> because we don't mourn criminals, thugs, people who reach for guns when confronted by police

1. 1 in 3 black people killed by police in 2015 were identified as unarmed [1].

2. In the current example, the black victim didn't resist arrest.

3. Those 500-600 weren't criminals, because you can only say they're "criminal" after a fair trial (oh, sorry, that's something to do with "human rights", if only you could understand what that means).

4. "Not mourning criminals" or not treating them as humans is the primary reason why USA is not compliant with human rights. The reason why it is important to treat assumed criminals as humans is in my point #5.

5. The reason why people resist arrests is because they have absolutely no trust that the judiciary system will judge them fairly. Today, an innocent would rather die than enter the judiciary system [2].

[1] http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed/

[2] Innocents are cornered into plea bargain, which is 90% of the criminal cases in USA - It means for 90% criminal cases, there was no formal proof that the accused was guilty. I know, they're black, male, muscular and poor, right!? But that doesn't mean they're guilty. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plea_bargain

So, once again, you "don't mourn criminals, thugs and people who reach for guns when confronted by police", except you ought to mourn the innocent, the weak and the people who are mugged by police, and you should do that because the police also does it to white people, and you have even fewer organizations to defend against that.

I agree. I lived for a bit in downtown Detroit. People seriously need to visit the hood before they talk about the police.

Yeah, I think if people could go on a ride along with police in a troubled community at two in the morning they'd be singing an entirely different tune.

If the police showed respect for the lives and rights of the people in the community that they are policing, there would be far fewer people resisting and disrespecting them.

Right, all the gangbangers and thugs want is respect from the police! Thanks for the laugh. Honestly though, I'm sure the police try to be as respectful as they can be at first. But because of things like BLM, they don't have a chance, since a cop even stopping and talking to a black person now is considered horrible racism. And probably speaking politely and respectfully would be considered patronizing or something. However you want to spin it. Police aren't here to be your friend. They are here to keep you safe. As evidenced in Dallas, they will even protect those so vehemently against them. But I personally don't think they should be obligated to show respect for people who don't respect themselves or others, which unfortunately, is a rather large percentage of some of these unfortunate communities where you probably wouldn't last a day.

Is resisting arrest an executable offense? That is certainly needs to me.

No, not really. I'm black so I know they're are 2 justice systems in the US.

If officers feel threatened, if you're aggressive, if you reach for something in your pocket, disobey them -- it certainly can turn out that way. The overwhelming majority, it may surprise you, take no pleasure in having to fire on someone. They want to go home to their families after work. I grew up in Phoenix, AZ -- I cannot step foot in South Phoenix for fear of my life. That's the truth. Their job is not to make the life of unruly and unlawful people easier, no matter what race they may be. And saying you're black as proof of something is only proof of confirmation bias.

Saying I'm black means I expect a very different approach and treatment from the police than you're typical, granola eating white liberal. I don't live in South Phoenix so why am I treated as if I do everywhere else in this country?

You do a great disservice to all the (and there are so many) black people out there who got educated, got good jobs, built families, and realized that most people honestly don't care what color they are, when you say that you're treated so poorly everywhere in the country. I'm sorry but it's nonsense. We have a black president for god's sake.

You have expectations of police as a black man, why wouldn't they have expectations of every person they stop, based on color, shoes, accent, everything. That's part of their job. You're basically saying you're justified in having a preconceived notion of how police will treat you based on your color and theirs, yet they shouldn't? When it could save their lives? Maybe some black people (i.e. the black people who don't live in the neighborhoods where these shootings go down, but spend all their time writing posts about it on Medium), should try a different approach when they've done nothing wrong and are talking to an officer: be kind and respectful and helpful. Don't be defensive and argumentative and offended. Black people who have their shit together and got out of bad neighborhoods are not getting regularly killed by police. Come on.

> Maybe some black people (i.e. the black people who don't live in the neighborhoods where these shootings go down, but spend all their time writing posts about it on Medium), should try a different approach when they've done nothing wrong and are talking to an officer: be kind and respectful and helpful.

