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Justice Dept Finds Years of Racial Discrimination By Ferguson PD: Report

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According to the forthcoming report on the Justice Department's investigation into the Ferguson, Mo. police department for alleged civil rights violations, the department has demonstrated a history of racial profiling that has intensified race relations in the St. Louis suburb.

Blacks accounted for 86 percent of traffic stops in 2013 but make up 63 percent of the population, according to the most recent data published by the Missouri attorney general. And once they were stopped, black drivers were twice as likely to be searched, even though searches of white drivers were more likely to turn up contraband.

The report, to be released as early as this week, the Times reports, "will force Ferguson officials to either negotiate a settlement with the Justice Department or face being sued by it on civil rights charges

http://gawker.com/justice-dept-finds-years-of-racial-discrimination-by-fe-1688864682

Not surprising they found things to be so disproportionate at all. (Edited to clarify.)

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tbm24

Member
So if they negotiate a settlement, their hands are washed? Not familiar with where this can lead.
 

Africanus

Member
While it may appear obvious to everyone here, statistics of racial discrimination is necessary because it provides objective, undeniable evidence of what may be denied by anecdotal stories.

These results are unsurprising, these results are tragic, but these results are empirical.
 
While it may appear obvious to everyone here, statistics of racial discrimination is necessary because it provides objective, undeniable evidence of what may be denied by anecdotal stories.

These results are unsurprising, these results are tragic, but these results are empirical.

I have to agree.

All the "no shit" posts are cute but it's good to have some sort of official word to back that up.

What they do about it next is going to be interesting.
 
While it may appear obvious to everyone here, statistics of racial discrimination is necessary because it provides objective, undeniable evidence of what may be denied by anecdotal stories.

These results are unsurprising, these results are tragic, but these results are empirical.

Agreed. In my heart of hearts I hope they don't settle. I would love to hear Ferguson officials attempt to justify things.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
So are they going to sue? I saw two weeks ago in a restaurant CNN had a breaking news that the DOJ may sue Ferguson.
 
While it may appear obvious to everyone here, statistics of racial discrimination is necessary because it provides objective, undeniable evidence of what may be denied by anecdotal stories.

These results are unsurprising, these results are tragic, but these results are empirical.

I mean we've had empirical evidence of this since the 70s and probably earlier and nothing has been done or changed. In fact there was a study shown that when evidence was presented people doubled down on their views in regards to law enforcement and strict, disproportionate punishment.
 
Can the Justice Department find me the jurisdiction where this ISN'T true? Would probably be the more challenging exercise.
 
Considering both the history of the holder doj and the history of the ferguson pd, this was the expected outcome for the investigation. It will be interesting to see how far the reforms the doj is seeking go. A bit easier to wipe out the ferguson pd and start over than it is to the Cleveland pd.
 
I have to agree.

All the "no shit" posts are cute but it's good to have some sort of official word to back that up.

What they do about it next is going to be interesting.

I dunno, what did the NYPD do when it was discovered 90% of stop and frisks were on non-white targets? Oh right, nothing. And then they threw a tantrum when the new mayor dared to overturn the policy.
 
I mean, we can't look at this information and not factor in things like dehumanising driving and furtive steering.

It's all about finding the right context through which to view these findings.
 

Dead Man

Member
While it may appear obvious to everyone here, statistics of racial discrimination is necessary because it provides objective, undeniable evidence of what may be denied by anecdotal stories.

These results are unsurprising, these results are tragic, but these results are empirical.

Indeed.
 

Africanus

Member
I mean we've had empirical evidence of this since the 70s and probably earlier and nothing has been done or changed. In fact there was a study shown that when evidence was presented people doubled down on their views in regards to law enforcement and strict, disproportionate punishment.
This is the part I always am saddened about. Statistics cannot change the irrationality of humans! However I still approve of the collecting of this data for the benefit of future generations who will unfortunately face many of the same trials we do.
 

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
While it may appear obvious to everyone here, statistics of racial discrimination is necessary because it provides objective, undeniable evidence of what may be denied by anecdotal stories.

These results are unsurprising, these results are tragic, but these results are empirical.

Oh lol. That's just funny. I have presented statistics to people who don't believe minorities get discriminated against, and they are absolutely deniable. They attack the source the source of the statistics, they fall back on "well 60% of all statistics are made up."
 
