people. No laws apply the same way to them. The laws might be race neutral; America is not.

Revised from 2014.

Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Comments 475

Renaissance Man — November 28, 2014

But Jessica, you are being intellectually dishonest. "But, are they more likely to precipitate police violence?" No, but they are more likely to be engaged in crime. Those are from FBI statistics as well. Now, maybe there are massive injustices that lead to this situation (basically, long term poverty), but still . . . your argument is nonsensical. If you are more likely to engage in behavior that lead to altercations with police and violence occurs at a particular rate, then then numbers of people in your group that die in these violent events will be greater.

Pyr — November 28, 2014

The 63% explains the social media comments concerning the country wide protests that ask, "Why are they protesting?" They never got pulled over for no reason other than their skin color.

Bill R — November 28, 2014

Lisa, you've gotten yourself into quite a state in writing this post. Maybe this is you being angry or just trying to be convincing, I don't know. But it does not give you liberty to deliberately restate the interview questions on which your post is based. Let's take a look.

The Pew study asks people when thinking of Ferguson:
1. The case raises important issues about race that needs to be discussed
2. The issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves
3. Don't know

You restate the response item as "NOT ABOUT RACE" which is simply untrue. In items 1 and 2 in the Pew study the researchers clearly imply the Ferguson killing IS ABOUT RACE, and are asking how important a racial issue Ferguson actually is. This difference is meaningful. If a white respondent believed Mr. Wilson partially provoked the shooting he/she could both believe Ferguson is ABOUT RACE but that race is getting more attention than it deserves.

The killing in Ferguson is certainly a tragedy and yes, blacks and whites once again interpret its racial significance differently. But misquoting research questions only hurts your reputation and our ability to get to the truth. This is disappointing.

lala — November 28, 2014

(Please pardon my 3rd language english).

This article is so, so wrong. It's understandable to write with anger, but you shouldn't misuse science the way you're doing it.

"It’s not a matter of opinion; it’s a scientific question that has been asked and answered".

False. The scientific evidence can be interpreted in terms of probabilities, but in no way it is proof for the cause of a particular situation.

The data you show proves that black people are more likely to be killed by a policeman, AND when killed by the police, more likely to be the victim of an unjustified killing. You can't conclude from that statement that all the killings of black men are caused by racism, thus, you can't use it as irrefutable proof of racism in any particular case of police killing.

Additionally, the data you present says nothing about the prevalence of unjustified murder. Of course it's underreported and hard to measure, but for the sake of argument let's assume that 20% of all police killings are unjustified (a completely arbitrary number). Even if it were true that those killings are racially biased, the plurality of the killings would be justified, independently of the race of the victim.

Without knowing the prevalence of unjustified murders, you can't even know the probability of the killing of a black man to be unjustified. But even if you could, that still would be a probability.

Anyways, the important point is this: You claim that proof of systemic bias and higher probability of something hapening is a scientific proof that something happened on a specific case, and that anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong, because science!

Please notice that i'm not trying to say anything about the specific case in Ferguson. It's a hugely important case, and i'm sure there's plenty of arguments tied to the specific of the case to argue in favour of the racism thesis. But it's still just an anecdote when you enter the realm of statistic-based scientific proof. Stating otherwise is just damaging to the sociological education of the readers of this blog.

TDHawkes — November 28, 2014

I am confused. The graph above shows almost the opposite of the author's claim. It shows 13% of the US population are black, 63% are white, with 17% of all folks being Hispanic. For all victims of police killings, 31% were black, but 52% were white, with 12% Hispanic. So way more whites were killed by police than blacks. If you add the blacks to the Hispanics you get 43% killed by police were people of color, which is still less than the 52% of whites killed. Of those people killed who were NOT attacking, 39% were black, 45% were white, and 12% were Hispanic. Now if you add the black to the Hispanic, you get 51% were people of color, and 45% were white, so now there might be a race issue. For all those killed not attacking, but not killed with a rifle or shotgun, the numbers are 42% black, 44% white, and 12% Hispanic. So adding the blacks to the Hispanics we see 54% people of color compared to 44% white people killed not attacking and not killed with a rifle or shotgun. Again, race may be an issue. But, are these values statistically different enough to suggest race is an issue. Certainly just being black or just being Hispanic won't hold water as a race issue given these numbers. However, you could make the argument that since the percents of blacks or Hispanics compared to whites in the whole population are so low, proportionally more blacks and Hispanics are killed by police compared to whites. Those proportions should be shown on this graph to clear up any possible reader confusion.

Ricky — November 28, 2014

Yeah clearly Mr. Brown was shot just because he was black. The fact that he tried to grab a police officer's gun had absolutely nothing to do with because science or whatever.

Skippy B. Damned — November 28, 2014

You're saying the Michael Brown case is about race because other cases were about race. That seems about right.

Guesty McGuesterson — November 28, 2014

Dr. Wade's logic here is so clearly flawed, I sincerely hope she and anyone at Occidental is embarrassed to read it. First she argues that because there is a trend that this instance must be a part of that trend with no supporting evidence except circularly arguing that it is because "it just is." While I don't dispute or necessarily agree with the conclusion, the argument is intellectually dishonest and indicative of a severe lack of critical thinking, intellectual honesty, or logic based reasoning.

A Burns — November 28, 2014

Police shooting of suspects do fall along racial lines, despite what anyone wants to believe. The statistics are there. The Michael Brown case, regardless of the situations in which he was shot is not necessarily a matter of race in the sense that the officer was racist, but by his own admission an issue of "Fear" and "training." Police are put through significant stress, driving alone (for one) should not occur, but their training is such that they are asked to make snap judgements that are life and death.

If fear is a factor in your decision making, it can lead to a decision such as was the case of Officer Wilson. If this condition of fear fuels the events then tragedy is expected. Further, the training of police officers is something that needs extensive review nationwide. Racial profiling exists, both covertly and with the blessing of some state and local governments. This is where that fear comes in, racial profiling lends to fear of minorities. This is can also be seen by the chasm of enforcement between, say, a 12 year old black kid with a fake gun and, say, Open Carry Texas and the open brandishing of weapons of civilians on law enforcement during the Cliven Bundy standoff earlier this year.

There is not just a racial element here, but an element of perceived guilt along class lines and within the urban environment as well. Poor urban residents, regardless of race, have a better chance of being killed by police than middle class urban or any rural residents.

Race is a factor. Fear is a factor. Location is a factor. Police Training is a factor. Class is a factor. Any attempt to pretend otherwise is simply a form of self-assurance in the overall good of the system and safety within the status quo. It may also be a nice device for insulating against one's own fears. Seek truth, no matter how difficult. Live in the light of truth, rather than the shadow of fear.

James Nease — November 28, 2014

42% of 13% of the population = 17,260,634

44% of 63% of the population = 83,647,690

That is a 6:1 ratio for every black male shot down by police, six white men will be shot down.

I
guess on the micro-statistic side when you look at population
percentages it seems racial, but when you take into account the overall
sum or macro-level statistic it is even across the board with those 6:1
ratios; and police seem indiscriminate when gunning down someone; the
statistical data doesn't lie.

