One Question for People Who Think The Police Are Out to Get Black People

This past week the police in Charlotte shot and killed a black man.  The details aren't all in, but it looks like the man had a gun, refused to put it down after several commands from the police, and then was shot and killed by a black officer when the man pointed his gun at a cop.  And once again, protesters have hit the streets to complain that the cops are racist.  

As I talk to my black friends about these incidents, I'm hearing a lot of sympathy and agreement with the protesters.  My friends don't support the rioters destroying private property and assaulting innocent bystanders, but like Colin Kaepernick, they agree that the police are racist and something must be done.  This belief is disturbing to me, since there is no data to support the notion that the police are racist.  

Still, many people are determined to accuse the police of racism because of one statistic:  While blacks only make up 12 percent of the population, they make up 26% of the people shot dead by the police.  But this is not evidence of racism, and I can make my case with one revealing question:  

Does the fact that 96% of the people shot dead by the police are male mean that the police are sexist?

Of course not.  It is obvious that males are more likely to be shot dead by the police because they commit crimes at a far higher rate.  If males are committing more crimes than females, then they are more likely to get arrested, imprisoned, and yes, shot dead by the police.  Nobody disputes this.  

So if black people are shot dead by the police at a higher rate than white people, then that begs the question:  Do black people commit crimes at a higher rate than white people?  And if so, then doesn't that explain why they are more likely to be shot dead by the police?  The answer is Yes, and Yes.  

Although blacks are only 15% of the population in the 75 largest counties in the US, they were charged with 62% of all robberies, 57% of all murders, and 45% of all assaults.  In New York City, for example, blacks only make up 23% of the city's population, but they commit over 75% of all shootings.  Whites only commit under 2% of all shootings, though they make up 34% of the population.  A higher crime rate easily explains a higher rate of males shot dead by the police, and it easily explains a higher rate of blacks shot dead by the police.  

There is no justification for the protests, the riots, or the accusations of racism.  Instead, our nation needs to ask why blacks are committing so much crime.  Here's a hint:  It is not because of racism.  And the solution is not more government.