Race, law enforcement, and the ballot box (2016)
Nationwide, much attention has been paid to the relationship between law enforcement officials and the public in the four years since Trayvon Martin's death in 2012. But how does the growing tension affect local elections? When there is public outcry and activism, does that translate into something tangible in the following election cycles?
In cities across the country, clashes between law enforcement officers and some members of the public sparked conversations and protests over police brutality and racial equality. These incidents have included the shootings of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Laquan McDonald in Chicago, along with the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. During the 2016 election cycle, Ballotpedia measured the impact of those events on municipal elections. Areas of research included incumbent re-election rates, voter turnout, and the prevalence of discussions about public safety and crime among candidates for office. For more information on these previous incidents, click here.
For more information on Ballotpedia's 2016 municipal election coverage, click here. For more details on the cities where we are seeing developments, click the tabs below.
2016 election
Crime rates
Crime rate is one metric that can be used to measure how safe a city is relative to other cities. In cities where crime rates are highest, one would expect more focus on the subject by politicians and candidates for office. When crime rates in cities are lower, public safety is less likely to come up as an issue during an election cycle.
In the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, crime is divided into two separate categories: violent crime and property crime. Violent crime is defined as "those offenses which involve force or threat of force," and includes the offenses of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.[1] Property crime is defined as any crime where the objective is the "taking of money or property, but there is no force or threat of force against the victims." Crimes in this category include burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.[2]
The average violent crime rate per 1,000 people across America's 100 largest cities in 2015 was 7.01. Of the 42 cities with 2016 elections, the city with the lowest violent crime rate was Irvine, California, at 0.64, while Oakland, California, had the highest at 17.00. Ten of the 42 cities with elections in 2016 had a violent crime rate higher than the average of America's 100 largest cities.[3]
The following table displays crime rate data from 2010 and 2015. Each statistic is represented as crimes per 1,000 people. This data was collected in January 2016 from Neighborhood Scout, a site that collects and aggregates crime information from the FBI's Unified Crime Reports.
| Violent crime rates in cities with 2016 elections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | State | 2010 crime rate | 2015 crime rate | Change from 2010 to 2015 |
| Anaheim | California | 3.43 | 3.27 | -4.66% |
| Anchorage | Alaska | 8.38 | 8.67 | 3.50% |
| Arlington | Texas | 5.02 | 4.88 | -2.73% |
| Austin | Texas | 4.76 | 3.95 | -17.01% |
| Bakersfield | California | 6.31 | 4.58 | -27.41% |
| Baltimore | Maryland | 14.56 | 13.65 | -6.24% |
| Baton Rouge | Louisiana | 11.13 | 9.35 | -15.98% |
| Chandler | Arizona | 2.86 | 1.83 | -35.96% |
| Chesapeake | Virginia | 3.84 | 4.26 | 10.99% |
| Chula Vista | California | 2.89 | 2.44 | -15.70% |
| Corpus Christi | Texas | 7.19 | 6.54 | -9.06% |
| Fremont | California | 2.37 | 1.36 | -42.74% |
| Fresno | California | 6.26 | 4.86 | -22.35% |
| Garland | Texas | 2.22 | 2.74 | 23.59% |
| Gilbert | Arizona | 0.95 | 0.87 | -8.66% |
| Glendale | Arizona | 3.92 | 4.51 | 14.92% |
| Honolulu | Hawaii | 2.68 | 3.59 | 33.89% |
| Irvine | California | 0.55 | 0.64 | 15.84% |
| Irving | Texas | 2.56 | 2.23 | -13.03% |
| Laredo | Texas | 4.95 | 3.93 | -20.62% |
| Lexington | Kentucky | 5.75 | 3.42 | -40.47% |
| Long Beach | California | 5.88 | 5.04 | -14.34% |
| Louisville | Kentucky | 5.86 | 6.32 | 7.89% |
| Lubbock | Texas | 8.78 | 8.59 | -2.18% |
| Mesa | Arizona | 3.95 | 4.56 | 15.33% |
| Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 10.45 | 14.80 | 41.69% |
| New York City | New York | 5.82 | 5.58 | -4.07% |
| Norfolk | Virginia | 6.17 | 5.24 | -15.11% |
| Oakland | California | 15.30 | 17.00 | 11.14% |
| Portland | Oregon | 5.41 | 4.90 | -9.36% |
| Reno | Nevada | 5.26 | 4.92 | -6.38% |
| Riverside | California | 4.80 | 4.36 | -9.11% |
| Sacramento | California | 8.70 | 6.22 | -28.53% |
| San Diego | California | 4.28 | 3.95 | -7.62% |
| San Francisco | California | 7.02 | 8.00 | 13.95% |
| San Jose | California | 3.31 | 3.38 | 2.00% |
| Santa Ana | California | 4.44 | 3.91 | -11.90% |
| Scottsdale | Arizona | 1.53 | 1.57 | 2.52% |
| Stockton | California | 13.81 | 13.49 | -2.31% |
| Tulsa | Oklahoma | 10.94 | 8.05 | -26.42% |
| Virginia Beach | Virginia | 1.88 | 1.47 | -21.86% |
| Washington, D.C. | - | 12.41 | 12.44 | 0.23% |
| Top 100 Cities Average | 7.45 | 7.01 | -5.97% | |
Public opinion
A September 2016 poll conducted by Saint Leo University on public safety found that 60 percent of Americans trust in police officers and police departments. Only about 45 percent of those surveyed, however, said they trusted in the judicial system and juries to do the right thing. Dr. Eloy L. Nuñez, an associate professor in the Department of Public Safety Administration at the university, provided some context for the numbers. "A favorability rating in the 50-percent-to-60-percent range is a fairly good one, and compares favorably with almost all other government services," he said.[4]
