https://www.theroot.com/black-people-made-up-24-of-those-killed-by-cops-in-202-1849954358
According to a year end report by the organization Mapping Police Violence, Black people continue to be disproportionately killed by law enforcement. In addition to 2022 being the year where police killed 1,176—the highest we’ve seen in a decade—the research revealed that Black people made up 24% of those fatalities even though we make up 13% of the population.
According to a year end report by the organization Mapping Police Violence, Black people continue to be disproportionately killed by law enforcement. In addition to 2022 being the year where police killed 1,176—the highest we’ve seen in a decade—the research revealed that Black people made up 24% of those fatalities even though we make up 13% of the population.
In fact, there were only 12 days in 2022 where cops did not kill someone. Black people are three times more likely to die at the hands of law enforcement than white people even though we are 1.3 times more likely to be unarmed. Police also kill Black folks at a higher rate in 48 out of the 50 largest cities in America.
For example, from 2013-2022, Chicago police killed Black people at a rate 25 times higher than white people. In cities like Boston and Minneapolis, Black folks were killed at a rate 28 times higher than white folks. Most of the deaths are a result of encounters like traffic stops, disturbances, mental health checks and non-violent offenses.
The report also revealed that 1 in 3 people who were killed by police were trying to flee by foot or by vehicle. Black and brown people were more likely to die this way. All in all, there is no accountability for these crimes since 98% of police killings from 2013-2022 have never resulted with officers being charged.
In 2021, 1,140 people were killed by police. In total, 97% of the deaths were a result of police shootings. Most of the unarmed victims were comprised of Black and Hispanic people. And in 2021, Black people were more likely to be killed, more likely to be unarmed when killed and less likely to be threatening someone when killed.
Sign up for The Root's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.