RACISM IN POLICING
More Police Would Not Have Stopped The Tragedy in Brooklyn — Here’s Why
The road to public safety is paved with good intentions
On Tuesday, April 12th, a man wearing a gas mask “set off smoke grenades in a crowded subway” Brooklyn, New York. Then, he opened fire, injuring at least 23 people during their morning commute. According to officers, the gunmen left some things behind, a “Glock 9-millimeter handgun, three ammunition magazines, a hatchet, fireworks and a liquid believed to be gasoline,” and a key to a Uhaul van rented in Philidelphia. As a result of that key, officers have named a Black man, 62-year-old Frank R. James as a person of interest. Officers have not found or questioned James yet, though ABC News says a “man-hunt” is still underway.
Any act of violence that publically terrorizes a community is unequivocally wrong, but so is the way many White Americans frame crime in urban areas. When a Black person commits a violent crime, there’s often a subsequent demand to put more officers on the street. However, more officers would not have stopped the tragedy in Brooklyn, New York.
Years ago, I visited Brooklyn, staying there for 3-months. My stop was the Kingston–Throop Avenues station. This area had predominately Black-owned businesses, not…