The Ferguson Masterpost: How To Argue Eloquently & Back Yourself Up With Facts | [smut & sensibility] — November 28, 2014

[…] To quote Lisa Wade: “A Pew study found that 63% of white and 20% of black people think that Michael Brown’s death at the hands of Darren Wilson is not about race. Those people are wrong.” See why here. […]

russnelson — November 28, 2014

Blacks are murderers at a rate equal to whites, yet they are only 13% of the population. Therefore, a random black person is eight times as likely to be a murderer as a random white person (in order to get the rate up to 50%). It's not racist for a policeman to suspect a black person as being more likely to initiate violence. Even so, they're only killed at a rate 31/13 or 2.4 times whites. If anything, policemen are killing whites at a higher rate relative to their likelihood to be violent.

I think we can dismiss racism as the cause for police violence.

We still have to understand why blacks kill more often. I think the racism in American society is expressed in terms of incentives for young black males to be more violent. Me, I blame the war on drugs and the minimum wage (which like it or not was designed to exclude young blacks from the workforce, and whenever it starts failing to do so, we dutifully increase it.) Once you enter into a business outside of the rules, you can't go to the law to resolve conflicts; you have to resolve them using violence.

So yes, it's about race, but not in the obvious, trivial way that Lisa claims.

sammymcgee — November 28, 2014

Lisa Wade, stop using your position as a professor as a bully pulpit for your personal convictions. The rate of African american deaths during arrests matches exactly their rate of arrests for violent crimes relative to the rest of the population. The so-called bias against blacks is due, in large part, to their higher likelihood to commit violent crime than other demographic groups. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/43tabledatadecoverviewpdf

jock8 — November 28, 2014

You don't need any scientific proofs that blacks or other minority has a higher chance of being in a danger zone (racism influenced) when encountered with a white cop. End of Story. Don't believe me? Painted yourself as a black person and experience for a day then you'll get it. In a hegemonic community much in the Midwestern states, where typically lacks of diversity is a prescription of ongoing disaster. Remember the story of the pretty lady dress-up in a plus size? The analogy of a race is the same just Google or YouTube it. Thanks for understanding. Don't throw rocks.

CerebralZombie — November 28, 2014

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152603552157512&pnref=story

ReACTIONary — November 28, 2014

This study seems to have been based on a small number of observations (only 426) that are poorly and under reported. It wouldn't be unreasonable to suspect that the best and most complete reporting is done by larger, more bureaucratic police departments in urban areas. If so, the underrepresented population may be white.

Personally, I don't think it's appropriate to draw conclusions of this import from such defective evidence.

Bob Dole — November 28, 2014

Yes, there is definitely a race problem in the US. However, It's important that if you are going to show an info graphic like that, that it communicate an accurate picture.

The correlational discrepancy between bars 1 and (3 and 4) can be explained by encounter rate. Due to racial policies like stop and frisk this graphic may only show that police encounter black citizens as often as white citizens.

To accurately show a disproportionate correlation between cops shooting black citizens and white citizens it is necessary to compare against encounter rates, not general social makeup.

To add nuance to the discussion one could also examine the frequency that cops are in clearly violent confrontation with individuals of either ethnicity. While this would not excuse the behaviour of police it would serve to focus efforts to address the problem.

Drew — November 28, 2014

Here's some interesting stuff. The article is meant to show that cops kill blacks at a disproportionately higher rate than whites, and while it's certainly true, it's really how you interpret the data to see where the racism lies.

78 percent of those killed by black cops are black, whereas 'all people of color' (whatever that means) killed by white cops only amounts to 46 percent of those they killed - which also directly corresponds with the 40% of the US population being non-white (is that the same as 'all people of color?). 44 percent of those killed during the time period were white and white cops killed 91 percent of them - the 'white' population makes up 60% of the U.S. population - meaning black cops didn't kill many of them and white cops did. What this really seems to show is that people are actually way more likely to pull the trigger on their own 'race'.

Given the fact that blacks make up 13% of the U.S. population, black cops kill blacks at a rate 6 times their proportion of the population. Black officers count for a little more than 10% of the police force - meaning they are proportionately represented in the police force but kill blacks at a rate much higher than that.

It doesn't say what proportion of the police force is white, but I'll assume it's like that of blacks (proportionate to the population); whites kill whites at a rate 50% greater than their proportion of the population. And they are responsible for 68% percent of 'people of color' killed - only slightly higher than the equal proportion of 60%.

77% of all 'undetermined' deaths were black. This is the most troublesome statistic in terms of racism against blacks from any other race. But, and this might be the most questionable of my analysis, if black cops kill blacks at a rate 6 times their proportion of the population and their representation is equal to their representation in society - then it can be inferred that the undetermined deaths (assuming the perpetrators are distributed equally in this case as well) were much more likely to be at the hands of a black cop.

What the data doesn't show is crime rates. This is important, because I would assume that interactions with the law would relate to violent confrontations and would relate to deaths. Blacks disproportionately make up 6 times the prison population. That could be blamed on 'the system', 'society', whatever. But you can't quantify motives for arrest or incarcerations, so you can't make much of that.

All this to say, that in all this talk of racism, cops are actually significantly more cautious in killing other races and significantly more trigger-happy with their own race. If anything, this might show that cops are much harsher in their judgment of people with the same color skin than others.

It looks like white cops are fairly even handed in their killing (proportionately to the population), but especially harsh on whites and reluctant to kill blacks (they seem to kill whites and non-black, non-whites at a high rate). Black cops kill blacks very disproportionately and don't kill whites very disproportionally. So it actually looks like white cop on black victim and black cop on white victim is very unlikely. In conclusion, black cops seem to make up nearly the entirety of the disproportionate killing of black victims. Everyone is either so sensitive of race that they won't kill others or super judgmental of their own.

Golam Dawood — November 29, 2014

Thank you Lisa for presenting the truth so boldly. We assess large volumes of information to highlight bias that isn't immediately clear in the individual cases BECAUSE specific cases are so vulnerable to bias/racism. This proves blacks are 21 times more vulnerable n the incidence of wrongful shooting. Which implies we should find 21 times more justification to take white cops to trial in the shooting of black citizens, and probably give similar weighting to convict the murderers.

Everyone who is criticising your evidence in reflection of the Decision case, is in fact not checking that bias using this measure. Which is why white liberals are no longer respected. They acquit themselves through reasoning that is flawed but proclaim their scientific objectivity.

Greg — November 29, 2014

Just wondering, how are the statistics looking for what percentage of criminal is each race. I understand that there is a discrepancy between the percentage of black population and black homocide victims. But doesn't statistics also prove that a black person is more likely to be involved in crimes?

Notanidiot — November 29, 2014

I think you are a bit confused about what constitutes "science". Are blacks killed more often than whites in this kind of scenario? Yes. Does that mean every time a black person is killed it has to do with race? No. Go back to college or whatever.

Kili Jung — November 29, 2014

If we want and need to make this about race(s) then there should also be stats included here to show (1) which population commits the majority of crimes (2) which population commits the most murders (3) which population commits the most drug crimes (4) which population commits the most felonies (5) which populations commits the most misdemeanors. With these stats provided I'm sure we would see that the killings by police may just even out for all races. If we want to make this about race then we must ask ourselves these questions...."What race(s) are most likely to commit crimes?' "What race(s) are most likely to commit violent crimes against others?" and therefore "What race(s) is most likely to pose a threat to law enforcement officers?"

thekeepitrealman — November 29, 2014

Crime News

Police: Suspect hides in woman's basement, assaults officers

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by KMOV.com Staff KMOV.com Posted on August 12, 2014 at 8:58 PM

Updated Tuesday, Aug 12 at 10:26 PM

Chief of Police Jon Belmar holds news conference to address officer-involved shootingadd to reading list

KMOV mobile app - for news on the go

(KMOV.com) – Authorities said two police officers were assaulted in their attempt to catch a wanted man in the Carondelet neighborhood of south St. Louis.

