The manhunt for the United Healthcare shooter demonstrates something that I've tried to explain many times over the years, and that data shows is true: increasing police presence in a Black neighbourhood, usually *increases* the murder rate in that neighbourhood.
Wait... What?!
Yes. Seriously.
1/N
Because cop shows have been lying to you all these years. CSI is a lie. Even Agatha Christie, Poirot, Columbo, all lies. That's not how murders get solved.
How murders really get solved: someone tells the cops everything: the killer, the motive, the weapon. All the CSI is just to verify the story.
2/N
If no one will talk to you? You. Can't. Solve. Murders.
NYPD budget is ~$11B a year. Larger than Ukraine's military budget was before Russia invaded. Not a typo.
NYPD has 36,000 uniformed officers and 20,000 civilian employees.
Doesn't matter.
3/N
Black people don't call the cops. Black people don't talk to the cops.
So any crime with a large number of eye witnesses, is easier to get away with *if all of the witnesses are Black*
Black folk don't call the cops, because no matter why they were called, they mess with us when they show up.
4/N
I don't get messed with more than the average US Black man. I almost certainly get messed with less frequently.
I just tell y'all about it when it happens to me.
I am not unique.
Guess what percent of Black men have been the victim of police violence? Guess what percent have been threatened?
5/N
I've been threatened by a cop. Because I told him about an illegally parked car (it was on the sidewalk killingour community garden, parked for a yankees game)
I shouldn't have to explain this, but if it matters: I was very polite.
He jabbed his finger in my face yelling at the top of his lungs.
You see I didn't realize that it was one of his friend's car.
But he could have just brushed me off and not done anything. NO. He flipped out on me.
It was terrifying. #nypd
I sincerely think if I'd been a white lady he would have just said "well get to it" (then not done anything) It was obvious he was trying to goad me into yelling back at him or touching him. Like REALLY obvious.
I remember making mental note of a security camera on a garage and then continuing being polite until I could walk away.
He told me that the car had to be parked there "to prevent a terrorist from blowing up the stadium"
I kid you not.
Just thankful I got away. #cops
@futurebird @mekkaokereke me too (thankful you got away).
I eventually found a way to get rid of the car parked on the sidewalk. It was also blocking a fire hydrant. So I sent photos to the FDNY. And they got the cops to stop doing that.
Asking them didn't work so they started showing up during games with the engine for "testing"
#FDNY HATES blocked hydrants cares not who is doing it.
I made myself scarce since I was worried that cop would put together I was who told them.