While it may appear obvious to everyone here, statistics of racial discrimination is necessary because it provides objective, undeniable evidence of what may be denied by anecdotal stories.

These results are unsurprising, these results are tragic, but these results are empirical.

Is it necessary? The results are not surprising because research has been completed dozens of times on this topic. What do they want to do about it? There must be a worthwhile tradeoff because last I checked law enforcement continues to shit on blacks disproportionately.
 

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
While it may appear obvious to everyone here, statistics of racial discrimination is necessary because it provides objective, undeniable evidence of what may be denied by anecdotal stories.

These results are unsurprising, these results are tragic, but these results are empirical.

Give it a little bit and you'll see some denial in this very thread.
 

Africanus

Member
Give it a little bit and you'll see some denial in this very thread.

Is it necessary? The results are not surprising because research has been completed dozens of times on this topic. What do they want to do about it? There must be a worthwhile tradeoff because last I checked law enforcement continues to shit on blacks disproportionately.

Oh lol. That's just funny. I have presented statistics to people who don't believe minorities get discriminated against, and they are absolutely deniable. They attack the source the source of the statistics, they fall back on "well 60% of all statistics are made up."

The bitter reality of life strikes me with each of your words, yet how true they are!
I cannot adequately refute any of your claims, as they are all verifiable and have been proven verifiable for ages.
Perhaps I was a bit idealistic, but I still maintain the stance that such studies are positive if only to reinforce the large sums of data that have been gathered.

But to apply any lesson learned from the statistics is, as stated, another matter all together.
 
I'm asking this out of intellectual interest...

Were they more likely to find contraband on white subjects because they were more selective in searching white subjects, whereas they "indiscriminately" searched black subjects and were coming up clean more often because they based the search on race and not on evidence?

Or are they saying that white subjects had contraband at a higher rate, independent of their searching practices?
 
I'm asking this out of intellectual interest...

Were they more likely to find contraband on white subjects because they were more selective in searching white subjects, whereas they "indiscriminately" searched black subjects and were coming up clean more often because they based the search on race and not on evidence?

Or are they saying that white subjects had contraband at a higher rate, independent of their searching practices?

If you're pulling over minorities for bs reasons like drifting over center but you're only pulling over whites for actual cognizable reasons, you're bound to find more contraband on the whites when the stop leads to a search. If you pulled every white person over for driving too slow or whatever and then searched them because of reasons, the contraband rate on them would plummet as well. Glass half full-cops weren't planting drugs or guns on everyone here to juice the stats.
 
I'm asking this out of intellectual interest...

Were they more likely to find contraband on white subjects because they were more selective in searching white subjects, whereas they "indiscriminately" searched black subjects and were coming up clean more often because they based the search on race and not on evidence?

Or are they saying that white subjects had contraband at a higher rate, independent of their searching practices?

My guess is the second one. Extrapolating the statistics to match the rate of traffic stops and searches among the Black population.
 

Derwind

Member
Making fun of the waiting for ask the facts crowd is tantamount to calling black people the n word. Be careful brother.

Just to add to your post.

I understand if others do not want to form an opinion until some far off arbitrary number of facts all conclude the same thing that we all feel, seen and heard before.

Thats perfectly valid.

But don't shit on other or derail a topic because you feel like everyone must adhere to waiting for 10 million pieces of irrefutable evidence before getting involved in a discussion of issues involving minority communities and how certain institutions interact with them.
 

DonasaurusRex

Online Ho Champ
I'm asking this out of intellectual interest...

Were they more likely to find contraband on white subjects because they were more selective in searching white subjects, whereas they "indiscriminately" searched black subjects and were coming up clean more often because they based the search on race and not on evidence?

Or are they saying that white subjects had contraband at a higher rate, independent of their searching practices?

because they search based on skin color, even more organized drug cartels use this fact and get white people to driver their shipments in places like the NJTP. Pulling over white people was probably because they were coming to or from a place where black people lived.
 

Amir0x

Banned
Not surprised by these findings, but I am surprised they actually let us know about them.

That's what is shocking. Everyone knows most police departments are shackled by institutional racism, what IS genuinely shocking is that the Justice Department investigated and actually decided to say so and then do something about it as a result.

I mean, that's pretty rad... and progress.
 
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