Police said they conducted a search for more than one hour Monday, an effort to find Kevin Miner, 25. Miner was wanted for burglary. Officers said he tried hide one resident’s home.

“I saw the basement door was open, the cellar door was open, and I said ‘did you look down there?,” said resident Christina Freed

Officers went down the cellar steps of Freed’s home and tried to open the basement door, but Miner allegedly slammed it back shut, breaking an officer’s hand in the process.

Officers said they forced the door open, causing Miner to fight back. Miner then allegedly kicked an officer.

Miner was arrested and is facing charges of felony assault and trespassing.

Read more: http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/Police-Suspect-hides-in-womans-basement-assaults-officers-271009211.html#ixzz3KTl7UlWs

Camela Hicks — November 29, 2014

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Apparently you never took statistics 101, which would have helped you to understand that statistics are generalities; individuals are specifics. Statistics don't tell you anything about the individual case. Yes, I do believe that it was about race, but your argument proves nothing at all. A new career might be a good idea for you, because this is an example of the very worst kind of journalism.

Weekend reading | Of Means and Ends — November 29, 2014

[…] Yes, Ferguson is about race. […]

Annoyed — November 29, 2014

Correlation does not equal causation. What kind of PhD do you have. My undergrad Professor would have lit me up for making an assumption about an individual based on this evidence.

Brian Hughes — November 29, 2014

"it’s a scientific question that has been asked and answered"

Proving once again that parroting the liberal beliefs of your professors is the way to getting a PhD handed to you, as opposed to really understanding the principles of research. Stick to the blogging and public speaking, Lisa, because frankly, as a professor or "researcher" [snicker], you're a disgrace.

Richard Paauwe — November 29, 2014

of course they are more likely to be shot. they are radically more likely to be violent murderous felons.

Richard Paauwe — November 29, 2014

It was not the color of his skin that got him shot. It was the content of his vile, felonious character. The world is better off without him. And it would be even better without his parents.

serendrewpity — November 29, 2014

So Bill R., your (and others) contention is with the Pew study about how different segments of our society feel about race being involved rather than the FBI study which clearly states that race is an issue when authoritative figures in our society view and engage people of color in certain specific situations.

I feel you are missing the forest for some of its trees. The point is not about the numbers (63%/20%) in the Pew study. The point is more about those who believe that Race is not involved being wrong. Its stated plainly by the simple statement "Those people are wrong."

It poses this statement as the hypithesis for which the FBI study is proof.

Again, if you think race is not involved, while you're entitled to that belief, the facts don't bare that out.

kewlguy53403 — November 29, 2014

Add another variable to the mix. Poverty and you'll find that killing actually aligns with poverty and the p stat for poverty is much more signifigant than race as whites in poverty and blacks in poverty suffer at the same rate from police aggression.

knowyoyurhistory — November 29, 2014

Actually there is proof of racism from within the force. It's kind of silly to think that there isn't any proof when you can easily google that stuff in 10 seconds.
ST Louis tried to have the story blacked out after Brown was shot, but they couldn't get the story pulled. The first article is the one the erased. Look at how they filled the page with dashes. The officers caught being members of the KKK are probably the stupid ones, so imagine if they're smart enough to hide that stuff.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-county-police-lieutenant-who-allegedly-targeted-blacks-is/article_691eb995-7247-5c0b-a48b-e7048c777b37.html

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/St-Louis-County-officer-accused-of-targeting-blacks-fired-207351211.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/darren-wilsons-first-job-was-on-a-troubled-police-force-disbanded-by-authorities/2014/08/23/1ac796f0-2a45-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2009-02-07/news/kkkcop07_1_klan-kkk-fruitland-park

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/14/florid-police-kkk/12645555/

8thgenerationamerican — November 29, 2014

I don't dispute that it is about race but I also believe strongly it is about class. I doubt anyone has looked at any of this data from a class perspective but I'm guessing research would show clearly that race is not the sole determining factor at all. I believe we would find that class is the strongest predictor as in the lower your socio economic status is the more likely a)you will have encounters with police, and b) that you will be subject not only to arrest but the use of force up to and including deadly force. I'm pretty confident that there would be almost zero if not zero instances of a wealthy person being killed by a police officer and that the wealthier one is, the less likely it is that you'll have any interaction with the police and that that interaction will include force. I'm not trying to diminish the reality of race as a factor but I think class is an even stronger predictor. Assuming this is so, could that be a major contributor to the fact that blacks are so often having negative encounters with cops since a larger proportion of the black population is at the bottom of the socioeconomic scale? I think that is very probably the case which leads to the elimination of poverty as the best means of eliminating this ongoing tension between much of the black citizenry and police forces all over America.

Wraiththe — November 29, 2014

I think before people bring up race, they should consider the fact that a large dude, robbed a store, dissed a cop who was trying to arrest him, threw a punch at him, put his hands on the officers firearm... then turned and charged at him. Not a cute little boy, but a 290 lb 6'4" mean and aggressive man. Now, add the fact that he was black. With or with out the black... he was probably going to get shot. I think that regardless of anything else... people should find better and more clear cut cases to use as examples of racial bias. What ever happened in other cases or what ever the statistics are, they are irrelevant. They have nothing to do with this case, just like drawing an ace of hearts has to do with shuffling the deck and drawing another card. Please, you're article does nothing logically to help the issues other than to vent. If you want to fix things, it is simple. Do not resist arrest. Do not let pride get in the way. Passive resistance. Be smart. Do not fight battles you cannot win. Get cameras on all cops. Get cops training. Get cops psych evals and group therapy. Screen them better. Articles like this do not help at all and serve to propagate ill will falsely.

knowyoyurhistory — November 29, 2014

That would make sense if it was the only case, but there are hundreds of other cases that are far more clear cut. The fact that this kid is a criiminal doesn't erase the fact that there are tons of other stories where people have been harassed ,shot, or killed for no reason. I've never committed a crime, and yet

if I'm walking down a street at night police will stop me 4 times out of ten. It happens every few months, and people are sick of that. I have a right to not be harassed. There is not a single black man in this country that thinks he can disobey orders and not be shot, because black people get harassed and shot because of mistaken identity or something like that every few months. Enough is enough. You have the same internet that everyone else has. Get off of fox news and read something. The one thing you said that I agree with is more cameras on cops, but they don't want that because counties have been using them have seen a massive decrease in "incidents".

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/police-dash-cam-video-exonerates-nj-man-implicates-cops-article-1.1701763

JakeUp Schmitz — November 30, 2014

More white people are killed in every category than black people.
So because there are less black people in the US, it's more racist to kill them?
I don't understand your logic.

Freddy Martin — November 30, 2014

I don't think the scientific evidence is being presented accurately by Lisa Wade, PhD (as a side note, I also have a PhD and think it is a signal of insecurity when I see someone put this after their name).