The lack of trust in juries to do the right thing is likely the result of grand juries failing to indict police officers involved in shootings. Speaking to Mother Jones in 2015, California State Senator Holly Mitchell (D), said, "[t]he use of the criminal grand jury process, and the refusal to indict as occurred in Ferguson and other communities of color, has fostered an atmosphere of suspicion that threatens to compromise our justice system." California became the first state to ban grand juries in police shooting cases in August of 2015.[5]
| 2016 Saint Leo Poll | ||
|---|---|---|
| Question | Strong Positive | Strong Negative |
| Trust in police officers | 60.5% | 20.2% |
| Trust in police departments | 59.6% | 19.8% |
| Trust in the judicial system | 45.1% | 25.0% |
| Trust in juries to do the right thing | 46.4% | 22.9% |
Methodology: The poll was conducted from September 10 to September 16. The sample included responses from 1,103 adults and has a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. Respondents were asked to answer each question on a scale of one to 10, with one meaning they have strong trust and 10 meaning they have no trust. Answers were grouped as strongly positive (one to four) and strongly negative (seven to 10).[4]
In July 2016, Pew Research Center conducted a poll on support for the Black Lives Matter movement. They found that more than 40 percent of Americans either somewhat or strongly agree with Black Lives Matters, while 22 percent somewhat or strongly oppose the movement. Of the white Americans surveyed, those under 30 and those affiliated with the Democratic Party were more likely to support the movement.[6]
| 2016 Pew Research Center Poll | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic | Strongly support | Somewhat support | Somewhat oppose | Strongly oppose |
| All adults | 18% | 25% | 9% | 13% |
| Whites | 14% | 26% | 11% | 17% |
| Blacks | 41% | 24% | 8% | 4% |
| Hispanics | 15% | 18% | 5% | 6% |
| Republican | 4% | 16% | 17% | 35% |
| Democrat | 29% | 35% | 5% | 3% |
| Independent | 11% | 31% | 12% | 13% |
Methodology: The poll was conducted from February 29 to May 8. "Whites" and "Blacks" include only non-Hispanics, whereas "Hispanics" includes respondents of any race. Responses of "Neither support nor oppose" or "Don't know/Refused" are not shown. Results shown are based on the total number of responses.[6]
Racial separation
Although legal segregation of different races was officially abolished by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, activists and researchers argue that unofficial forms of segregation have persisted. Some have examined U.S. Census statistics to discover cities where residents are still largely separated by race. Other researchers have claimed that higher rates of geographic racial separation cause higher violent crime rates in large cities.
A 2015 study by 24/7 Wall St. analyzed 29 diverse urban areas in an attempt to identify cities that had the highest degrees of racial separation. The website created an index based on the number of zip codes that it called "racially homogeneous," which it identified by determining whether a population of one race made up 80 percent or more of the zip code's total population. Of the 29 cities included in the study, nine had more than a third of city residents living in a racially homogeneous zip code. Information on those nine cities is in the table below.[7]
David J. Bjerk of McMaster University released a paper in 2006 that examined the effects of racial separation on crime rates in metropolitan areas. His research revealed that racial separation had little effect on property crime. When it came to violent crimes like robberies and aggravated assaults, however, Bjerk noted that racial separation seemed to "substantially increase" those crimes.[8] At the conclusion of his paper, he wrote:
| “ | In general, the results of this analysis suggest that decreasing segregation will not uniformly lead to lower rates of all crimes. However, given the fear and damage associated with violent crimes such robbery and aggravated assault, any reduction in these crimes that may come from decreasing segregation will likely substantially improve the quality of life not only for those living in poor primarily black neighborhoods, but also for metropolitan area residents in general. Hence, the results of this analysis provide some further justification for efforts to reduce the levels of segregation in American cities, both racially and economically.[9] | ” |
| —David J. Bjerk (2006)[8] | ||
| Cities with high occurrence of racially homogeneous zip codes (2015) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | State | Percent Living in Segregated Areas | Black Poverty Rate | White Poverty Rate | Black Unemployment Rate | White Unemployment Rate |
| Cleveland | Ohio | 55.1% | 33.6% | 9.3% | 20.2% | 5.4% |
| Detroit | Michigan | 51.9% | 33.3% | 10.6% | 15.1% | 7.6% |
| Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 51.4% | 38.4% | 7.6% | 16.3% | 5.9% |
| Louisville | Kentucky | 51.1% | 31.1% | 11.0% | 13.2% | 6.4% |
| Cincinnati | Ohio | 48.6% | 33.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% | 6.1% |
| Nashville | Tennessee | 45.0% | 25.2% | 10.5% | 11.1% | 4.7% |
| Boston | Massachusetts | 40.4% | 21.5% | 6.8% | 9.2% | 5.9% |
| Birmingham | Alabama | 39.8% | 26.9% | 10.4% | 8.3% | 5.7% |
| Kansas City | Missouri | 37.8% | 26.4% | 8.3% | 13.4% | 5.6% |
Ballot measures
- See also: Law enforcement on the ballot
Three ballot measures related to police have been proposed for 2016. In Ferguson, Missouri, where Michael Brown was shot and killed, citizens proposed a measure to require that police officers wear body cameras. San Francisco's Board of Supervisors put a measure on the ballot that would require an investigation any time a police officer shoots someone. A statewide measure in California could create "over-policed" jurisdictions that receive additional oversight.
