The minority guy might similarly carry a fear that the police or courts will be biased against him because of his race, seeing him as a “thug” who “obviously” started the fight and constituted the greater threat. Does that count in your comparison?
I would grant it’s a possibility, but it doesn’t count much in my comparison. The term “thug” IMO applies less to the color of someone’s skin, and more to a person’s outward appearance (dress, accessories, tattoos), demeanor, language, how one carries himself, and – with opinion being later influenced with the added evidence of past behavior – possible prior arrest records/ convictions. So if a person doesn’t act in a thuggish manner, or have a thuggish past, I don’t really think the fear would be valid. I find it a little difficult believe that the first man in post #56 has any reason to fear being considered a “thug” simply because he’s black. Personally, were I to cross paths with him on the street I would think “gentleman” based upon his appearance, and I think so would most others including arresting officers. Although the second person in post #56 might have good cause to worry about being labeled a thug, despite his white skin, so I don’t see a racial basis to that fear.
But there are a few additional reasons I don’t believe this minority fear holds equal weight. In the first place, what you refer to is the fear that the minority might get convicted of a particular crime (assault, battery, murder, etc) due to a perceived bias. What differentiates the fear of hate crime charges is that not only does the non-minority have to fear the standard charges (like the tattooed white guy in post #56 who would be likely to be thought of as a thug), but that those charges will carry *additional *penalties upon conviction, even though the crime is the same.
Secondly, our court systems allow for changes of venue if a defendant feels that the demographics of the area may indirectly bias their verdict, and even in designated venues racial diversity can be added to juries if the defendant’s attorney can make the case for it. There are methods in place to deter racial discrimination when it comes to trials.
Thirdly, there’s little circumstantial evidence to suggest that minorities have more fear of being arrested for violent crimes against whites. If that were indeed the case, we should see little-to-no violent crime by minorities against whites (as this would imply that they are afraid of attacking them). The statistics, however, show the exact opposite .
fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/expanded-homicide/expanded_homicide_data_table_6_murder_race_and_sex_of_vicitm_by_race_and_sex_of_offender_2012.xls
We white folks get away with hurting or killing minorities more often than they get away with hurting or killing us. You are presenting one factor that shows bias but not taking into account all the factors that weigh in favor of the white guy.
Usagi
If I may ask, what do you use to support your assertion that white folks get away with hurting or killing minorities more than the vice versa?
