Data Undercuts Myth of ‘Racism’ in Police Killings

In an image from police bodycam video that the Columbus Police Department played during a news conference, Ma’Khia Bryant wields a knife while attacking another girl before being shot by a police officer, in Columbus, Ohio, on April 20, 2021. Columbus Police Department via WSYX-TV via AP

Commentary

President Joe Biden claimed that Derek Chauvin’s conviction on April 20 “ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism” of police. With the police shooting that same day of 16-year-old girl in Columbus, Ohio, the White House again pushed the racism claim, noting that this was just another example of how “police violence disproportionately impacts Black and Latino people.”