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Commentary By Zach Goldberg

Americans Vastly Overestimate Police Brutality

Public Safety Crime Control, Policing

New research found that liberals are particularly susceptible

The recent conviction of Tou Thao, an officer involved in the killing of George Floyd, marks yet another chapter in the ongoing national conversation about police brutality and racial bias. This case, and the protests it ignited, thrust the issue into the media spotlight, shaping public perceptions of police violence against black Americans. But, as urgent and resonant as these events have been, it’s still critical to ask whether the heightened media attention distorted our understanding of the true scale and nature of police use of force.

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Findings from my Manhattan Institute report, published today, suggest that it has. Indeed, they reveal that many people hold warped beliefs about both the prevalence and racial distribution of police violence. For instance, the average respondent estimated that over half (54%) of fatal police shooting victims since 2015 were black and that just 23% were white.

Continue reading the entire piece here at UnHerd

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Zach Goldberg is a Paulson Policy AnalystBased on a recent report.

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