June 18, 2020

Raw Data: Police Shootings of Unarmed Men

According to the Washington Post database, here is the trend in police shootings of unarmed men over the past six years:

Anything above zero is too high, but it does look like we’ve made some progress since Ferguson. I can only guess at the underlying reason, but I imagine that pressure from Black Lives Matter has a lot to do with it. Protest and publicity sometimes work pretty well when you have a righteous cause.

POSTSCRIPT: The Post database includes only shootings, but shootings account for virtually all incidents of lethal force by police officers. Obviously George Floyd is a very high-profile exception

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With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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