Dear Next President,

Black people are more likely to be brutally harassed by police than white people because of the fact that young black men, especially those who live in low income areas, typically have a dramatically higher number of police contacts than the white contact. Most are routine, but just like the person who drives 40,000 miles a year is more likely to experience a car accident than someone who drives 4,000 or 400 miles a year, if you have a lot of interaction with armed persons who think you might be a crime suspect, then your chances of a “routine” stop escalating into a tragic situation increase. Another reason black men are targeted by police 2.5 times more than a white man is because of the fact that a black man might justify as being subjected to a greater level of fear of injury or death, even in a routine traffic stop, then a white man (or woman) seems to lead, in some situations, to the precise outcome that is feared. Similarly if a police officer (race of the officer doesn't necessarily matter) subconsciously believe they are at a greater risk when interacting with a young black male, then, faced with a split second decision that might be more inclined to use a higher level of force.

After showing you how black people are targeted more by police than white people, I believe that police brutality on black people should be forced to an end.

Gaven W