Institutional racism in the police?

All black people tell the truth ?

Where has anyone said that. When women describe their experience of sexual harassment or when disabled people describe being discriminated against are they not telling the truth. There will be a very small few who arent but that doesnt negate the experience of the rest of them.

By the same logic if a small minority of the Police fall short of expected standards. That doesn't negate the good work ,or bravery ,of the others.
Thinking of one officer tonight and hoping they stay safe.

Washerwoman no one is denying the great job individual police officers do. However if there is institutional racism as many black people complain it makes their job more difficult they need the support of communities. It also means they may be drawn into behaviour they know is wrong but which they feel they have to fall in with.

Iam
Very good points, thank you.

Iam who is demonising the police force? That’s not a general position at all either from posters here or in the wider society. And I said there were issues - not that the police( or others) were institutionally racist. That’s a big difference. There was a recent R4 programme about the racism that serving black officers have experienced from within. I doubt it’s all made up - one officer was awarded half a million compensation. I’ll try and find the link. I just think so many contributions on this have leaped to the defence of the police as though no police officer could never be racist and that’s a logical impossibility. I have only been stopped once by the police ( 40 years ago) but I honestly don’t know how I might react if I was regularly stopped and I was black and always innocent. Some young black men do have this experience and I can imagine that it must get very wearing. .

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kgtl

Here it is - it’s quite chilling and depressing and shouldn’t be dismissed. As a pp said ( sorry trisher was it you?) having a more representative police service could only help surely?

I think what some posters are missing is the fact that the Black community doesn't want special treatment or to be treated better than the white community ..they just want to be treated the same .Respect is a two way thing,so if the police and the wider community wants respect FROM the black and minority communities then they have to give respect to those people.That in my opinion is a good starting point .
I know,because I see them ,that the intake of new police personnel covers all communities but not equally,maybe that needs to be rectified so that when people see someone who looks like them in a police uniform they dont feel fear or hatred and can expect fair treatment ...and if it starts with that then its a logical thing for it to then extend to all policemen/women.

Lemongrove the sixties was over half a century ago...not a great deal of progress in that time as far as I can see

Yes Paddy it was, but 50 years isn’t all that long in terms of
People re-thinking how to look at colour, fairness and equality.It’s changing minds that takes time, not just passing laws, although that’s important too.
So much has changed since those days but it will take another
30 plus years in my view but slowly....things will continue to improve.
I do think the UK is so much better than many countries in Europe and the US on attitudes to race.To those who say
that’s not the point, we must do better ourselves right now, I would say how? There is no magic wand sadly.

And there will continue to be no magic wand if every time we talk about racism people say to the black community but you cant protest like that or at this time or in that way.

Very true Galaxy. Change is often presented as a gift granted by the powerful, but it has much to do with the struggle and sacrifice of those from below.

Protests and marches are part of our rights here, and they were still allowed to go ahead even during this pandemic.
Whether it was a good idea, given that the ethnicity of people seems to have a real effect on how ill they can become, is another matter.
Change takes time, we are on the way, but won’t see complete change in our lifetimes.Give credit to what has been achieved here over the years though.

In my workplace yesterday I heard I am so sick of seeing people taking the knee. I am white I imagine if I was black that wouldn't feel like something I wanted to give credit for.

Galaxy however it was noticeable that the protests weren’t only from the black community by any means. So many young white protesters out there too.

It’s very reassuring that our young folks seem so supportive and this brings hope that at last things will change. I listened to Cressida Dick on the news last night and that also was suggestive that the message is getting through.

The death of George Floyd and the focus on the BLM campaign means we are all being forced to re-evaluate our assumptions. That includes the black community and also those of us who are white, we have to accept once and for all, that white privilege exists.

The fact the BLM protests involve white as well as black people and that so many prominent sports people are supporting the BLM movement is positive. The attempts to dismiss the movement on the basis its Marxist etc seems to me to be another attempt to silence the cries for equality.
I have no reason to believe Cressida Dick is anything other than determined the Met treats the community it serves professionally and without prejudice or favour.

paddyanne

Lemongrove the sixties was over half a century ago...not a great deal of progress in that time as far as I can see

I think there has been progress, paddyanne but either not enough or we were going backwards now not forwards.

The Race Relations Acts, the first of which was passed in 1965, was just the beginning of making discrimination unlawful.

However, the fact that we have to pass laws against discrimination on grounds of race is in itself shocking and some people's perceptions and prejudices have to change too before more progress can be made.

I blame the media. Whenever a crime is committed it's either described as being a" white man in his 20's or the man was black ".
Why give out the colour of their skin ? A criminal is a criminal regardless of colour.

I object to continually being made aware of the colour of anyone's skin, I can see and don't need being made to feel as though it matters either way.People should get on with life and mind their own damn business.

If this colour business wasn't brought to everyone's attention all the time there'd have been no problems whatsoever.

If you experienced a twinge somewhere in your body, the more you dwell on it the worse it gets so if the brain functions as it should, you just get on with what you're doing and hey-presto the twinge is history.

On the other hand the twinge could be cancer and by ignoring it you leave it to grow, some twinges need dealing with, and this is one of them.

Cancer is more than a twinge !
Always the pedant, eh ? I'm more the optimist !

How far can laws go ? A while woman and a black woman applied for the same job, both are equally qualified, the employer chooses to give the job to a white woman, can the
employer be accused of being a racist ?

No sarcasm please

It'd be interesting to find out the truth of the matter Annie. If everyone's as truthful as they say they are ?

I’m beginning to think we’re arguing for the sake of arguing here. I think we all know that racism exists, that some police are racist, that some police experience racism in the police. We all agree that racism needs to be stamped out wherever it is. We should all agree that we’re on the way, but despite legislation, changing attitudes takes longer.
Last year I went on holiday in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, and had a wonderful time, such interesting areas. But I saw such huge differences in the way of life of white people/black people at every level there, and I was truly shocked at what I saw and learnt.
Attitudes are changing here in the UK. We have laws in place. It isn’t perfect, but social change takes time. We should not be complacent. I don’t think overall that we are.

Annie
Or sexist if the job goes to the man?