Jonathan Adams

Police Treat Dogs Better Than Black Men

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) filed a lawsuit against the NYPD in federal court on behalf of a New York Post crime reporter who was the victim of racial profiling. Despite the fact that the Post ran an editorial (h/t Stereohyped) that claimed racial profiling was not a growing problem, Leonardo Blair, 28, a Jamaican immigrant was harassed by police when walking to his car in the Bronx last year.

Blair’s case comes as the NYCLU releases a study of police shootings from 1996 to 2006 that reveals, “New York City police officers fire their weapons far less often than they did a decade ago, a statistic that has dropped along with the crime rate.”

The New York Times reports that officers hit their target only a third of the time, and they are more often shooting at someone who is not returning fire. The article also points out the NYPD’s precision when shooting animals is better than with humans. “When they fire at dogs, roughly 55 percent of shots hit home. Most of their targets are pit bulls, with a smattering of Rottweilers and German shepherds.”

If you need any more proof that police treat Black men worse that dogs, check out the video of Philadelphia police beating three robbery suspects.

Posted at 9:37 AM, May 08, 2008 in Police | Permalink | View Comments