[Carrie32372]

How come if a black cop kills a white person, people have no problem with it, but if a white cop kills a black person, there is a court case about it? I have no problem with black people, but I can't stand how they have a fit when a white guy kills a black man. Yes, I understand that sometimes white cops kill black people when it's not necessary. I hope someone can answer my question.

User Detail :  

Name : Carrie32372, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 15, City : Constantia, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, 

[Delbert S.]

The problem is twofold. The memory of the wrongs blacks suffered while whites had full power is kept alive by verbal tradition. When a white police officer kills a non-white, it reinforces or confirms that verbal history. Too many decades were spent with blacks being killed with the unofficial approval of local authorities. Yes, sometimes there are justified killings, but they are often dismissed by blacks in favor of the verbal history. I guess you could say that racism is a two-way street. Progress in our society must be recognized on both sides before we can be more objective on both sides.

User Detail :  

Name : Delbert S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 47, City : Florissant, State : MO Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Darrel]

Try to imagine if you were always looked upon as a potiental criminal. Three-quarters of black men are. Other races don't have to hear a siren and wonder if they will be picked up for something. And now more than ever, racisim has gone underground. Look at the Amadou Diallo case (a black man shot numerous times by New York police after reaching for this wallet). Or the man who was beaten and sodomized in a NY police station of all places. If this happens, then what else could? Right now the LAPD is under investigation for setting up people of color. So I guess the answer to you question is "we can't trust them." Would you?

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Name : Darrel, Race : Black/African American, City : San Diego, State : CA Country : United States, 

[Lucy-H22670]

It is false to say that when a black cop kills a white person people don't have a problem with it. Whenever any cop kills anyone in the line of duty, regardless or the ethnic background of everyone involved, the cop is put on administrative leave while an investigation is conducted to determine if the action was justified. The American public is more aware of cases involving white cops and a person of color for a couple of reasons. One is that this country has a history of racism and oppression of people of color by those in authority. So when someone of color is killed by a white cop, it touches a nerve in a lot of people. Another reason is that the U.S. media chooses which stories to cover based on the ratings they will get, and anything that has anything to do with racism gets high ratings, so these stories are covered very heavily.

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Name : Lucy-H22670, Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 25, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Robert L. Reed]

The issue is not that it is OK for black cops to kill white people. It is that it happens overwhelmingly to black people by white cops. Of course, cops are going to kill people at the wrong time, but cops seem to kill innocent blacks far more than they do whites. Case in point: The case of the NY cops in 1999 who shot a black man 41 times after he reached for his wallet. That is an amazingly high number.

The issue is racism that cops display regularly against blacks. Cops have a reputation for being notorious against people of African descent. With the hell that ordinary cops make black people suffer through every day, it isn't surprising that blacks would be outraged when they hear about white cops abusing black people.

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Name : Robert L. Reed, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 17, City : St. Louis, State : MO Country : United States, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[J-Macias]

I storngly believe the reason people have a problem with a cop killing is simple terms is uneducated predictions. The public may be quick to judge the officers reaction, but they don't understand that some situation are split second dicisions that depend whether or not that person (officer) will go home to see his family. I continue to preach to people that they should see the officer as a person, just like your brother and sister or neighbor. This small change in the public perception on cops will change on how they will react to a shooting, regardless of what color they are.

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Name : J-Macias, City : Long Beach, State : CA Country : United States, 

[annonymous]

I do not scour the news daily, so educate me here: Is there a specific case when a black cop killed a white man unjustifiably and there was no social outcry? Secondly, keep in mind, much of what you see in the media is based on sensationalism. You might not have seen much hoopla from blacks in particular because we we'ren't aware. I don't profess to speak for all black people. I'm simply admitting I don't have a point of reference. I am affected anytime a life is taken senselessly.

When you witness blacks' outrage, we are not simply responding to a single incident. We as a group, particularily our men, have been systematically and randomly abused, jailed, maimed and killed solely because of the color of our skin. In our collective consciousness we identify with the injustice inflicted on any African American. It may be difficult for you to understand. You are a young girl and are white. I believe it would be safe to say that in terms of race and the short time you've been on this planet that your experiences are radically different from that of blacks.

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Name : annonymous, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 34, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, 

[Joel]

You've asked a deeply complex,sociological question, for which there is no simple answer. At 15 it is difficult to grasp the motives behind governmental and corporate criminal activity. I can only tell you that no actions are taken before an intense (and always 'profit-oriented') investigation. Those who we allow to rule us have made decisions concerning what we, (the 'common herd'), refer to as our future. Technological techniques used on the public in everyday media are carefully evaluated for maximum effect. There is a pre-planned agenda that dictates the areas in which these techniques are utilized. 'Controlling' the different ethnic groups that make up the U.S. population in order to bring about this pre-planned agenda requires intense (and pre-tested) psychological manipulations. The fact that you are asking this question is a demonstration of the programming to which you have been exposed, and you are not alone. Once the American public has been fully indoctrinated, they will feel as though their country is no longer 'working,' and they will accept an alternative government; one with its own social parameters. Vice President Gore once stated (on C-SPAN) that the day of the Nation-State had passed. (America is the greatest Nation-State the world has ever known.) With our most powerful leaders dictating that we, as a nation, must yield to a 'New World Order,' it becomes easy to see from what governmental depths these 'programmings' originate. A wise man once said, 'A house divided soon falls.'

