...It may be freezing in Pontiac, Michigan, (click here) but if you’re a black man out for a walk it’s probably best to keep your hands out of your pockets. Or else risk getting stopped by the police because your actions make people nervous. Brandon McKean posted a difficult-to-believe video on his Facebook page and YouTube that shows his interaction with a white police officer who briefly detained him on Thanksgiving while he was out for a walk....
I think people are getting their jollies in complaining about black men and calling the police to watch what happens next. The police should have asked to help the man by calling a taxi or something. This is completely out of line.
There was absolutely no reason to even dispatch police to a black man walking down the street with his hands in his pockets. He was not a threat to anyone and the neighborhood watch was a danger to him.
Why wasn't a black officer dispatched? Because Pontiac may be another Ferguson. The population of Pontiac, Michigan is about two and a half times that of Ferguson and the population demographics shows 52.1 percent African Americans. Here we go again.
These statistics came from Wikipedia (click here).
As of the census of 2010, there were 59,515 people, 22,220 households, and 13,365 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,980.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,150.7/km2). There were 27,084 housing units at an average density of 1,356.2 per square mile (523.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 34.4% White, 52.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 6.2% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.5% of the population.
Having officers use video to record their actions doesn't seem to be a burden. This white police officer pulled out his personal white mobile phone to record the interaction.
There were 22,220 households of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.4% were married couples living together, 27.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.9% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.28.
Ferguson 2.0 - "White people behaving badly."
