How’s that “post-racial society” coming along for you?
Remember that ludicrous phrase that conservatives coined when President Obama first took office in 2008 in an effort to try to quell the outcries about racism in America? Notice how quickly that term fizzled away from the American lexicon, mostly because racial animus has only been exacerbated — or become more blatant and flagrant – since the first African American president took over the Oval Office.
The hatred is most evidenced by the armed agencies designed to protect and maintain the status quo. The disdain that law enforcement agencies have for black males, particularly young African American men, can no longer be denied, ignored or swept under the rug. Michael Brown of Ferguson, Mo., is but the latest in a long line of unarmed black men who have been killed under extremely conspicuous and dubious circumstances by police departments around the country.
In fact, according to a recently released stat by the U.S. Department of Justice, law enforcement agencies kill about two black men a week in this country.
Here are a few more disturbing numbers the Federal Bureau of Investigation reveal in a study that covers a seven-year span:
- Black males under the age of 20 are killed at more than 50 percent during police shootings.
- Young black men were being killed at least 96 times per year out of 400 police self reported killings. That means that at minimum white police officers killed 2 young black males each week.
The database breaks down the incidents by local police departments, who send reports to the FBI every year regarding police shootings. These reports show who gets killed, how they were killed, and who did the killing.
The FBI data is not complete because it only illuminates the homicides that deemed justifiable so Moreover, only 750 agencies contribute to the database out of the 17,000 law enforcement agencies in the country. Thefore, the killings of blacks are grossly underreported. The state of Florida, as an example, is missing from the database.
The FBI data of nearly 2,800 fatal police shootings shows:
Under 20 (231 killed) 56% black, 41% white, 3% other
20-29 (980 killed) 42% Black, 54% white, 3% other
30-39 (689 killed) 32% Black, 65% white, 3% other
40-49 (454 killed) 25% black, 71% white, 4% other
50-59 (229 Killed) 22% Black, 76% white, 2% other
Over 60 (85 killed) 16% Black, 81% White, 2% other
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