So, in answer to your question, whenever you perceive what appears to be an imbalanced emotional response from any ethnic or social group, it is, in fact, a reflection of the level of programming to which that group has been exposed. I hope my explanation is comprehendible. I know it makes the near future sound scary, but sometimes the truth isn't pretty.

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Name : Joel, City : Texarkana, State : TX Country : United States, 

[Summer27757]

In all my years I have never seen on the news or heard on the radio about a white guy getting killed by black cops. If you can come up with something, please let us know. If an alleged white criminal is shot and killed by cops, as far as I have seen, it has been by white cops in white communities under the most extreme circumstances (the guy is on a shooting spree or is holding someone hostage). But it is too often that we hear about cops shooting black men and boys because they 'thought' he had a weapon. The cops wouldn't even shoot to wound or disarm these people; they killed them. In a lot of instances it was overkill, like in the 1999 case of the Amadou Diallo shooting in New York. They shot this innocent, unarmed young man 41 times in 8 seconds. Unfortunately, this is not a rare event in black communities. And in most cases, if a black man (not cop) kills a white person, he gets the death penalty, which is hardly ever the case if the situation is reversed. So do you still want to have that fit?

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Name : Summer27757, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kathy]

I think maybe black people feel that the white cop deserves this punishment for what his (white) people did to their (black) people in terms of slavery.

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Name : Kathy, Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 22, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Artist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Dan27296]

In a white suburb, police are friendly and courteous, waving to children on bikes and soccer moms out for an evening walk. Not so in a ghetto or barrio. Many police, especially recent recruits, go into the 'hood not to serve, but with the attitude that they're going into the jungle to tame animals. In places like inner-city Los Angeles and New York, people get stopped and frisked for no reason. Someone who even remotely resembles a 'thug' gets harassed verbally and physically. Certain segments of the LAPD are coming under fire for misconduct, but even years before all this, such things were common knowledge in the 'hood. I can name people who have been framed and are still locked up. I can name people who've never broken a law in their lives who were 'thumped' (that is, physically harassed) by cops. Basically, relations between the police and inner-city residents are under severe strain. Whenever an extraordinary event such as the Amadou Diallo shooting happens (a black man shot numerous times by New York police in 1999 after reaching for this wallet), the citizenry uses it as an opportunity to point out the state of it all. The majority of cops are good, and I am proud of the fact that I have family members who are police officers. But all I can say is that there is quite a bit of work to be done before the hatchet can be buried.

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Name : Dan27296, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles area, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Paulie]

Ok..Maybe white police officers do target blacks more than the whites. I don't know..but come on now..The Civil War has been over for many centuries. Slavery was condonned by their own kings who benefited from the money and other goods the white slave traders brought to them. My grandparents immigrated to the U.S. At the time, they were discrimminated against. Both my grandparents were indentured servants. 'Irish need not apply.' They didn't have their hands out..'Oh, poor me..I can't get a job.' Welfare was unheard of. They worked hard, paid off their debts, WORKED hard to get ahead. Cry me a river, so I can build you a bridge so that you can get over it! Get a good education, get a job and contribute to this country.

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Name : Paulie, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 54, City : Manchester, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : retired, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Josie]

This issue can go to so many levels. If you hear of a black man getting shot by white officers your going to hear the sensational news coverage of it. This is the only reason your going to hear such an exaggerated version of the public's reaction. The news is a business they want to cover stories that will tap people's already sensitive nerves. But this brings in another issue - the fact that more black people get shot by white officers than vice versa. Is this always going to be racial? no. Just because the media portrays it, that is not always the case. You would have to think about the areas that these police officers are working in. The inner-city is not a very safe place- so, no matter the race of the victim, a police officer will jump to conclusions faster. However, the inner-city, due to other problems from the past and society, is populated by more minorities than whites. This makes the harassement seem to be directed at minorities when, in fact, a lot of it is directed at the people of a poorer social standing. I'm by all means not saying that racism does not exist, but you should always look objectively at what the media is trying to portray.

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Name : Josie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 25, City : LA, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower class, 

[John29312]

Although this question is one a sociologist could answer best but let me answer it from a policeman's point of view. Because of distrust in the black community or police officers,when an incident occurs like one described, black leaders immediately assume some kind of foul play,even where none exists. What a great opportunity to get their faces on tv. In other words,in the black community,the white policeman is thought guilty of some type of misconduct,even before any facts come to light. Of course,if the white policeman is found to have acted appropriately,then there must be some kind of 'cover-up.' The NY incident is an extreme example and I will not comment on it simply because I was not there. I'll bet no one posting here was actually there when it happened either. As far as police 'targeting' blacks,ask yourself these questions: What ethnic group requests the most calls for police service in relation the percentage of population? In which ethnic group's community is there the highest crime rate? Which ethnic group glamorizes the 'thug life' and all that goes with it (guns,women as bitches,dope,etc.)? If you do not know the answers, listen to a police scanner in an ethnically diverse area, it will become obvious even after a few hours,listen to rap music.

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Name : John29312, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 40, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Lamont]

We get upset because it happens way to often. I have not heard of a black cop killing a white suspect, although I'm sure it has happened. But there are numerous cases of white cops shooting and killing black men. Cops are trained to be overly agressively with black men because they see us as being potentially dangerous. So when they go into a potentially explosive situation, and it involves a black man, their training says subdue the suspect at all cost (shoot first). This information comes from a friend of mine who is a white police officer in another state.

User Detail :  

Name : Lamont, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 39, City : Orlando, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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