Issues Under Fire: Black Men May Have Reason to Run From Police

 

Issues Under Fire: Black Men May Have Reason to Run From Police

As much as we'd intended to return to providing unvarnished geopolitical analysis of ongoing international crises, headlines like "Unarmed Black Man Killed By Police" just won't go away. Race related events in America are becoming so prevalent as of late, the killings of Keith Lamont Scott in North Carolina and Terance Crutcher in Tulsa Oklahoma, actually moved NYC bomber suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami off the front pages of the mainstream media. And, it's because this country's race relations issue is being reported so widely around the world now, we find ourselves compelled to make another contribution.

Since America's "media for the masses" will be all over the riots in Charlotte, N.C., as the Governor declares a state of emergency and deploys the national guard, we thought we'd focus on a headline you're sure to miss - "Black Men May Have Reason to Run From Police". If you follow the link to this story, you'll find a Massachusetts court ruled Tuesday that Black males may have a legitimate reason to flee the police that's unrelated to guilt or innocence. And considering prosecutors routinely use the "consciousness of guilt" (innocent people don't run) argument to sway juries, this ruling provides much needed context to what's happening around the country.

Citing studies clearly showing Black males being disproportionately stopped, questioned and frisked by the Boston Police, the Massachusetts Judicial Court wrote in an opinion, that such individuals when approached by the police, might be just as easily motivated to avoid the recurring indignity of being racially profiled, as by the desire to hide criminal activity. The Court also went on to state, the findings that Black males are repeatedly targeted, ... suggest a reason for flight, totally unrelated to consciousness of guilt. 

Finally, it's been acknowledged that Black males have as much of a reason to fear the police as the police claim to fear Black males. This is huge. This is momentous. This is an historic breakthrough, not to be overlooked or misunderstood. This is what Black America has been trying and dying to get White America to understand for decades. This is getting close to the root of the problem.

All too often, we hear the story of a Black man being stopped, questioned and frisked or pulled over in a car for some perceived violation and within seconds that man is bleeding out on the street. When investigations of such occurrences routinely justify these killings and the officers involved are quickly returned to duty, after awhile it all begins to have a chilling effect on that "targeted" demographic. Eventually, that targeted demographic will begin to wonder if their lives matter. And since we know now that they don't, we know now why they run.

Bottom line: Until the Black male can shed law enforcement's accepted stereotype of him being no more than a drug dealer, car jacker, shoplifter or "gangsta", Blacks and those identifying themselves as African American will always have to prepare themselves for the absolute worse possible outcomes when encountering the police. Fortunately, it's the rare bombshell legal opinion referenced above, that leads us to believe at least someone gets it. Podcast below.