I'm guessing the data here is pretty shaky. You can't code 1,000 police files under the assumption that every file has been put together in the same way. That's clearly a required assumption for this study to hold any scientific weight. Do we really know precisely what happened prior to the unjustified homicide from these files? Also, what does this study tell us about deaths by police that AREN'T ruled unjustified? Because that's what people are discussing right now.

Another thing, and I'm sure this has been mentioned, that chart is misleading. True, blacks are just 13% of the population, but they do commit considerably more than 13% of the crime (I forget the exact number). So 13% can't be the point of comparison. If blacks are more likely to encounter police, then they will be more likely to be killed by them as well.

Surely Lisa Wade, PhD knows this. She has a PhD. I assume her training was as good if not better than mine. So I must conclude she is being intentionally misleading.

RebeLeeous — November 30, 2014

That is not an FBI chart. Here is the only stats the FBI collects regarding it-
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/expanded-homicide/expanded_homicide_data_table_14_justifiable_homicide_by_weapon_law_enforcement_2008-2012.xls

You can see they do not list race of people killed. However, another agency, the CDC, reports between the years 1999 to 2011 that 2,151 whites died by being shot by police compared to 1,130 blacks..or 66% killed by cops are white, and 34% is black.

Mat — November 30, 2014

The chart shows that this article is BS.

SK — November 30, 2014

Is this an onion article?

ABro1973 — November 30, 2014

Thank the welfare system that turns males into permanent teenagers. 95 percent of African-American boys are born to single moms. The government is frequently their only father. Many of these boys are raised into a state of permanent adolesence. There is no role for a low-income male in a household receiving public assistance. And if a low-income job is a hinderance to a family (cutting of benefits) then males are essentially sperm donors.

They become human sperm donors, competing not to be fathers, but baby daddys. I meet African-American men who have upwards of 7 to 10 kids. They generally have a relationship with the one or two with their latest "baby mamma." They all have impossibly high child support obligations, making getting a job even less attractive.

All of this is a direct result of welfare that papers over the immediate ugly reality of poverty with temporary "help" that only continues al long as the moms look "needy." Thereby penalizing any accomplishments of fathers by taking away mothers' benefits

Tyrus M. — November 30, 2014

Michael Brown was the architect of his own fate when he was shot and killed by Darren Wilson. To suggest otherwise is to ignore the totality of circumstances that led up to the lethal encounter that ultimately occurred. His homicide was not about race, it was about lawful self-defense as exercised by the officer--period. The good doctor presents what on its face appears to be compelling evidence. What she has actually done is cherry pick the available statistics that seem to support her point of view.

Consider, however, that the doctor's point of view is at worst intentionally slanted and at least incomplete. Law enforcement officers make over 40-million police-citizen contacts nationally every year. Around 1% of all of those encounters involves some level of force being applied (handcuffs, physical control, firearm display, etc.).

Deadly force makes up an extremely small percentage of all use of force events (less than 1% of all use of force incidents). Annually, the police use lethal force that results in the death of a suspect somewhere between 300 and 400 times. Consider the same statistical source referenced by the doctor when you analyze the frequency that officers are assaulted each year.

Tyrus M. — November 30, 2014

Nationally, police officers are assaulted by suspects almost 60-thousand times a year. Almost three thousand of those assaults are with firearms. In total, suspects use weapons other than firearms that can inflict serious injury or death more than 12-thousand times a year. These are encounters that could easily have resulted in the officer being killed (some were) or seriously injured (many were).

Why are the numbers out of proportion as the doctor suggests? Perhaps it has something to do with the minority community's failure in many instances to take responsibility for the actions of their children.

Ultimately, the police are not responsible for the upbringing of the criminal element they interact with on a regular basis. This task falls squarely on the shoulders of the parents, family members, and communities who raised them to disregard our collective societal rules.

nm — November 30, 2014

Maybe I'm misreading the graphic posted. It looks like it's saying there's a pretty even spread between whites and blacks who are not attacking but getting killed by cops; and more whites are getting killed by cops than blacks and hispanics combined. Is this the case or is there some other layers I'm missing?

Ferguson, Segregation, and White Blindness | Jeffrey A. Langstraat, Ph.D. — November 30, 2014

[…] to believe that “important racial issues” are implicated in this situation. Lisa Wade is right, though. The majority of white Americans are, quite simply, […]

Andrew — November 30, 2014

However, statistics don't prove that it was about race. Do black individuals have a greater chance of being shot by police for no reason? Absolutely. But that doesn't prove on it's own merits that THIS situation was about race. If what you're saying is true, that this shooting was about race merely because statistics say it's more likely, then that means every time a black individual is shot by police it is unwarranted. Which is .. just untrue.

Statistics and Race | The Normal Curve — November 30, 2014

[…] to it often in later posts). For now, let’s ponder some cold, hard facts. I happened upon a story on the societypages.org, which posted the following graphic (stats compiled by the […]

Statistics and Race | The Normal Curve — November 30, 2014

[…] to it often in later posts). For now, let’s ponder some cold, hard facts. I happened upon a story from societypages.org, which posted the following graphic (stats compiled by the […]

Kyle Hanson — November 30, 2014

It is also a statistic that black males commit more crimes than any other race or gender, so naturally a higher percentage of black people will be killed by police. Today, 1 in 11 adult black males in America are in Prison, while only 1 in 46 adult white males are.

Jeff Cleveland — November 30, 2014

Your flaw is that you are using a general trend to say the specific shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Wilson was about race (and erroneously claiming everyone else is wrong who thinks otherwise). I'm surprised you didn't catch this being a professor of sociology.

Sky Masterson — November 30, 2014

You are calculating statistics and ignoring the fact that blacks as a group commit violent crimes at a rate between 6-7 times that of whites and black males in particular commit crimes at a rate of 10-12 times that of whites
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf
On top of that this article only cherry picks the most outrageous statistics and quotes those.

Let me calculate an equally alarming statistic that shows the degree to which police kill white criminals more than blacks:

Over the last decade there have been 2151 white fatalities of police shooting and 1130 black according to
http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/266133/fact-checking-claims-about-race-after-ferguson-shooting/

Blacks comprise 13% of the United States and whites 69% this we can conclude that blacks are (1130/.13)/(2151/.69)=2.8 times more likely to be killed by a police officer

HOWEVER,
Given that blacks cause 52% of homicides in America and whites cause 45%(http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_crime_in_the_United_States) we can calculate that given a criminal, he is
(2151/.45)/(1130/.52)=2.2 times more likely to be killed if he's WHITE by a police officer.

When you pick and choose statistics you can show anything. The dataset as a whole shows there is no racial issue with police brutality.

Moreover this is an issue that affects in the vicinity of one in a million people per year and entire country is up in arms on the ratio of the racial composure of that one in a million event.

The real issue to focus on is why the media covers this issue as if it's the end of the world and not others. The economist has gone as far as to say Race is America's biggest problem. Sorry, America's biggest problem is the closely held media brainwashing the country into a set of beliefs that benefit a very very wealthy few.

Myron Gaines — November 30, 2014

Where is the bar for "arrested"? You can't compare the US Population who aren't arrested to those who are arrested AND get killed during arrest.

