Are There White Death squads in America Killing Unarmed Blacks?
White Death Squad
Photo Credit: The Walt Disney Company
In response to my article How to Avoid a Police Chokehold, reader Zed Power wondered whether the recent deaths of unarmed black men by white cops and the subsequent no-bills from local grand juries are indicative of official death squads in America.
Reader Zed rambles a bit but here's his comment:
First, don't be black.
Death squads in America? When it is said that the police are justified in killing unarmed black men who have criminal records we may be seeing death squads in action. If some racist from Aryan radio urges financial support of a white police officer who kills an unarmed black man with a criminal record this is further evidence of a national or even internationally funded death squads operating in America. If there are death squads using white policemen to kill blacks in America they might stipulate that the white cop can only kill one black man to make sure that the FBI and justice department never figure it out.
So, now we know the reason why so many police departments removed the words "protect" and "serve" from their cars. The penalty for resisting arrest is death--no trial.
Don't be fooled. If the white supremacists are the only people advocating violence, then the good guys will win because the feds will have to come down on the little hitlers and protect the peaceful protesters. Any who perpetrate violence may be traitors paid by the klan to destroy a successful, peaceful protest. Only the neo-nazis want you violent. Do you work for them? They have a name for you if you benefit racists by being violent for free.
Well, at least the Ebola dog was saved at a cost of only $27,000. Ok, it is wrong of me to compare the fate of an unarmed black man with that of a dog. After all, the dog is still alive. And besides, the penalty for killing a dog is harsher than for killing an unarmed black man. Perhaps that antebellum law should have read "3/5 of a dog".
He broke the wrong law. Break the law by crossing the border illegally and obtaining a job illegally then you will not be killed. You'll get amnesty.
So here's my response, Zed: I can't tell if you're serious or making a bad joke, but let me tell you that if there is indeed a death squad decimating young, unarmed blacks it ain't white folk. It isn't cancer, heart disease, or stroke either - the most dangerous and deadly threat to young, unarmed blacks is other blacks. In any given year thousands of young, unarmed blacks are murdered by other blacks.
Opposed to those thousands killed, how many blacks, unarmed or otherwise, do you suppose cops kill in any given year? According to the FBI crime date for the years 2009-2013, there were a little over 400 justifiable homicides (of all races) by law enforcement; the number of blacks killed typically averages about 33% of that number. Please keep in mind that not all law enforcement officers are white, so in fact the number of blacks killed by white cops is much less than 100 per year.
After considering the data we conclude:
- Blacks kill other blacks 50 times more frequently than white cops kill blacks. If you're a black walking down the street, you're 50 times safer walking by a white cop than passing another black man.
- Cops kill more whites than blacks, even though blacks commit the majority of crimes. That means blacks are treated more preferentially and with more care than cops treat whites. That is, it's safer to be a black criminal than a white criminal when apprehended by a cop. Who knew?
- Even if the FBI data is under-reported by hundreds of uncounted deaths, white cops each year still don't kill more than two or three weeks worth of black-on-black murder.
By the way, I will safely assume that a good portion of those killed were certainly not unarmed men minding their own business.
Anyone who believes there is a white death squad out there bent on eliminating unarmed black men is ignorant of the facts and sorely lacks mathematical abilities. In total for the past two centuries white cops haven't killed enough blacks to even empty out a tiny housing project.
White death squads? Don't be absurd.