Ferguson
An initiative to require body cameras for police officers was not put on the ballot for Ferguson voters in St. Louis County, Missouri, in 2016.
If approved, the initiative would have required all police officers to wear a camera while on duty. It would have also required the city police department to make the recorded videos accessible to anyone that appears in the video footage. Under the initiative, police officers would have been required to report to the city council all incidents in which force was used. Video footage would have been deleted after two years, unless circumstances or other laws required differently.[10][11]
San Francisco
A measure to require independent investigations of all police shootings was on the ballot for voters in San Francisco, California, on June 7, 2016. It was approved.
| A "yes" vote was a vote in favor of requiring the San Francisco Office of Citizen Complaints (OCC) to launch an investigation every time a city police officer shoots someone, regardless of whether or not there is a complaint. |
| A "no" vote was a vote against the proposal, leaving the OCC with no requirement to investigation any incident unless there is a citizen complaint. |
The city controller estimated Proposition D could require the city to hire additional investigators to serve in the OCC, but estimated a "minimal effect on the cost of government." In the preceding five years, 31 police shootings occurred, and complaints were filed for eight of them, triggering an OCC investigation. Under the provisions in Proposition D, all 31 incidents would have been investigated by the OCC. The budget for the OCC, which investigates all citizen complaints against San Francisco police officers, was about $5 million in 2015-2016 and had 17 investigators on staff.[12]
California
The California Additional Auditing and Oversight for "Over-Policed Jurisdictions" Initiative (#15-0124) was a proposed initiative and was not put on the November 8, 2016, ballot in California as an initiated state statute.
This initiative was called the "Over-Policed Rights Act" by petitioners.[13]
This initiative was designed to establish a process for the courts to designate certain law enforcement jurisdictions as "over-policed" if patterns of excessive force or discrimination are observed. Under the initiative, such jurisdictions would be subject to additional oversight and auditing, with court-mandated measures to reduce excessive force and discrimination.[13]
Baltimore
The city of Baltimore, Maryland, held elections for mayor and city council on November 8. A primary election took place on April 26. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was February 3, 2016. All 15 city council seats were up for election.[14] State Sen. Catherine Pugh (D) won a crowded Democratic primary and went on to win in the general election.
In April 2015, the city was at the center of intense protests and rioting after a black resident died during the course of an arrest. To read about this incident, click here.
On September 11, 2015, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced her plans to not run for re-election. She cited a desire to make sure any actions she took to help the city move past the protests did not come off as campaign tactics. Rawlings-Blake did not endorse any of the other candidates in the race.[15]
Barry Rascovar of MarylandReporter.com wrote that the mayor's retirement announcement left the election "a free-for-all among a group of imperfect, little-known or inexperienced candidates."[16] In total, 18 candidates filed to run in the primary for Rawlings-Blake's seat: 13 Democrats and five Republicans.[17]
Lawrence Lanahan of Slate said that he expected a lot of national media attention for the race, particularly after Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson (D) filed to run for the seat. He wrote:
| “ | Just as we were getting to know the candidates, one of the most famous activists in America has jumped into the race. We will undoubtedly continue to talk about police reform and affordable housing and economic development, but for now we’re talking about DeRay, a 30-year-old activist and educator who made his name outside of the city, and who has more Twitter followers than the number of people who voted in Baltimore’s last election. Surely the national media will home in on his blue vest, bringing to Baltimore far more attention than a municipal election would normally merit. For those of us here who still resent the sensational cable-news coverage of April and May 2015—and yet also sympathize with the critique of police violence that the Black Lives Matter movement has helped elevate into a national debate—Mckesson’s entrance into the race promises both anxiety and possibility.[9] | ” |
| —Lawrence Lanahan[18] | ||
Following McKesson's announcement of his candidacy, state Rep. Jill Carter (D-41) called the activist's campaign "ridiculous." In a conversation with The Guardian, the Baltimore resident expressed concerns over McKesson's motives. "He has no authenticity and no base other than Twitter followers. I’m a little worried that his decision is another self serving scheme that will further divide our justice movement," she said.[19]
Baton Rouge
The city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, held elections for mayor and metropolitan council on December 10, 2016. A primary election took place on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 22, 2016. All 12 metropolitan council seats were up for election.[20][21]
Mayor Kip Holden (D) ran for election to U.S. Congress in the the 2nd Congressional District of Louisiana rather than seeking re-election.[22] Former State Sen. Sharon Weston Broome (D) headlined the field looking to replace Holden and commanded a sizeable fundraising lead over her competitors.[23] In the primary election, Broome and Bodi White (R) earned enough votes to advance to the general election.
Alton Sterling was shot and killed by two police officers in the early morning hours of July 5, 2016. The first footage released of the event was from a non-police source, even though the two officers in question were wearing body cameras.[24] The following list features public statements made by mayoral candidates regarding the Alton Sterling and police officer shootings in July 2016. This section focuses on mayoral candidates due to the prominent role of the mayor in overseeing the police department.
