A sobering new study found that at least one black person died every 28 hours at the hands of a police officer, security guard, or some other level of “self-appointed” vigilante in 2012 racial discrimination cases.
Perhaps even more alarmingly, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement study also found that number could ultimately prove to be much greater and that the use or concept of employing deadly force against blacks now seems such a standard practice among many of those designated as protectors, it’s almost become as rudimentary as a reflex action.
“Operation Ghetto Storm” found that all of the aforementioned parties killed at least 313 blacks just last year based on race and racism. Of that number, 124 of the victims (40 percent,) were between the ages of 22-31, 57 (18 percent,) 18-21, 54 (17 percent,) 32-41, and 25 (8 percent,) were children younger than 18.
In-depth research found that at the time of those killings, most of the victims were not armed. Roughly half, or 136 victims, had no weapon at all, while police claimed that the other 27 percent had a gun but there was no corroboration to prove it.
In delving into the reasoning typically used to justify such levels of seemingly unwarranted force, researchers also uncovered what appears to be a systematic pattern. Some 146 or 47 percent of all deadly shooters claimed they “felt threatened” or “feared for their lives” or “were forced to shoot to protect themselves or others,” as the reason they opened fire.
Other justifications include suspects fleeing (14 percent), allegedly driving vehicles toward officers, allegedly reaching for waistbands, or lunging, or allegedly pointing a gun at an officer.
In addition, 275 incidents or 88 percent of the total number involved instances of excessive force . Additionally, another 4 percent were situations where the facts surrounding the killing were “unclear or sparsely reported.” In either case, researchers found that in the vast majority of instances the shooter escaped all levels of accountability.
“Nowhere is a black woman or man safe from racial profiling, constant surveillance, and overriding suspicion,” said Malcolm X Solidarity Committee board Rosa Clemente. “All black people, regardless of education, class, occupation, behavior, or dress are subject to the whims of the police in this epidemic of state initiated or condoned violence.”
Indeed, researchers found 43 percent of the shootings occurred after an incident of racial profiling. They detailed those cases, as instances where a police officer saw a person who looked or behaved “suspiciously,” largely based on skin color, and attempted to detain the suspect before using deadly force. Researchers also added 68 people, or 22 percent of the victims, suffered from mental health issues and/or were self-medicated. Of all those victims, researchers conclude, “many of them might be alive today if community members trained and committed to humane crisis intervention and mental health treatment had been called rather than the police.”
The Malcolm X Grassroots Project has a history of organizing against police brutality and state repression in black and brown communities. Sources for the study included police, media reports, and all other publicly available data.