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649848 tn?1534633700

Another Perspective on Racial Violence in America

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/08/170804-conservative-pundit-bill-whittle-defines-race-war-really-occurring-precisely-explains/

It’s time for an honest talk about racial violence in America based on the facts and not on the media hype. The overgeneralizations about people based on skin color or ethnicity are not helpful for anyone, whether that person is white, black, Asian, Latino or from any other cultural background.

In an article by Vox.com titled “What we know about who police kill in America,” the narrative presented is one that confirms there must be racial bigotry involved in police shootings of African-Americans. But the statistics do not bear this impression out upon closer examination.

For example, Vox reports that there is a disproportionate number of black Americans killed by police in the United States:

KilledByPolice_circumstances_v3.0  (my note: this is a graph that didn't copy)

In addition, Vox reports that according to the FBI’s records, there were 426 “felons killed by police.” The website points out that these statistics are based on “justifiable homicides,” and thus may be incomplete or for various reasons not entirely accurate. (For example, there are police shootings that involve the improper use of excessive force against innocent civilians.)

But these statistics that presumably reveal a disproportionate use of force against black Americans tell only one side of the story.

One video that attempts to put racial violence in perspective is from Bill Whittle and Truth Revolt (video follows below), Whittle states right up front that if Michael Brown was innocent and unjustly shot, that the police officer should be punished and jailed for life. The statistics and the discussion that follow have nothing to do with the particular as-yet-unknown facts of the case.

Whittle believes that the narrative of a violent “war” on blacks being carried out by whites and police officers is not borne out by statistics. A spreadsheet from the FBI backs this up:   (my note: Sorry, it didn't paste, so you'll have follow the link)

As far as homicide data from the FBI, in 2011 there were 3,172 whites killed, 83% by other whites and 14% by blacks. On the other hand, there were 2,695 blacks killed and 91% of these were killed at the hands of other black Americans.

Per the U.S. Census Bureau, whites make up 77.7% of the population, whereas African-Americans make up 13.2%. According to official statistics, there are six times as many white people in America as black people.

So as a matter of objective fact and not opinion, black Americans disproportionately murder more often than white Americans, based on their respective percentages of the U.S. population.

Whittle supports his assertions with several points:

    According the National Crime Victimization Survey, an estimated 62,593 blacks were the victims of white violence, and 320,082 whites were the victims of black violence

    Given the disparity in population, blacks attack whites at a level that is 25 times more frequently than vice versa

Before drawing his conclusion, Whittle again reiterates: None of these statistics would justify Michael Brown’s murder – and if it is found that he was murdered, the police officer responsible must pay for that. Here is his provocative video presentation of his views:  (my note: Video)

One doesn’t have to agree with Whittle’s verbage to grasp his deeper point: Facts and statistics are often cherry-picked to present a “narrative” that all white people are racist and all blacks are victimized by whites. These statistics suggest this is a biased view that serves only to exacerbate racial tensions.

Human beings should be presumed innocent until proven guilty and should not be lumped into categories that make them appear guilty of committing some crime that in many cases they had nothing to do with.

Editor’s note: This article was edited for content after publication.
7 Responses
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Avatar universal
Sharpton can't be racist... he's black.
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148588 tn?1465778809
I'm sure there are others on this board who will agree that if Sharpton is an irresponsible, racist, hate-monger this guy should have license to do the same. As for characterizing him as an idiot, my apologies. To idiots.
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Avatar universal
Thanks for clearing that up.  I must be a racist because his numbers didn't scare me.  Seems like he pulled facts from the FBI, stated them for clarification, and now some people are taking offense.

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649848 tn?1534633700
While I completely agree that raw data can be misapplied and that statistics can be cherry picked to provide whatever results we want, I fail to see how the author is trying to create fear and I certainly don't see him trying to provide justification for the cop wielding the assault rifle, since I believe his article was published prior to that incident, so that's quite a reach.

He's merely pointing out that, that according to the statistics "he" found,  there's more black on black or black on white crime than there is white on black crime.  He's also pointed out, as have some of us, that President Obama and others like Holder, Sharpton and Jackson have done more to keep racism alive than to dispel it.

As has been noted, many times, there's very little media attention when there's a black on black or black on white crime, but let there be a white on black crime and the outrage begins immediately.  As the author noted a couple of times, none of that justifies a possible murder of Michael Brown, but let's not completely ignore it either.

I fail to understand why every journalist or author that someone doesn't agree with has to be called an idiot.
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148588 tn?1465778809
There's such a thing as misapplying your raw data, and using bad math to get the results you want. Show me an example of one 'race' being 25 times more anything than another race and you've drifted out of physical anthropology into cultural anthropology. But cultural anthro. is way more complex than physical and easier to get any answer you're looking for if you set up your study right.
This idiot is trying to create fear and justify the behavior like that of the fool with the assault rifle in Ferguson who ended up having to resign.
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Avatar universal
Nicely spun?  Yeah, those pesky spinners at the FBI.  How dare they show that violent black on black and black on white crime is more prevalent than white on black crime.  (Not that it would excuse a potential murder in the Michael Brown situation.)
Helpful - 0
148588 tn?1465778809
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies,_damned_lies,_and_statistics

"...statistics are often cherry-picked to present a “narrative”..."

The 77.7% and 13.2% population ratios , no mention of Hispanics, and overly simplistic conclusions were the giveaway. Nicely spun.

"...this is a biased view that serves only to exacerbate racial tensions..."


I'm sorry poor Bill Whittle feels like such a victim and thinks  that someone has said  ".... that all white people are racist and all blacks are victimized by whites...."

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