- R.J. Bourgeois (R) criticized protesters following the Sterling shooting, arguing in a statement: "We repeatedly hear that we should open a dialogue. Instead, we get an OK Corral type shoot-out worthy of the so-called Wild West where law and order was undermined by outlaws."[25]
- Broome supported police body cameras prior to these events, saying they are a way to build trust between the public and police.[26]
- Metro Councilman John Delgado (R) asked the public to respect law enforcement and end protests in an interview with NBC 33. He also told protesters from outside of Baton Rouge to leave the city so that city residents could focus on solutions.[27]
- State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle (D) shared a conversation with the police chief that indicated that the body cameras did not function properly during the Alton Sterling incident. She said:[28]
| “ | [The chief and I] were in the middle of this discussion, and he said 'well, let me just tell you that it's not much footage.' And, I said, 'what are you talking about?' He said, "Well, the body cameras came off in the struggle.' I thought he meant just one. I asked about the other officer. He said, 'both body cameras came off, so it's not much. It's not great footage from the body cameras.'[9] | ” |
- Byron Sharper (D), the vice president of the Baton Rouge chapter of the NAACP, told attendees at a July 6 vigil for Alton Sterling to express their frustrations at the ballot box.[29] On July 8, 2016, Sharper called for boycotts of local businesses and retail chains to force the business community into pressuring the arrest of officers involved in the Alton Sterling shooting.[30]
Note: Beverly Amador, Rufus Craig, Darryl Gissel, Braylon Hyde, Greg LaFleur, Bodi White, and Cade Williams had not made public statements about these events as of July 26, 2016.
Milwaukee
The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, held elections for mayor and common council on April 5, 2016. A primary election took place on February 16, 2016.[31] Mayor Tom Barrett (D) was re-elected.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that there were 152 homicides in Milwaukee in 2015. One hundred forty-five of these deaths met the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) criteria for homicides, which does not include deaths that were deemed to have occurred due to self-defense. This was a significant increase from the 86 UCR homicides that occurred in 2014. According to the Sentinel's Homicide Tracker, 84 percent of those killed in Milwaukee in 2015 were black and 88 percent were male.[32][33]
Crime was one of a few talking points in the run-up to the mayoral general election in April. In his State of the City address, Barrett acknowledged an increase in gun violence and car theft in 2015 and said the city needed to focus on youth crime and have more severe punishments for car theft.[34] His opponent, Alderman Robert G. Donovan, proposed bulking up the police department, ensuring that courts and district attorneys hold people accountable for their crimes, and reforming the juvenile justice system.[35]
Police staffing levels were another point of contention between the two candidates. Barrett's campaign website declared that his "budgets have consistently ensured the Milwaukee Police Department has the staffing and the resources needed to effectively address crime, fear and disorder."[36] Donovan, however, disagreed, saying that the mayor had cut police staffing by 302 officers from 2008 to 2015 and announced his own plans to hire between 300 and 400 police officers if elected.[37]
Norfolk
The city of Norfolk, Virginia, held elections for mayor and city council on May 3, 2016.[38] Incumbent Mayor Paul Fraim did not seek re-election after 22 years in office. State Sen. Kenny Alexander (D) was elected as Fraim's replacement.
Multiple shootings over the first weekend in March made crime a key talking point for one mayoral candidate who consequently drew ridicule from his competitors. Sheriff Robert McCabe argued that citizens were unsafe due to a lack of officers in the city. Councilman Andrew Protogyrou accused the sheriff of "playing politics over tragedy," saying McCabe's "plans are, 'I love babies and unicorns.'" The two candidates presented disparate explanations for current vacancies on the city's police force. McCabe claimed the city had left the positions vacant to save money, but Protogyrou rebuked this claim, saying, "There are no unfunded or left open positions to make budget. The city has never done it with regards to its police funding."[39]
Alexander also accused McCabe of politicizing the recent shootings, saying that any requests for changes to police resources "should come from the current police chief and the city manager, not from someone be it myself or anyone else who is using a misfortunate [sic] situation such as the loss of life to call or single out at this particular time."[39] At a candidate forum later in March, the three candidates were able to agree on instituting body cameras for police officers.[40]
McCabe's campaign made the statement on the left following the weekend shootings. The city responded with the statement on the right:
Statement by McCabe's campaign
|
Statement by the city
| ||||||||||||
Stockton
Stockton's crime rate shaped elections for mayor and three of six city council seats on November 8, 2016. The city gained a reputation for high violent crime rates in the wake of its 2012 bankruptcy. Forbes listed the city as the eighth-most violent city in the United States in 2012, citing budget cuts to the police department.[41] The Record highlighted a string of springtime murders in an article on April 16, 2016, which also pointed to a higher homicide rate compared to the first four months of 2015.[42] Ballotpedia has reviewed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) crime statistics and the city's police budget to provide context on crime in Stockton.
Funding cuts have raised questions about the ability of the Stockton Police Department to deal with criminal activities common to big cities. Police personnel including detectives, patrol officers, and office staff peaked at 676 in 2008 before starting a steady decline from 558 staff members in 2009 to 510 staff members in 2012. The 2013-2014 adopted budget included funding for 531 police personnel, though this amount remained lower than budget personnel in 1997 (574) for a city that grew by 30.4 percent over a 16-year period. The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics show a mixed bag for crime reduction in Stockton during the study period. Property crimes including burglary, theft, and auto theft were less common in 2012 than in 1997 with a peak rate in 2003. The city's violent crime rate, which includes murder, rape, and aggravated assault, fell steadily from 2004 to 2011 before rising significantly in 2012.
