Worries

[BrokenQuill92]

Wasn’t sure where post this… In the increasingly crazy rise of white supremacy in the US I’m seriously fearful of my safety. With more and more videos of cops killing unarmed black people, carrying a cane makes me nervous. I’m terrified that some upjumped cop will “mistake” my cane for a weapon and kill me. Am I being paranoid?

[Brian37]

Wasn’t sure where post this… In the increasingly crazy rise of white supremacy in the US I’m seriously fearful of my safety. With more and more videos of cops killing unarmed black people, carrying a cane makes me nervous. I’m terrified that some upjumped cop will “mistake” my cane for a weapon and kill me. Am I being paranoid?

No, you are not being paranoid.

Just in the past couple weeks, a black woman was murdered by a cop, whom had fallen on the ground after a struggle, but when he shot her, he'd already backed of several feet. She had warrants sure. But since when do warrants constitute a death penalty? And no, while she resisted, she was also not armed. 

Conversely a white woman took police on a car chase in which she was driving a huge RV, slammed into several vehicles but was arrested without being injured or murdered.

There is a long term problem going on here. 40 years of GOP deregulation, lack of funding for staffing, too much "shoot first" training and not enough deescalation training, a flooded market of firearms, lack of livable wages for all zip codes, rural, suburban, and urban.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

We have between 800,000 and 1,000,000 cops in the US. You have a 1/110,000,000 chance of being killed by a police officer on any given day.

Even liberals find groups to demonize.

[Brian37]

We have between 800,000 and 1,000,000 cops in the US. You have a 1/110,000,000 chance of being killed by a police officer on any given day.

Even liberals find groups to demonize.

Gawdzilla, I love you, but again, it is not being paranoid to say that on average, a black person even if they don't resist, even if all they are doing is asking questions, are far more likely to suffer a negative encounter to some degree when dealing with law enforcement.

And being a liberal, tell me who I am demonizing? Not cops, not whites. I am simply pointing out a long term climate in America that is very real.

We live in an age when it should be a no brainer that Harriet Tubman should be on the $20 bill but gets delayed because of an asshole who praised Andrew Jackson, like he praises Un and Putin.

Cops are needed, and there are also red state middle class and rural whites who cant pay the bills either. But the inequity between economics and encounters with the justice system do exist.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Yeah, but aren't you being over the top about this?

[Brian37]

Yeah, but aren't you being over the top about this?

No I am not. 

I am being very serious in saying there is very provable inequity. Just like one should be very serious global warming.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Releases the camel and rides away.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

We have between 800,000 and 1,000,000 cops in the US. You have a 1/110,000,000 chance of being killed by a police officer on any given day.

Even liberals find groups to demonize.

That's simplistic and wrong, as it assumes that everyone has an equal chance of being killed by a cop.

Taking just race (Quill's point), blacks make up 13% of the US population, but account for 24% of all people killed by cops.  This means that black Americans are two and a half times more likely to be killed by a cop than white Americans.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/do-pol...ck-people/

Boru

[onlinebiker]

Two facts. Both true.

A black person IS more likely to be killed by police than a white person - when figured by race percentages.

If you ARE shot by the police - you are more likely to be white than black - if you simply look at the numbers.

That aside - to the OP's question - 

The question of - are you more likely to be shot by police if you are carrying a cane is very like the following - Are you more likely to be hit by lightning while walking on a freeway - if you a re carrying an umbrella?

Probably.


But , you are far more likely to be run over by a car.

...

The parallel? Black people are far more likely to be killed by other blacks than by police.

I don't find being killed by someone of my own race more palatable than being killed by police.

I would think you are worrying about the wrong thing.

[Mister Agenda]

If you are African American you are at higher risk of being mistreated or shot by the police. However, even for black people, being shot by the police is less likely than getting injured or killed a serious car accident. They are both concerns but by risk assessment alone you shouldn't be more worried about being shot by cops than you are about being a driver or pedestrian. The injustice of being at higher risk from cops is something that must be corrected, but the actual risk isn't worth more mental bandwidth than you spend on being afraid of auto accidents.

That said, your fear is very understandable, and how justified it is may be higher if you live in an area or under circumstances that increase the likelihood of police contact. I was nervous about police contacts myself when my neighborhood was more drug-ridden.