During a conversation on “Meet the Press” regarding the potential problem with largely White police forces in minority areas and the potential for “new Fergusons,” former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani stunned many after advising that “I find it very disappointing that you’re not discussing the fact that 93% of blacks in America are killed by other blacks. We’re talking about the exception here. White police officers won’t be there if you weren’t killing each other 70% of the time.”
Professor Michael Eric Dyson of Georgetown University retorted “First of all, most black people who commit crimes against other black people go to jail. Number two, they are not sworn by the police department as an agent of the state to uphold the law. So in both cases, that’s a false equivalency that the mayor has drawn, which has exacerbated tensions deeply embedded in American culture.” He added, “Black people who kill black people go to jail. White people who are policemen who kill black people do not go to jail.”
As frustration continues to grow in Ferguson, many have questioned how a city that is over 67% Black is only represented by three out of 50 officers; which statistics show have resulted in Blacks being nearly twice as likely as Whites to be searched and arrested.
With the Grand Jury set to continue deliberating today on whether any charges will be filed in the killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown, St. Louis County is still currently under a state of emergency with a decision now expected as early as mid-week.