Genuine Truth Search — November 30, 2014

The bargraph report listed was taken from another site. The site VOX says only it's from the FBI and can't be proven during my follow up. So maybe we should check our sources (1), verify it isn't from "the onion"(2), and finally use more credible sources (3).

mainechap — November 30, 2014

I don't care what color your skin is, if you go for a cop's gun you are - literally - begging to be shot.

Black Fear, Black Rage, and how Black Lives Matter in My Work | thesociologyphdandme — November 30, 2014

[…] Even accounting for the type of situation – whether the subject was attacking or had a weapon – blacks are will more likely to be killed by the police. […]

gub gub — December 1, 2014

the author says 63% of white people are wrong about the Ferguson case. then goes on to show evidence of a general trend, not evidence concerning the Ferguson case. evidence of a general trend, however valid, does not mean the decisive factor in the michael brown shooting was race. it would be extremely difficult to prove that it was IF it was.

Alexander Beal — December 1, 2014

A really stupid article based on cherry picking data that supports a foregone conclusion.

GloriaJackson — December 1, 2014

Am I the only one who sees that the words typed in this article and the photo posted with % of people killed by police don't match? All across the board, White people have the highest percentage of killed-by-police-during-arrest... I'm not siding one way or the other, I think we have a lot of work to do as a society and a generation. Just commenting on the article itself.

Ferguson Links — December 1, 2014

[…] When Force is Hardest to Justify, Victims of Police Violence are More Likely to be Black […]

marinemommabeth — December 1, 2014

Looking at the information you presented, taking in to account your 'specialty area' of sociology having seen before the study/ies that are out there I find this article extremely irresponsible and very lop-sided. Sociologists present ALL info and BOTH sides (well, good ones do)... Do not give legit Sociologists a bad name in your hurry to put something out that reflects your personal view rather than information that reflects facts

triangle whip — December 1, 2014

Big solution is quit using white cops to patrol black neighborhoods.. And vise versa.. Bad people profit from racism..

Ferguson Response Resources — December 1, 2014

[…] 63% of white people are wrong about Ferguson […]

PigStateNews — December 1, 2014

At least 1012 people have been killed by U.S. police since January 1, 2014.
At least 1766 have been killed since May 1, 2013.
Source: Police reports via news reports posted to "Killed By Police" on Facebook.

Sawyer Doocy — December 1, 2014

So white people die more from the cops than black people do... maybe i should start rioting to stop the hate on white people

Stop_being_lied_to — December 1, 2014

You're wrong. Sorry. But regardless of national statistics, the points of this case exonerated Wilson. It is an egregious logical fallacy to convict one man based on the average behaviors of others. WOW. Didn't Obama go to Occidental too?

Nelson — December 1, 2014

They are "21 times more likely" to be killed by police because they are more involved in criminal activity. Period. 1 in 3 black males will go to prison. The more you are involved in criminal activity, the more likely you are to die at the hands of anyone, and yes, that includes police officers. "So, no. Just no...." Please don't use skewed statistics to try and prove a point that has no grounds, it really makes you seem either clueless or divisive. I don't know which is worse.

pszNicx — December 2, 2014

Am I reading that graph wrong or is it mislabeled? It seems to say that 63% of the US Population killed by police during arrest is white.
Oh, I see, the graph represents the number of people who think Michael Brown was killed by police during arrest. Might help to clarify that in its title.

Ferguson: The Socialist Communist Progressives Are Hard At Work Wordsmithing « War Dog 6 Actual: Rumor Control — December 2, 2014

DavieandDanielle Budden — December 2, 2014

I don't understand it seems that whites are most likely to be killed by police even though blacks commit 54% of violent crimes and overwhelmingly more homicides. Even at only 13% of the population, it seems like its deeper than race.

Tina — December 2, 2014

How is it about race? In your statistics more percentage of whites have died than any other. Quit putting the race card out there for them when your facts you put up don't support it

Richard Scuba Moore — December 2, 2014

You realize that in running away or charging at him, he had the right right to shoot. "Stop or I will shoot" isn't a pretend statement and this whole thing is pathetic. If I attacked, charged at, or ran away from a cop, no matter my age as long as I wasn't a under 16 (not that the cop magically knows every bodies age) I would expect and completely understand why they are shooting at me, but then again common sense isn't a thing that is widely used today.........

Gender Focus | Round-Up: Dec. 2, 2014 — December 2, 2014

[…] with the failure to indict Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, it’s worth looking at these FBI stats, that show the harder police force is to justify, the more likely the victim is to be black […]

lou — December 2, 2014

I am so tired of hearing the race card. Yes it saddens when I see history of the 30's , 40's , 50's etc. But this is 21 century and they make the bed they lay in, they haves more rights, more welfare and too many children that tax payers have to support. Yes there is bad in all society but over come, quit dwelling on past and better yourself there are too many opportunities, others have proved it. No one is anyone's keeper. It has been proven, there is now a president that is 50/50 neither all black or all white. His mother and grand parents did something right!

Karla — December 2, 2014

Am I the only one that's noticed that the words in the article don't match the info charted? In all scenarios blacks have less than a 50% chance of being killed during an arrest. Even if the chart is labeled wrong, at most, one group has a 63% chance of being killed which is no where near being 21 times more likely as the article states. Why such a big discrepancy between the words of the article and the info on the chart????

Daniel Lawrence — December 2, 2014

The fact that police can kill anyone and get away with it is the issue. Statistics can be misleading, but even if racism is the main factor in the motivation of police committing homicides, their motivation is still irrelevant. If you are motivated only to fix racism concerning matters such as these, you should be ashamed of yourself. People are protesting saying "Black lives matter". What about other peoples' lives? Do they not matter? A man who was not black, and unarmed, was shot and killed by the police not far from my home about 2 yrs. back. The news paper article I read said that some of the man's remains were left at the scene and the property owner had to bury the remains himself on his property to prevent stray animals from eating the remains. I spoke with the stepfather of the man who was killed who told me the coroners were laughing and joking around when they threw his son's body in the back of their vehicle as if disposing of garbage. That story comes close to bringing me to tears and affects me deeply. If that story doesn't matter to you because he wasn't black, then you are the one who has a problem with racism.

When Force is Hardest to Justify, Victims of Police Violence Are Most Likely to be Black - Oppression Monitor Daily — December 2, 2014

[…] Source: thesocietypages.org […]

Terry Bankert — December 2, 2014

WHY WAIT FOR CHAOS?

What should responsible Citizens in the future do to voice their suspicion of Police Deadly Force Policy?

Beyond the Protest on the street take your demand for police accountability to the President and the Congress .

Enough is enough. Multiple instance of publicly felt Excessive Police Use of Deadly Force has created a firestorm of protest , debate and symbolism .

Now is the time to act .

The police receive federal funds and can be compelled to submit to new accountability Federal legislation .

When the Police Kill we need Federal legislation to do the following :

1. Local prosecutors will not make the decision to charge a police officer who kills any citizen, a US attorney does .

2. State courts will no longer hear these courts a Federal panel will.

3. Department of Justice investigation are required with short deadline in all police use of deadly force.

4. A National Ombudsman is appointed to review and comment on Federal compliance with these requirements .

Later to create local change take the issue to the City Council Chambers ( or it's equivalent depending on the police force.)

1. Demand that there be a written policy statement on the use of deadly force for each local police department.

2. Demand to know what it is.

3. Demand that is used with a factually specific report to the legislative body overseeing the department whenever police kill a citizen.