Mayor Anthony Silva (R) touted a reduction in violent crimes since 2013 on his campaign website. He also pointed out that the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics for 2015 showed the lowest crime rate for Stockton since 2000.[43] In 2015, Silva proposed the use of police substations to increase police presence in high-crime areas. This proposal was opposed by Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones, who believed a centralized policing system is more effective.[44]
Silva's opponents offered crime reduction proposals in their 2016 campaigns. Emiliano Benito Adams argued for recruiting public safety personnel within the community and building an improved homeless shelter.[45] Gary Malloy believed that the city has failed to curb crime because of poor recruitment of personnel interested in living in the city. He also argued for recruiting Stockton residents into the police department to ensure a commitment to the community.[46] Tony Mannor suggestd that the city needs to coordinate with local and federal law enforcement officials to share resources necessary for crime reduction.[46]
High-profile incidents
New York, New York
On July 17, 2014, 43-year-old Eric Garner died after police put him in a chokehold during an arrest attempt. Garner was arrested by police for allegedly selling loose cigarettes, which is illegal. After being put in a chokehold and put on the ground, Garner began yelling that he couldn't breathe. The death was ruled a homicide after the medical examiner found that his death was the result of "compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police."[47]
Charges against the officer, Daniel Pantaleo, were brought before a grand jury in December 2014. The jury chose not to indict Pantaleo, citing a lack of evidence as the reason. Josh Voorhees of Slate wrote that it was not a surprising verdict. "[T]he default setting for our criminal justice system—both explicitly and implicitly—is to believe that an on-duty officer who takes another citizen’s life was justified in doing so," he wrote.[48]
The decision to not indict the officer drew protests in New York City and other cities across the country. Notable protests took place Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. Due to the timing of the grand jury decision, many protests coincided with those already occurring over a similar decision not to indict a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. More than 200 individuals were arrested in New York City over the first two nights of protests, while more than 1,000 individuals protested on Garner's behalf at Boston's Christmas tree lighting ceremony.[49]
Ferguson, Missouri
- See also: Shooting in Ferguson, Missouri
Michael Brown, an 18-year-old resident of the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, was shot and killed by a police officer on August 9, 2014. Brown and a friend reportedly got into an altercation with a police officer, Darren Wilson, who fired his weapon on Brown. A robbery had reportedly taken place at a convenience store just prior to the shooting with the suspect allegedly matching Brown's description. Although Wilson was eventually not charged by a grand jury, weeks of protests and rioting took place following both the shooting and the grand jury hearing.
In a New York Times op-ed, Jeff Smith pointed out several factors that may have contributed to the racial tension in Ferguson between the police force and the majority African American citizenry. Since the 1990 census, when Ferguson was still a minority African American community, the demographics had changed, with the 2000 census showing a slight African American majority and the 2010 census showing that more than two-thirds of the population was African American. Smith argued that due to the relatively recent migration to the suburb, the political structure for African Americans was not well-established—hence, Ferguson's white mayor, a majority white police force (with three of 53 officers being African American), and one African American city council member. Combined with the fact that the municipality relies heavily on traffic stops for its funding, the result was that 86 percent of traffic stops, 92 percent of searches, and 93 percent of arrests were of African Americans.[50]
James Knowles (R), mayor of Ferguson since 2011, claimed there was no racial divide on August 15, 2014, arguing, "I grew up here, and it’s always been a very diverse community. So for people to come out and say that there’s some long-standing anger or there’s a history of racial tension is absolutely ridiculous. There’s not a black-white divide in Ferguson.”[51] Knowles defended his point in an interview on August 19, 2014, explaining, "There’s 22,000 residents in our community. This has affected about a half-mile strip of street in our community. The rest of the African-Americans in our community are going about their daily lives, going to our businesses, walking their dog, going to our neighborhood watch meetings."[52]
In the 2015 city elections, none of the city council incumbents ran for re-election. African Americans won election to two of those three seats, while the city had previously only had two black council members in its history. Knowles faced a recall attempt, but those efforts did not succeed in ousting the mayor.
Chicago, Illinois
| Coverage of protests in Chicago after the Laquan McDonald shooting. Filmed by teleSUR. |
In October 2014, Chicago police were called to a trucking yard where Laquan McDonald was breaking into vehicles. Officer Jason Van Dyke arrived on the scene shortly after and fired 16 rounds at McDonald six seconds after leaving his vehicle. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder and ordered to be held without bail following the incident. Anita Alvarez, the Cook County state's attorney, said the charges were filed because the first officers to respond to the call said they felt it was unnecessary to use force against McDonald.[53]
The official police report said that McDonald was behaving erratically and refusing to comply with the commands of officers, who were insisting that he drop his knife. A blood test also revealed that PCP was in McDonald's system at the time of the incident. At the time of the incident, the city's police union argued that Van Dyke acted in self-defense after McDonald charged at Van Dyke and his partner.[53]
On April 14, 2015, the Chicago City Council approved a $5 million settlement with McDonald's family in order to prevent a lawsuit that would have required the release of the dashcam video. Alderman Edward M. Burke, chair of the council's finance committee, introduced the settlement as "Estate of McDonald, the case 14C2041." The measure was passed within 36 seconds, with no members of the council objecting to the vote.[54]
Shortly after the settlement, a freelance reporter filed a lawsuit to try to gain access to the video of the incident. On November 19, 2015, a judge ordered that the video be released after Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Alvarez spent months in court trying to keep it sealed. Prior to a city press conference to release the video, Alvarez charged Van Dyke with first-degree murder. She said she chose to press the charges at that moment "in the interest of public safety."[55]
Immediately following the video's release, many criticized Emanuel and said the delay was due primarily to an attempt to make sure he won re-election. John Kass of the Chicago Tribune hypothesized that the video's release would have caused a loss of support from the black community, which in turn would have lost him the runoff election against Jesus "Chuy" Garcia. Instead, Kass says, politicians and religious leaders in the black community rallied behind Emanuel to get out the vote, winning him the race. Garcia agreed, saying, "That video would definitely have changed the political environment. The rug would have been pulled out from under many political leaders' feet. Things would have been different."[56]
Kim Foxx, a candidate in the March 15, 2016, primary to be the Democratic nominee for state’s attorney for Cook County, Illinois, attacked two-term incumbent Alvarez for her handling of the McDonald shooting. According to Foxx’s ad: “A teen murdered. Shot 16 times. But for 400 days, Anita Alvarez did nothing.”[57] So did Alvarez do nothing for 400 days?
