American police kill 35 people per ten million population; in Canada that figure is 9.7. In Europe, the UK, Australia, NZ, and Japan, that figure is under 4.[0] The problem with American policing is the police, not the fact that too many Americans 'lunge' for cell phones during police stops.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforc...
Also consider the wildly different statistics on gun possession in the populations.
Poor communities didn't turn into the kind of places you describe until after the jobs went away. I do not see this as a racial issue, however.
Poor communities in the US have broadly similar attitudes, and social problems, regardless of their ethnic identity. That problem hit urban African American communities many decades ago and is hitting rural white communities now.
People need money and personally meaningful work. Unless they have it, things go wrong. When people don't have it for generations, ghettos and violence are what you get.
I never got that much into it, but the lesson stuck with me.
I'm also extremely careful with my table saw. You describe this as fear, I describe it more as risk minimization. It costs me nothing, I am not degrading myself, I simply avoid things that trigger fear in the cop.
My father served in combat in WW2 and the KW. He received a couple medals for bravery. But he always did everything he could to minimize any unnecessary risk. If it was a tough mission, he'd often be asked to lead because the other pilots knew he'd bring 'em back with fewer holes in their airplanes while still pasting the target.
He came up behind me. I had no idea he was there.
Also if my table saw turned itself on and started walking at me while I was doing something else, I'd get a new one. And if all table saws tended to do this, I'd question whether I needed one at all.
Some traffic stops happen because the cop sees something suspicious and decides to investigate/explore the situation. I'm grateful they do. It helps keep trouble at bay, to an extent.
> the victim is scrutinized for eg not preemptively putting their hands on the steering wheel.
A cop would be an idiot to not make judgements, and change his behavior based on the situation.
Well, between the 2 of us, we seem to have covered the 2 sides.
I strongly oppose excessive force by police. But I'm aware that police are people, and I am fully cognizant that they have a gun and I do whatever is necessary to assure them that I am not a threat to their safety.
For example, during a traffic stop I keep my hands firmly visible and on the steering wheel. When the cop asks for my license, I say it is in my right front pocket. I do not move my hands to get it until he says ok. I do not reach for the glove box until he says ok.
I do not berate officers, I don't argue with them, I don't move unless they tell me to. Yes, I have been held at gunpoint by the police.
I never lunge for my cell phone in my pocket. I do not run at the cop or away from him. I do not try to touch the cop. I do not reach for the cop's weapon.
Back in the 60's, when toy guns looked like real guns, my dad (WW2 and KW combat vet) gave me one. I am white and lived in a small all white town. My dad said if I ever pointed it at anyone, I was liable to be shot, and he didn't want me to be shot. Being a rather stupid boy, I pointed it at people, and he took it away.
Always remember you're dealing with an armed person who does not know you're a sweet old gent with a cellphone in his pocket. Never force him to make a split second decision at night in poor visibility as to whether you're whipping out a cell phone or a gun.