4. Demand an annual public hearing on that policy.

What can a Police Department do to assure Citizens that it has an effective policy and training on proper Use of Deadly Force that it enforces?

Draft 12/2/14 10 pm.

WHY WAIT?

Here is what you can do now.

ASK what are your local #police use of deadly force policies .

Petition your elected officials to publicly review those policies and working with the police change them where necessary. Then demand they are followed?

Note, I am not prejudging the police. Here I am looking at future Police Killing of our Citizens. I presume there are situations when Police use of deadly force is justified. Do you know what those situations are?

In Flint our New Flint City Charter could have a requirement of an annual review of the Flint Police Department promulgated policy on Use Of Deady Force.

Every jurisdiction should have this requirement.

As a former #Flint Municipal Ombudsman who investigated Police Brutality Claims I recommend the above and the following as one of many approaches to citizen review of police use of deadly force .

Let's start a national discussion on police use of deadly force by demanding that every political jurisdiction with a police force examine it's own policy.

Go to your next City Council or similar meeting and ask what the policy is?

You desire that a Ferguson Missouri
like event ,if it happens in your locality , has a well written policy on Use of Deadly Force that you can measure police action by.

Go to the next meeting of your city council, county commission and legislative body that funds police departments and demand a review of deadly force policy.

What would happen in # Flint Michigan or anywhere else in America if a Darren Wilson like shooting of Michael Brown in #Ferguson Missouri happened here ?

How do we keep our streets from smoldering the next day whether the shooting was found justified or not?

It would be logical now for elected, appointed or anointed local leaders like City Councils Municipal Police), County Commissioners ( Sheriffs Departments) or State Legislators
( State Police), that care, to answer that question.

Just what is the Police Use of Deadly Force Policy?

Locally how are these Killings handled? What should each community expect?

YOU Should ask what are the policies for police use of deadly force in your political jurisdiction? How to do that?

I suggest that a broad coalition in each jurisdiction be formed to evaluate those policies and make recommendations for change if needed.

This same body would be at the ready for a non judicial review for the communities served of ANY police killing of one of its Citizens.

Why wait for the protests?

Why not act now?

motherall — December 2, 2014

The fact that blacks...not African Americans...commit most of the crimes wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it? I think some white riots are due.

Bruce Williams — December 2, 2014

So, why does a large percentage of those who do not get killed by police, are shot by another black person? Does race play some part? Absolutely! Blacks kill more people than any other race. But, be honest with yourselves. Don't you feel just a bit threatened when walking down the street at night and a young black man approaches you? Given the statistics, you're much more likely to be mugged by a black person than a white one. Race issues would eventually go away if the black community would clean up their act. If you want to cite FBI statistics, you can't pick and choose. Almost half of the offenders when a police officer is killed are black. Blacks commit more than 50% of all murders in the United States. Also, about 70% of them have prior criminal arrests. I'm not what you would call "trigger happy" but, I do keep my hand on a weapon even when walking to my car at Walmart. .....but I understand that you liberals don't like guns. Be careful, it's a jungle out there.

Vick Cherey — December 2, 2014

Filthy racist cop should have let the poor little harmless child play with his gun and run merrily on his way.

Of course the Michael Brown shooting is about race: Ferguson's black culture, and therefore those black people who participate in it, promotes violence, theft, and criminal disregard for authority.

Resilient Trust | Theologybird Writes — December 3, 2014

[…] fall Ferguson MO has become an example of brokenness, fear, and trauma. Broken trust because of racism, broken trust between a community and their police force, broken trust between society and our […]

websterhamster — December 3, 2014

But blacks are also significantly more likely to be involved with a gang, or other forms of crime. Police have to do their job somehow - if 35% of gangs were made up of seagulls, wouldn't you look askance at them while patrolling in a seedy part of town?

James — December 4, 2014

A deliberately (I hope that professor Lisa is being dishonest and is not truly this incompetent) misleading piece. Early on she proclaims that young black males are 21 times more likely to be killed than young white males. Of course she then mistakenly includes the statistics for the entire population which shows a risk ration not of 21.... but of 2.9. Black males as a whole (at least for the provided statistics for 2012) are 2.9 times as likely to be killed as white males. She will undoubtedly claim that the 21 referred only to young black males vs white males, and will undoubtedly have no comment on why cops are so much less racist against adult black males.

Another fun fact that professor Lisa failed to mention (again, based on the very numbers she provided)? Whites are *more* likely to be killed by police than Hispanics. That's right, these racist cops are *more* likely (proportionately) to kill a white male than a hispanic male.

Elaine — December 4, 2014

It's interesting how the conversation about this article, about (probably) unconscious racism gets turned into two polarized sides debating how big Darren and Michael are/were and how the tussle at the police car started. All of that is unhelpful at this point. We didn't have a trial to vet all the evidence, so most of us will never know what really happened. To move forward, we need to ask questions, such as Why do the police fear the community? and Why does the community fear the police? How do we overcome the fear and mistrust? How do we get to the point where police officers are known as friends in the community; and members of the community not only look to them for help when needed, but also support them? That's what we need to be doing. Take off the verbal boxing gloves and get to what is truly a problem for everyone.
Otherwise, we will keep getting more Fergusons.

FactHound — December 4, 2014

Without taking sides, and referring to the chart presented:

First, I'd like to point out that your source says "It's important not to put too much stock in the SHR data," and goes on to explain why. Yet it's being presented here as proof.

Second, I'm trying to understand the point of using this chart. The first bar is percentages by race of the total population. The second is the percentage of 426 victims by race in 2012 FBI Supplementary Homicide Report, and so on. Is your argument here that bars 2-4 on this chart should be proportionate to the first bar, but they are not proportionate, therefore the reason for that is race? Of the 426 cases in that report, the chart shows that whites were a higher percentage of the killed.

Shouldn't we also consider socioeconomic status? Some things can be predicted without considering race. Are poor, unlearned people more likely to be killed by a police officer? What about cultural differences? Is a white urban punk-rocker more likely to be killed than a white suburban jock? Without passing judgement, I would guess yes and yes.

I have a lot of respect for your position as a Professor of Sociology, and being an author, but we need feedback from people in your position to explain the nuances of such a complicated issue.

Bayside GolfClub — December 4, 2014

LIE.. Leaves out that blacks are more likely to commit and them flee their crimes. Both recent 'cited' claims are perfect examples of the selective rendering of facts. Both were guilty of crimes and refused to comply. Both attacked the officers in the face of force that was deployed in an attempt to DIFFUSE- and NOT escalate the incident. Both perps refused this offer..

Bayside GolfClub — December 4, 2014

And al shaprton has 40 years + and nothing but failure to show for it. Proof the dems are more interested in marginalizing blacks than helping them in any way... Proof because obama has appointed al sharpton as his "Czar" to keep it up.