The claim is not true. Our research found that Alvarez did wait 400 days to charge the police officer that killed McDonald’s. But during that time frame, Alvarez undertook a joint investigation with the FBI and U.S. Attorney beginning December 8, 2014.[58]
Tulsa, Oklahoma
- See also: Eric Harris shooting
On April 2, 2015, a reserve deputy sheriff shot and killed an unarmed black man named Eric Harris. Just before the shooting occurred, local police had caught Harris illegally attempting to sell firearms to an undercover officer. When Harris fled, several officers tackled him. It was at this point that a reserve deputy sheriff named Robert Bates reportedly reached for his stun gun to subdue Harris but instead shot him in the back with a handgun. Video footage of the incident records Bates saying, "Oh, I shot him. I'm sorry," immediately after he fired the shot. Harris began screaming shortly thereafter and told officers that he was having trouble breathing. One officer responded by saying, "You shouldn't have f---ing ran" and "f--- your breath." Harris died in a hospital later that day.[59][60]
The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office charged Bates, the reserve deputy who shot Eric Harris, with second-degree manslaughter. If convicted, Bates could face up to four years in prison. Bates' full-time occupation is as an insurance executive. He began serving as a reserve deputy in Tulsa in 2008.[61] Bates pleaded not guilty on April 21, 2015, and was initially expected back in court on July 2.[62] Bates waived his preliminary hearing and had his arraignment on July 13, 2015. At his arraignment, Bates pleaded not guilty.[63][64]
Bates' trial began in April 2016.[65] After less than three hours of deliberation, a jury found Bates guilty of second-degree manslaughter and recommended the maximum sentence of four years in prison.[66] At his sentencing on May 31, 2016, Bates was sentenced to four years in prison.[67]
In September 2016, police shot and killed another unarmed man named Terence Crutcher. Footage from both a helicopter and dash cam showed Crutcher with his hands up as police had their guns trained on him. He lowered his hands while stepping towards his vehicle before being shot. Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan confirmed at a news conference that Crutcher did not have a weapon either on his person or in his vehicle.[68]
North Charleston, South Carolina
Walter Scott, a 50-year-old black man, was pulled over on April 4, 2015, for allegedly having a broken brake light. Officer Michael Slager made the stop at 9:33 a.m. A video filmed by an observer showed Scott running away from Slager, who then fired eight rounds from his gun before Scott fell to the ground. Slager reported the suspect to police dispatch at 9:38 a.m.[69] Slager was fired once the video of the incident was released. After a hearing before a grand jury, Slager was indicted on murder charges in June 2015.[70] The murder trial resulted in a hung jury. In May 2017, Slager pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating Scott's civil rights. A federal trial against Slager resulted in the former officer receiving a 20-year prison sentence.[71]
Protesters took to city hall after Scott's death, joined by members of Charleston's chapter of Black Lives Matter.[72] Following the video's release, policy changes were pushed in both the city of North Charleston and in the state legislature. Mayor Keith Summey said that the city would outfit every police officer in the city with body cameras. The legislature began advancing bills to mandate the use of body cameras statewide.[73] That law was signed by Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on June 10, 2015.[74]
Baltimore, Maryland
- See also: Freddie Gray shooting
On April 19, 2015, a black resident of Baltimore named Freddie Gray died from a severe spinal injury, which he sustained during the course of an arrest that took place on April 12, 2015, in a west Baltimore neighborhood. The Baltimore Sun compiled a detailed timeline and summary of the incident. It can be accessed here.