I know a couple of very kind, respectful and helpful people who have been stop-and-frisked for being black and in public. They stopped visiting a mutual friend because it happened regularly traveling in his neighborhood.

They are treated differently for no fault of their own, despite being kind, respectful and helpful. There is a reason people are angry about the difference in treatment.

To give an example: When I traveled to visit a friend, I chose to stay at cheap hotel in a not so well to do area of town. I can carry my own and never felt unsafe. Apparently, the cops stake out that hotel regularly for drug deals and prostitution. I was stopped for an hour and interrogated because "Why would a white boy from out of state be staying at a place like this? Tell me about your history with prostitution. Are you _sure_ there are no drugs in your vehicle?" I was let go after my story checked out.

I felt targeted and no longer safe, because the cops had already painted a mental image of me as someone who dealt/used drugs or was involved with prostitutes and were looking for evidence to back up their presumption. I didn't feel safe leaving at night, because what if I was stopped and arrested for something I didn't do? "Why would a white boy be out at these hours in this neighborhood if he wasn't up to no good?" Those false charges would stick with me forever and I could lose my job.

I can only begin to imagine what it must feel like to be the target of actual racism with the implied assumption of being guilty until proven innocent.

> You do a great disservice to all the (and there are so many) black people out there who got educated, got good jobs, built families, and realized that most people honestly don't care what color they are, when you say that you're treated so poorly everywhere in the country. I'm sorry but it's nonsense. We have a black president for god's sake.

> Black people who have their shit together and got out of bad neighborhoods are not getting regularly killed by police. Come on.

You'll still encounter racism as a black person in America, even in the race blind techno-optimist meritocracy that is the technology sector. [0]

[0] "What interviewing for jobs feels like when you’re a black software engineer in Silicon Valley" http://qz.com/696562/what-interviewing-for-jobs-feels-like-w...

I'd have a lot more questions about the people in your anecdote and the circumstances. I guess they were lucky to escape with their lives. Probably they are on a kill list somewhere and eventually the Secret Racist Police Club will deal with them.

Actually, I think you understand perfectly. You gave a great example of how the way you looked and where you were and when you were there raised suspicions in people who have to be suspicious as part of their job. Why wouldn't it?! The cops were at that hotel, for a reason, and you looked out of place there. To me, it's totally reasonable. And why would you feel unsafe after that? They are trying to find the bad guys and get them off the street. You were in a bad area at a bad hotel. If someone would have tried something, they'd have been there to help you.

I was reading a Medium article by a black tech guy who was complaining about "every day I get on the metro and I'm the last one anyone wants to sit by, I'm always worried about what I'm wearing, I feel uncomfortable" -- yeah, welcome to my world, I'm white and neurotic and often I'm the last one anyone sits by too. I wonder why, is it the beard? Do I look grumpy? I'm always thinking people are looking at me, judging me. That I look weird in my clothes or something. This is totally normal. Everyone experiences these kinds of things and thoughts. I've been stopped by police too. The difference is that many black people are raised believing the police are their enemy and want to hurt them and that white people are racist. It's like Christians reading in the bible that people will mock them for their beliefs and when they're mocked they see that as proof that Christianity is true. It's confirmation bias. The way it seems to me, a police officer can't even speak to a black person these days without people assuming he's racist. So black people can assume about police, but police can't assume about black people. When I think about all the times I've been pulled over, stopped, talked to, I just think, wow, if I was black I could totally just say it was racism. I wasn't driving poorly -- he's racist!

Of course you'll encounter racism in America, no matter what color you are. Hard to believe, a lot of people hate whites! To imagine that all the police get together like mustache-twirling villains to plot ways to ruin the afternoons of normal black people walking somewhere is just preposterous. And if black people do get stopped more, then you have to wonder if it's because the cops are just totally racist or because of their experiences in the line of duty. But let's not wonder that. It's probably racism. Otherwise it would require black people and black communities having to change -- and that would be horrible and racist to even suggest.