When Force is Hardest to Justify, Victims of Police Violence are Most Likely to Be Black | Sociology and Anthropology Updates — December 5, 2014

[…] See this article by sociology professors Lisa Wadefor more evidence (and links to even more evidence. As she concludes, “It is very, very obviously about race. It’s not a matter of opinion; it’s a scientific question that has been asked and answered.” […]

just saying — December 5, 2014

You realize that the data you provided shows that more unarmed white people are killed by cops than unarmed black people? Based on your data there are 21% more white victims than black victims. 7% more white people are are killed than black people when they are not attacking police. Finally 39% of 31% is a much smaller number than 46% of 52%. Based on the data you've provide almost twice as many white people who are not attack police are killed than black people. The total ethnic breakdown of America doesn't apply to this survey because it accounts for everyone in America and not those that encounter a situation involving police. To be more accurate you would want to list instead the ethnic breakdown of crime committed in the United States. Also your last category about what weapons that is used in a shooting doesn't really apply to the point your trying to prove. All it's saying is that almost half of everyone killed is killed by a police side arm.....Don't get me wrong, it's a great chart...you just needed to spend a little time analyzing the data.

Anonymous — December 5, 2014

The statistics don't lie, but that doesn't mean that the ONLY problem here is that cops are committing racist acts. The problem is that cops are not being punish for unprovoked violence AT ALL. They may even be getting some intangible rewards from the system. Behavior change is often about building the system to reinforce the desired behavior and via natural selection, the violators will be weeded out. One possible solution is reinforced legislation deterring these acts. Talking about "the race issue" isn't resolving the real problem. People may operate the machine, but you have to rebuild the machine if you want to change the people.

Henry J. Flandysz — December 6, 2014

But the Tea Klux Klan will never believe it in spite of the statistical evidence. They hate people of color and are glad when they're injured or killed by any method and for any reason. It's not about the facts, it's about the racial hatred they learned since childhood.

Jack Hammer — December 6, 2014

Sociology: Creating disparity where none existed before. Because muh patriarchy. Or muh racism. Or muh privilege. Or something.

sam — December 6, 2014

This study by your sources statement are " limeted and theres no way to tell how many cases are left out."

dp — December 6, 2014

Anonymous — December 7, 2014

For all we know, Officer Wilson is racist, and for all we know, he isn't. What I do know, is that I am a man of science, and all the scientific evidence and proof that was found at the scene was completely parallel with Officer Wilson's Testimony. Office Wilson truly felt threatened by Michael Brown, due to the way the casings of the bullets fell to the ground. He was backing up while firing, to try and create more space between him and brown. Did he have to kill him? Of course not! Officer Wilson's problem laid in the fact that he chose not to have a non-lethal weapon that he could use from a long distance. Because of this, the Michael Brown case is more an issue of gun violence and carelessness in America. Before I go on, I would like to say that I will return to the issue of race in a moment.
This case, when boiled down to the facts that the people want to hear, all comes down to the media. The media would much rather have viewers watch two anchormen bash heads with each other about race, then gun violence. Why? I truly do not know, and this is what separates American from the rest of the world. No other country has anywhere near the gun violence that we have. Britain, France, Canada, Japan are all doing something different. We Americans want a juicy story thats fun to listen to then to understand and change what's truly wrong here. I know I'm going off on a tangent here, but know that this is what's wrong with America, and why we are not as great as we used to be.
Back to the case, in my opinion, this is not a racism case. That does not however, mean that there is not a race problem. However, we wanted this to be a race problem because many, many people believe that there is a race problem in America, and statistically, there most definitely is. We, as humans, only hear what we want to hear and disregard the rest. In this case, we wanted to see it as a race problem so that we can finally spark what was an underlying fire.
To wrap everything up, America has major issues with everything when it comes to media, politics, and societal views, all of which come from one another. Societal views and politics will clash with each other, and the media will report the most interesting story so that they can "inform" the viewers on what's happening. This case, is NOT, a race problem, it is a gun control and internal police issue that needs to be resolved. However, there is statistical proof of racism in this country, such as the Eric Garner case, which needs to be resolved. We have to see both of these cases as what they truly are, to understand how they can both be resolved. Gun problem is one, the other is race. They are two separate problems that need to be assessed separately, otherwise, we'll be just as good as the what the media is.

nycmcmike — December 7, 2014

What happened is wrong however...

Where's the chart that shows the percentage of crimes committed by blacks versus whites?

The black community needs to stop acting as if they're totally innocent in how police perceive them. If 80 year old Asian ladies with three arms were committing the most crimes then the police would be racially profiling 80 year old Asian women who had an extra hand.

James Wiltsey — December 7, 2014

Cops are not racists they're bullies....

Dissapointed — December 7, 2014

With all due respect, and as someone who follows your blog,
using aggregated facts about race and crime to “prove” that a specific shooting
must be about race is clearly committing a logical (ecological) fallacy. The
points many of us make when it comes to using this latest tragedy to highlight
the individual and institutional racism in the criminal justice system is at
risk of being undermined when some of us are sloppy with how we do it. You and
I are not privy to many of the facts of this particular “black man (Brown) and
white officer (Wilson)” shooting. Based on what we have seen in the media, it
certainly seems to me that race likely did “have something to do with it,” but
citing group-level statistics as evidence for an individual shooting does
sociology no favors. Taken literally,
your logic suggests that every shooting of a black man by a white officer must
be “about race.” As a sociologist and former law enforcement officer, I agree that
race is a master status – particularly when it comes to these situations, but
that also doesn’t mean that every shooting involving black male “victims” is tainted
by it to the extent they all must be unjustified. Let’s continue to focus on the
forest and not the trees…especially when the only solid data available to us is
on the former. Frankly, to suggest that everyone who dares to think that this
particular shooting might have more of a story behind it than “racist white cop
shoots black teen” are simply WRONG is pretty unprofessional.

Actually... — December 8, 2014

Actually, the very same bureau shows statistics that support the opposite of your statement. If science is on both sides, I guess it sounds like it's a matter of opinion after all.

I'm incredibly impressed with the idea that "x million people can't be wrong" is actually false. And embarrassed. I wish I could apologize to other countries on their behalf for our awful behavior in protest of "bad" cops.

drawohara — December 8, 2014

Lisa, your conclusion that:

"This is about race. It is very, very obviously about race. It’s not a matter of opinion; it’s a scientific question that has been asked and answered."

is myopic and also incorrect because 1) this is a statistical, not scientific, analysis of correlation _only_ (no causation is implied by the numbers) and 2) there is no answer presented in the stats, just data. if we're going to stick to facts then we really also do need to look at the data that shows 1) crime is clearly most strongly associated with poverty 2) blacks are more likely to be in poverty in the US 3) cops are most likely to be white. therefore it is actually possible to explain the above chart even in the complete absence of racism.

i'm not, for one moment, implying that racism isn't an issue in the US, or that it's not a major factor in those homicides, but i am saying that this data does not prove that: it only suggests that we should be looking at other data to discover the causes, which are likely complex and of which racism is just one component, perhaps minor, perhaps major.

we owe this kind of fact driven thinking to the police officers who are not racist and to the people who are seeking to use real facts to create real solutions instead of framing the problem as being simple, thereby undermining the creation of possible solutions which are unlikely to be so simple to implement.

Do Black Lives Matter in the m.A.A.d. city? | Orchestrated Pulse — December 9, 2014

[…] numbers and circumstances of their deaths. Most of the people killed by police are stigmatized, or racialized, and basically deemed expendable in some […]

Do Black Lives Matter in the m.A.A.d City? | Orchestrated Pulse — December 9, 2014

[…] numbers and circumstances of their deaths. Most of the people killed by police are stigmatized, or racialized, and basically deemed expendable in some […]

CW — December 9, 2014

So what you're saying is that because of general patterns involving police and race, every single case in which a white officer kills a person of color is about race, no matter the circumstances? Wow! When did they stop teaching about ecological fallacies in sociology stats classes?