In the aftermath of Gray's death, some of the most intense rioting and protests that Baltimore had ever seen broke out in its streets. On April 27, 2015, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) declared a state of emergency and deployed the National Guard. At the same time, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake established a citywide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.[75] On April 28, Hogan pledged to send at least 1,000 additional National Guard troops to maintain peace in the midst of protests. In response to criticisms of the state's delayed response, Hogan suggested that an emergency order was ready on April 25, but the governor's office waited for a response from Rawlings-Blake before mobilizing state resources.[76]
Six city police officers were indicted in the case: Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., charged with second-degree depraved-heart murder; Sgt. Alicia D. White, Lt. Brian W. Rice, and Officer William G. Porter, each charged with manslaughter; and Officers Edward M. Nero and Garrett E. Miller, charged with second-degree assault.[77] On June 22, 2015, all officers pleaded not guilty.[78] In the trial of William Porter, the judge declared a mistrial on December 16 after the jury deliberated for 16 hours but could not reach a verdict. As of February 2016, no other officers had been tried.[79]
Rawlings-Blake was sharply critical of the rioters in Baltimore, calling them "thugs who always want to incite violence and destroy our city." She went on to say, "Too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs who, in a very senseless way, are trying to tear down what so many have fought for. Tearing down businesses, tearing down and destroying property — things that we know will impact our community for years."[75] Her administration received some criticism for its handling of the riots. During the weekend of April 25 and 26—when the riots began—Rawlings-Blake described her approach to the situation as follows:[80]
| “ | It’s a very delicate balancing act, because while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well.[9] | ” |
Some interpreted this statement to mean that she had purposefully allowed for violence and the destruction of property. A spokesperson for Rawlings-Blake later pushed back against this interpretation, saying, "Unfortunately, as a result of providing the peaceful demonstrators with the space to share their message, that also meant that those seeking to incite violence also had the space to operate. The police sought to balance the rights of the peaceful demonstrators against the need to step in against those who were seeking to create violence. The mayor is not saying that she asked police to give space to people who sought to create violence. Any suggestion otherwise would be a misinterpretation of her statement."[80]
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
On the morning of July 5, 2016, police responded to a call that an armed man was threatening people outside of a convenience store. The man, Alton Sterling, was pinned on the ground by police officers before eventually being fatally shot. A video showing the altercation surfaced online later that evening, prompting responses from the police department, district attorney, and even Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), who called the clip "disturbing."[24]
The main dispute surrounding this incident is whether or not Sterling was reaching for a weapon at the time police shot him. On the video, someone yells, "He's got a gun!" before officers pulled out their pistols. According to The Washington Post, a patch of audio right before the shots are fired seems to include the words "going for the gun." The attorney for Sterling's family, State Rep. Edmond Jordan (D), disagreed that Sterling was attempting to use his weapon to hold off police. "Mr. Sterling was not reaching for a weapon. He looks like a man who is trying to get his head up, who is actually fighting for his life. A life that ended immediately thereafter, almost as if he knew what was about to happen," he said.[24]
Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie identified both of the police officers involved in the incident but did not specify which fired the shots at Sterling. The two officers had seven years of combined experience on the police force. According to a database maintained by The Washington Post, this was the 505th fatal shooting committed by an on-duty police officer in 2016.[24]
On July 17, 2016, a Missouri resident ambushed and killed three Baton Rouge police officers, injuring three other officers in the process. Police were responding to a call about a man who was walking down the highway with an assault rifle. The gunman, Gavin Long, was eventually killed in a firefight with police. Prior to the attack, Long made posts on social media telling people to fight back and sympathizing with the perpetrators of previous police shootings.[55]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Crime in the United States - Violent Crime," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Crime in the United States - Property Crime," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ Neighborhood Scout, "Crime Rates," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Saint Leo University Polling Institute, "Confidence in Law Enforcement Continues, But Viewpoints Vary by Race," September 21, 2016
- ↑ Mother Jones, "California Becomes First State to Ban Grand Juries in Police Shooting Cases," August 13, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pew Research Center, "How Americans view the Black Lives Matter movement," July 8, 2016
- ↑ Huffington Post, "The 9 Most Segregated Cities In America," August 27, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Bjerk, D.J. (2006). The Effect of Segregation on Crime Rates. The Berkeley Electronic Press.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ USA Today, "Ferguson residents petition for police body camera rules," June 23, 2015
- ↑ KDSK, "Ferguson group pushes for body camera vote," June 23, 2015
- ↑ San Francisco Elections, "Controller Statement for Proposition D," accessed May 1, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 California Secretary of State, "Full text (Initiative 15-0124)," accessed March 5, 2016
- ↑ City of Baltimore Elections Board, "Dates to Remember," accessed August 13, 2015
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake won't seek re-election," September 11, 2015
- ↑ MarylandReporter.com, "Rascovar: Void in Baltimore’s mayoral election," September 13, 2015
- ↑ Maryland Board of Elections, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed February 17, 2016
- ↑ Slate, "Does Baltimore Need DeRay McKesson?" February 5, 2015
