Arresting more black people is evidence of racism!

[makattak]

http://www.startribune.com/racial-disparities-in-twin-cities-arrests-are-widespread/387482811/

So says the Star Tribune.

Here's an interesting tidbit:

Implicit bias occurs when police target high-crime areas, Frase said in an interview. Those are largely poor areas in the Twin Cities, which have higher minority populations. When police find guns or drugs, it ratifies their judgment, leaving them with a predisposition to stop similar people in those areas.

You are implicitly biased if, as a police officer, you try to stop crime in high-crime areas.

I wonder what would be said if police instead decided to intensely patrol the low-crime areas, which, by implication have a higher non-minority population?

Wait, I know what would be said: "RACIST! You're only trying to protect white people and leaving black people to deal with high crime rates!"

[AJ Dual]

Catch-22's like that are just another side effect of statism, and prohibitum malum laws/crime.

[KD5NRH]

Catch-22's like that are just another side effect of statism, and prohibitum malum laws/crime.

I really wonder if it would actually change the ratios all that much to get rid of all the victimless crimes on the books.

After all, some of that comes down to definition; smoking a bowl at home and watching Netflix all night is certainly victimless, but what about PI when you're staggering around in the street blocking traffic?

[MechAg94]

I really wonder if it would actually change the ratios all that much to get rid of all the victimless crimes on the books.

After all, some of that comes down to definition; smoking a bowl at home and watching Netflix all night is certainly victimless, but what about PI when you're staggering around in the street blocking traffic?

I think the overall numbers would drop, but it would still be disproportional to the "high crime" areas.  People who tend to commit crimes are still going to commit them at a higher rate.  Actually, the ratio might get worse since you would fall back to the basic murder, robbery, rape, and theft. 

[KD5NRH]

I think the overall numbers would drop, but it would still be disproportional to the "high crime" areas.  People who tend to commit crimes are still going to commit them at a higher rate.  Actually, the ratio might get worse since you would fall back to the basic murder, robbery, rape, and theft.

Would it, or would there be a lower "screw it, I'm already a criminal" factor?  i.e. if you know you can get years in prison for having crack, you're not endangering yourself that much more if you steal to buy it.

Along the same lines as my theory that if guns are banned, plenty of folks, committing a felony by having them anyway, will go ahead and saw off the barrel of their home defense shotgun since it doesn't really add much risk.