Opinion: “Racist Police” and Crime Statistics

Statistics combined with context will tell a different story than your college professor might have you believe.

It is no secret that the Black Lives Matter movement has a deep resentment against the police and the American justice system in general. But is this resentment justified? Here are the reasons why police shootings should not be at the top of the average black American’s list of concerns.

By pointing out the overrepresentation of black deaths in confrontations with the police relative to the general population, one may believe that America’s justice system systematically targets black people above everyone else. However, there are factors other than simply racism that play a role in said disparities.

It is true that despite making up only 13% of the population, 26% of all victims from violent police confrontations are black. But this is a twofold representation. Whites, on the other hand, make up around 50% of all victims of violent police encounters despite making up more than 70% of the population, which means whites are slightly underrepresented.