- ↑ The Guardian, "Black Lives Matter activist Deray McKesson runs to be Baltimore mayor," February 3, 2016
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2016 Elections," accessed January 21, 2016
- ↑ The Advocate, "Baton Rouge faces political shake-up with all 12 seats on Metro Council up for grabs this fall," January 19, 2016
- ↑ The Advocate, "Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden to challenge Congressman Cedric Richmond this fall," May 18, 2016
- ↑ The Advocate, "Sharon Weston Broome leads Baton Rouge mayoral race fundraising; another political figure could jump in," May 13, 2016
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 The Washington Post, "Outrage after video captures white Baton Rouge police officer fatally shooting a black man," July 7, 2016
- ↑ The Advocate, "Police officer killings, Alton Sterling outcry likely themes in Baton Rouge mayoral race as qualifying begins," July 19, 2016
- ↑ ABC News, "Tension Between Baton Rouge Residents and Police Predates Alton Sterling's Death," July 6, 2016
- ↑ Delgado 2016, "VIDEO: DELGADO RESPONDS TO ATTACK ON LAW ENFORCEMENT," July 19, 2016
- ↑ WBRZ, "Politicians comment on deadly officer-involved shooting," July 5, 2016
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Baton Rouge vigil for Alton Sterling: 'I was OK -- until I saw that 2nd video'," July 6, 2016
- ↑ The Advocate, "Economic boycott of Baton Rouge malls, Walmart called for by black leaders to cause others to 'feel the pain we’re feeling here'," July 8, 2016
- ↑ City of Milwaukee, "Upcoming Elections," accessed August 17, 2015
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Homicide Tracker," accessed March 1, 2016
- ↑ FOX6, "145 homicides in Milwaukee in 2015: Families gather to remember those whose lives were lost," December 30, 2015
- ↑ WTMJ, "Mayor Barrett's State of City address," February 8, 2016
- ↑ WTMJ, "Conversations with Milwaukee mayor candidates: Bob Donovan," February 11, 2016
- ↑ City of Milwaukee, "Mayor Tom Barrett: Public Safety," accessed March 1, 2016
- ↑ CBS58, "Alderman and Mayoral Candidate Bob Donovan unveils public safety plan," May 19, 2015
- ↑ City of Norfolk, "Elections," accessed March 22, 2016
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 WAVY.com, "Norfolk mayoral candidates differ on how to address crime," March 7, 2016
- ↑ WAVY.com, "Norfolk mayoral candidates discuss plans for improving city," March 14, 2016
- ↑ Forbes, "The 10 Most Dangerous U.S. Cities," accessed April 18, 2016
- ↑ The Record, "Police investigating overnight homicide, city's fourth in 9 days," April 16, 2016
- ↑ Mayor Silva, "Home," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ The Record, "Mayor wants to talk about police annexes," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedadams - ↑ 46.0 46.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmalloy - ↑ CNN, "Choke hold by cop killed NY man, medical examiner says," August 2, 2014
- ↑ Slate, "Of Course It Happened Again," December 3, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Protesters Fill Streets Across U.S. Over Decision in Garner Case," December 4, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "In Ferguson, Black Town, White Power," August 17, 2014
- ↑ BuzzFeed, "Is Race An Issue In Ferguson? Depends On Whom You Ask," August 15, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Ferguson mayor: 'No racial divide,'" August 19, 2014
- ↑ 53.0 53.1 Chicago Tribune, "A moment-by-moment account of what the Laquan McDonald video shows," November 25, 2015
- ↑ The Daily Beast, "Inside Rahm Emanuel’s Vote to Silence Laquan McDonald’s Family," December 2, 2015
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 CNN, "Laquan McDonald shooting: Why did it take 13 months to release video?" December 2, 2015 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "cnn" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Chicago Tribune, "If police shooting video had been released sooner, would Emanuel be mayor?" November 26, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Kim Foxx for Cook County State's Attorney," accessed March 10, 2016
- ↑ Chicago, "Anita Alvarez: 'I’ve Done Nothing Wrong'," January 4, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Police release video of accidental shooting of black man in Tulsa," April 13, 2015
- ↑ Vox, "Tulsa reserve deputy charged with manslaughter for shooting Eric Harris," April 13, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Deputy charged in Tulsa shooting," April 14, 2015
- ↑ USA Today, "Volunteer Oklahoma deputy pleads not guilty, heads to Bahamas," April 21, 2015
- ↑ KJRH, "Former Tulsa County reserve deputy Robert Bates waives preliminary hearing in manslaughter case," June 26, 2015
- ↑ ksn.com, "Trial date set for former Tulsa deputy charged in killing," July 13, 2015
- ↑ Fox 23, "Trial date moved for Robert Bates case," December 16, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Ex-Oklahoma deputy Robert Bates guilty of killing unarmed suspect," April 28, 2016
- ↑ KTUL, "Ex-reserve deputy Robert Bates sentenced to 4 years in prison for manslaughter," May 31, 2016
- ↑ NBC News, "'Disturbing' Helicopter Footage Shows Tulsa Police Kill Unarmed Man," September 20, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "South Carolina cop shoots unarmed man: A timeline," April 9, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "South Carolina ex-police officer indicted in Walter Scott killing," June 8, 2015
- ↑ The Post and Courier, "Former officer Michael Slager sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting of Walter Scott," December 7, 2017
- ↑ Charleston City Paper, "Walter Scott protest: ‘This is a season for us to speak out,'" April 8, 2015
- ↑ AlJazeera America, "After Walter Scott shooting, South Carolina protesters make slow progress," May 19, 2015
- ↑ WISTV, "South Carolina's body camera bill is now law," June 10, 2015
- ↑ 75.0 75.1 Washington Post, "Rioting rocks Baltimore: Hogan declares emergency, activates Guard," April 28, 2015
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Gov. Larry Hogan promises more than 1,000 additional troops, vows to prevent rioting," April 28, 2015
- ↑ Baltimore Sun, "Officers plead not guilty in Freddie Gray case as judge and trial date selected," June 22, 2015
- ↑ Leader Telegram, "Baltimore officers plead not guilty in Freddie Gray case; judge appointed to preside," June 23, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "Judge declares mistrial in case of officer charged in Freddie Gray death," December 16, 2015
- ↑ 80.0 80.1 Baltimore Sun, "Mayor: City didn't purposely allow crimes Saturday during protest," April 27, 2015
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