Rory Konrad — December 9, 2014

You think you might actually bother linking to the FBI report at some point?

Black Lives Matter — December 9, 2014

[…] black men are statistically more likely to be killed than unarmed white men. According to an FBI report, black men are not only disproportionately killed by law enforcement, but also while they are not […]

Ain’t Jokin (about watermelon, among other things) | Scenes of Eating — December 10, 2014

[…] I’ve been thinking about microaggressions these last few weeks, in the wake of the Book Awards debacle along with wave after wave of state-sanctioned overt aggression. Macroaggression. And I’ve been quiet, because I think sometimes it’s important to shut up and take a seat, and to listen. But I recently saw a photo of a woman holding a sign that said “White silence = white consent.” And I think that’s important, too. I do not want my silence to be interpreted as consent to a white culture that presumes my friends and neighbors guilty even when they are proven innocent, that treats a history of inequality as a joke, or that pretends to feel threatened and afraid when it should be impossible to ignore who the real threat is. […]

Mallory — December 10, 2014

The data table and the corroborating statements made above contradict one another, the table itself shows a more even distribution of violence against both blacks and whites. Very disappointing and misguiding article, especially considering I was looking for evidence--as a black woman--to corroborate this belief that blacks are targeted and killed by cops, unjustly so than their white counterparts.

Ferguson and Race, Part 1: Darren Wilson’s Testimony | Criminal Justice News — December 16, 2014

[…] a majority of White Americans may claim that this event was not about race, but in the words of Lisa Wade “those people are wrong”. Wilson invoked racist stereotypes to make the case to the jury that […]

Jesse Anderson — December 27, 2014

How can you use the sociological imagination and not mention how social class plays into this? I see a lot of bias and/or incomplete thoughts here. Can't figure out why.

Monday Links! | Gerry Canavan — December 29, 2014

[…] * But, are they more likely to precipitate police violence? No. The opposite is true. Police are more likely to kill black people regardless of what they are doing. In fact, “the less … […]

Echoes and Mirrors | Self-Love: It's Just Another Lifestyle Change — January 10, 2015

[…] to this dilemma yet. I think ultimately my prayer is that folks who are open to learning beyond the limitations of their privilege will find resources to help them expand their horizons. Maybe some of my liberal, feminist writings […]

Teachers & Writers Magazine / After The Robbery: Week One — March 17, 2015

[…] the build-up of rage in the eyes of the public at the list of names as long as generations of young black men killed with no justice served. For many of our students, both high school and […]

Teachers & Writers Magazine / What I Saw: Notes Of A First-Year Teacher — March 17, 2015

[…] the build-up of rage in the eyes of the public at the list of names as long as generations of young black men killed with no justice served. For many of our students, both high school and […]

Teachers & Writers Magazine / The Man Walked In — March 17, 2015

[…] felt the build-up of rage in the eyes of the public at the list of names as long as generations of young black men killed with no justice served. For many of our students, both high school and […]

Dana — April 16, 2015

Whatever Michael Brown was doing, white suspects get up to all manner of crazy s?!t in front of or towards cops and they survive it. Remember the Bundy ranch out west and how they had that standoff with federal agents? Bundy's friends were *pointing guns at those agents* and every one of them survived. Demonstrable threat. If one finger had slipped at least one agent would have died. Nope. Nobody shot back at Bundy's friends. If they'd been black people it would have been a massacre. But y'all do continue justifying yourselves on how racially tolerant you are. You're like the guy who just dribbled down his shirt and his friends are all too polite to tell him he needs to quit drinking and go home.

A Christenson — July 8, 2016

Serious question but can someone explain the chart above? Because I read it as: 39% of blacks, during arrest, were killed even though they did not attack police, BUT, 46% of whites, during arrest, were killed even though they did not attack police. Doesn't it mean whites are more likely to get killed by police even when they're not attacking? Maybe i'm reading it wrong...?

madisontruth — July 8, 2016

The detractors of this kind of study rely on cognitive bias rationales to support their assertions.

Police Shootings, Empirical Studies – freefloatingperspective — July 11, 2016

[…] When Force is Hardest to Justify, Victims of Police Violence Are Most Likely to be Black […]

Bayesian Dissident — July 25, 2016

Michael Brown attacked a police officer. He did not have his hands up. He did not say 'don't shoot.' This crucial piece of information is usually omitted by scholars and reporters who should know this. I infer that intellectual dishonesty is taking place to advance a political agenda. Here is an excerpt from the last 5 pages of the 86 page DOJ Report on Wilson:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1681212/doj-report-on-shooting-of-michael-brown.pdf

Footnote [28]: [The media has widely reported that there is witness testimony that Brown said “don’t shoot” as he held his hands above his head. In fact, our investigation did not reveal any eyewitness who stated that Brown said “don’t shoot.”]

"The physical evidence establishes that after he ran about 180 feet away from the SUV, Brown turned and faced Wilson, then moved toward Wilson until Wilson finally shot him in the head and killed him. According to Wilson, Brown balled or clenched his fists and “charged” forward, ignoring commands to stop. Knowing that Brown was much larger than him and that he had previously attempted to overpower him and take his gun, Wilson stated that he feared for his safety and fired at Brown. Again, even Witness 101’s account supports this perception. Brown then reached toward his waistband, causing Wilson to fear that Brown was reaching for a weapon. Wilson stated that he continued to fear for his safety at this point and fired at Brown again. Wilson finally shot Brown in the head as he was falling or lunging forward, after which Brown immediately fell to the ground. Wilson did not fire any additional shots.”

“Wilson’s version of events is corroborated by the physical evidence that indicates that Brown moved forward toward Wilson after he ran from the SUV, by the fact that Brown went to the ground with his left hand at (although not inside) his waistband, and by credible eyewitness accounts. Wilson’s version is further supported by disinterested eyewitnesses Witness 102, Witness 104, Witness 105, Witness 108, and Witness 109, among others. These witnesses all agree that Brown ran or charged toward Wilson and that Wilson shot at Brown only as Brown moved toward him. Although some of the witnesses stated that Brown briefly had his hands up or out at about waist-level, none of these witnesses perceived Brown to be attempting to surrender at any point when Wilson fired upon him. To the contrary, several of these witnesses stated that they would have felt threatened by Brown and would have responded in the same way Wilson did. For example, Witness 104 stated that as Wilson ran after Brown yelling “stop, stop, stop,” Brown finally turned around and raised his hands “for a second.” However, Brown then immediately balled his hands into fists and “charged” at Wilson in a “tackle run.” Witness 104 stated that Wilson fired only when Brown moved toward him and that she “would have fired sooner.” Likewise, Witness 105 stated that Brown turned around and put his hands up “for a brief moment,” then refused a command from Wilson to “get down” and instead put his hands “in running position” and started running toward Wilson. Witness 105 stated that Wilson shot at Brown only when Brown was moving toward him. These witnesses’ accounts are consistent with prior statements they have given, consistent with the forensic and physical evidence, and consistent with each other’s accounts. Accordingly, we conclude that these accounts are credible.”