Police shootings/killings of unarmed blacks continue unabated. That is an issue beyond the scope of this post. But, I am concerned about a collateral trend: calling police on citizens who just happen to be black. Just this week, police were called on two men buying a cell phone, a boy mowing lawns, a girl selling water, and a state representative canvassing for an election. What do they all have in common? Being black. This abuse of police authority has already led to fatalities. It has to stop.

[I've tried to add links, but device is not cooperating.]

I continue to wonder why police departments cannot deploy with tranquilizer guns instead of bullet guns. I am sure that there could be reactions to the drugs used to overcome miscreant but, when its ALL guns there is not a choice. The rule has always been: "if you shoot your gun at somebody you shoot to kill" (hit the largest part of the body)

You can google "tranquilizer guns for humans" and actually get a bunch of replies. You will also find the 'reason' for using them on humans which, when read, makes one wonder why they aren't being used. One reason is that humans are too small but they use them on bears and cougars, and even monkeys. There is also the excuse of overdosing the miscreant. I suspect the fix for that is to have a dose that is unlikely to kill anybody. I am also not suggesting that these things should replace the existing guns but a lot of these folks killed, for instance, are killed by getting shot in the back whilst running away. I suspect that there aren't going to be any tranquilizer guns that replace a pistol when somebody is shooting at you are attacking in close quarters.

Here is a link of why it won't work. I am not buying it as far as I can tell, nobody has really done any serious work on it. I wonder if the current crop of gun manufacturers make these things or consider them as competition.

Anyway - I think, if anybody actually did any work on this one they would find ways around most of the supposed problems.

Nobody complains much when the victims are armed. (That's why concealed carry is so dangerous for the person carrying.) The shootings people get upset about are when the victim is not armed. I think police need it drilled into them, over and over again: If you shoot somebody running away, you go to prison.

I'd like to focus back on the issue raised in the thread: people calling cops based on racial stereotypes. Fortunately, in none of the cases I specifically cited (although without links) were there any injuries - just fear, intimidation, and embarrassment. On other occasions, injuries and fatalities have occurred (Tayvon Martin; Tamir Rice). But the underlying problem is real - Some people think it's okay to call the cops simply because someone is black. Think about the Starbucks situation, as any example. I think a public service campaign is in order.

Racists have been empowered by this administration. I've heard it said recently that the MAGA hats are just this generation's version of Ku Klux Klan hoods.
These folks have always felt that it was suspicious and dangerous for any black person to appear in any white space(which is ANY place not clearly labeled "colored").

It seems impossible to me that these people don't recognize their own "implicit racism". I include the CPB officer who thinks "Speaking Spanish in Montana" alone is "reasonable suspicion" to detain citizens. Buying a phone, mowing lawns, and waiting in a Starbucks are normal, everyday activities for anyone - what possible excuse is there for assuming a black person doing this is "suspicious" - other than...?

So many covert racists are now emboldened, so they call police at the drop of a Black hat. But while everyone has Free Speech, exercising that free speech can cost you a lot of money:

Fired!

Yes, we keep reading stories about people calling cops on Black people doing perfectly reasonable things. But we also keep seeing that the caller suffers a significant backlash.

Adding this story because it is illustrative and has citations to other stories: Woman Calls Police On Black Family For BBQing At A Lake In Oakland - HuffPo.

Has anyone else noticed that it's usually women that make these calls?

There's been a real upsurge in Loudmouthed Racist Republican Women lately. They're so excited about Trump they're out there spreading his gospel of hate.

This time, it was a white man.

But here's another angry bitter old white lady:

Rockland County, NY