Unconscious Racial Bias Is a Huge Part of the Problem
Comey focused on this all throughout his speech as he explained that unconscious racial bias is not only a part of the problem but that it’s also still something law enforcement and other people are responsible for. Whether it is conscious or not, racial bias can be deadly, especially when dealing with law enforcement. For that reason, Comey says, officers must acknowledge those unconscious racial biases and understand that they are reacting to Black people differently than they would white people. “Many people in our white-majority culture have unconscious racial biases and react differently to a white face than a Black face,” he said. “In fact, we all, white and Black, carry various biases around with us.”
The Government Has to Do a Better Job of Tracking Deaths Caused by Officers
Comey insisted in his speech that it is nearly impossible to really create change if the full extent of the problem has not been realized. While the FBI keeps tabs on the number of police homicides that are reported by the departments, he made it clear that that reporting is voluntary and masks just how badly Black communities are being impacted by police brutality and excessive use of force. “How can we address concerns about ‘use of force,’ how can we address concerns about officer-involved shootings if we do not have a reliable grasp on the demographics and circumstances of those incidents?” he asked. “We simply must improve the way we collect and analyze data to see the true nature of what’s happening in all of our communities.”
