A new report from the DC Office of Police Complaints reveals stark “racial disparities” in police use of force incidents.
- The data asserts that a whopping 94% of people involved in police use of force incidents in 2023 were Black.
- This figure would be up from 90% in 2022.
- In total, Black Americans make up only 44.4% of the population in Washington DC.
By the numbers: The study also unveiled the number of times police deployed physical force to protect the streets of the nation’s capital.
- “Use of force” is defined as activity that includes restraining suspects, the use of batons, police canines, and non-lethal or lethal weapons against offenders.
- According to the study, there were 1,142 total use-of-force incidents in 2023 (an 11% increase from the previous year). A total of 1,017 MPD officers reported having to use force, which amounts to 25% of the entire Metropolitan Police Department.
- 39% of these incidents were classified as “tactical takedowns” of perpetrators. Eight incidents involved police firing their duty weapon, and another four incidents involved the use of police attack dogs.
- Of those four incidents, all police K9’s were killed in action.
Zooming In: National media has already begun to frame the narrative behind these criminal revelations as evidence of systemic racism against the Black community.
- A deeper look into the study reveals Black officers compose 52% of the total police force in the nation’s capital.
- Only 25% of use-of-force incidents involved a suspect assaulting an officer, while 45% of all officers reporting a use-of-force were Black.
- While the rate of violent crime is said to have decreased in Washington, DC, from the previous year, the amount of crime is still reportedly high, with 2023 amounting to a grand total of 273 homicides—a record.
In the headlines: Despite DC, serving as the heart of the American Empire, horrific acts of Black violence and depravity can erupt just a few blocks away from prestigious landmarks.
- In April, a Black ex-convict was arrested for launching a savage anti-White stabbing attack at a DC-area McDonalds. For the crime, police arrested 63-year-old Reginald Pickett, who shouted he “hated White people” while he plunged a knife into his victim’s neck.
- The restaurant-turned-crime scene was located in the 1200 block of New York Avenue, only two blocks away from the White House.
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