I am responding to David Johnson’s recent letter to the editor, in which he asserts that “there is no racism in policing in America.” Of course there is. If anything, the media should be reporting it more, but in the absence of that, we now have cell phone videos (way too frequently), and the truth is out.
Mr. Johnson presents us with “evidence.” Let’s assume that his numbers are true, and examine that. He reports that in 2019, 450 armed white men were killed by police. Okay, let’s do some math. Black people are 13 percent of the population in America. So, applying that, 13 percent of 450 is 59. If we go with population proportions, only 59 black men would have been victims of police shootings that year. But hey! Mr. Johnson reports that 235 were killed. Of the unarmed victims, 19 white men were killed. Thirteen percent of that would be less than three. But there were nine. Is this making sense?
It certainly looks to me as if the common practice with black suspects is to shoot first and ask questions later. The latest unarmed victim as of this letter was getting into his car with his three children watching. That is horrifying.
Is it any wonder that people are in the streets and that they are outraged? How long should we peacefully demonstrate while waiting for justice? Policing is the most visible example, but this country was built on racism, and it continues to pervade every aspect of our society. Fellow white people, it’s time for us to own this, and work toward change.
Gina Parry
Snohomish
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