Saturday 9 July 2016

US Racism Today v Crow Era

Two unarmed black men were killed by police in the US this week, sparking further outcry over racism in American law enforcement.
Online magazine Quartz analysed data on lynchings from the last century and found, incredibly, that more black men were shot dead by police in 2015 than were lynched in the worst year of the Jim Crow era when laws mandated the segregation of public schools, public places, public transportation, restrooms, restaurants and drinking fountains for whites and blacks.
Using material kept by Tuskagee University, Alabama, they looked at the number of black people who were lynched during the Jim Crow era of 1890 - 1965 and discovered 2,911 people were lynched in the 75 year period, on average 39 per year.
The worst year was 1892, when 161 black people were lynched.
In 2015, the number of black people shot by police was 258 but this twisted record is in danger of falling as the number of black people whom have been shot dead by police in 2016 is already at 123.
America, it seems, is more likely to find a dead black man today then it was in even its most depressingly racist era.

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