Local News And Police Departments

"John Oliver discusses the outlets that cover crime, the incentives that drive them, the flawed sources they rely upon, and an alternative name for Miss Piggy."

If you watch local news, you know what the focus is: crime. The problem is that you are not getting the full picture of such. Click on the link below for a video produced by John Oliver, a master of science-based investigative reporting with a comic twist:

Crime Reporting: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Is The Camden Policing Model Able To Be Generalized?

There is no more serious topic in the news presently that the function of the police and their management. While there have been several "Plans" in recent years to improve the situation, for example (link) (link) (link) (link) (link), there is very little objective evidence in practice of a better way of policing. One gem in the rough that is currently being talked about as an evidence-based example of a successful change for the better is the Camden, NJ Police Department. Following is an hour-long podcast interviewing the principles involved with the dramatic and positive turn-around:

• "In this special episode of Stay Tuned, “The Camden Policing Model,” former New Jersey Attorney General and CAFE Insider co-host Anne Milgram interviews former Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson, whose reimagining of law enforcement in Camden has become a national model. Anne and Chief Thomson discuss their extensive collaboration in implementing Camden’s reforms, the challenges of state-level political ecosystems, and the lessons that they take as we work to reimagine policing across the country."  (click on this link: The Camden Policing Model)

The Erroneous Thinking Of Sam Harris

One of the most known personalities in the promotion of atheism and science-based thinking is Sam Harris. I follow him semi-regularly and appreciate his work. However, I can no longer stay silent in the face of his continued bias as represented in this recent podcast. Following are examples of this erroneous thinking:

He supports the Alt Right's “Intellectual Dark Web.” He believes that Islam is the only reason for 9/11, but ignores Israeli terror on the Palestinians. He accepts the discredited racial pseudoscience of Charles Murray. He doesn't accept the reality of systemic racism or unconscious bias. He is not accepting of the full spectrum of evidence regarding police violence. (link) (link) (link) (link) (link) (link) (link) (link) 

(link) (link) (link) (link) (link) (link) (link) 

- - - - - - -

11/27/2020 - UPDATE: This link debunks him regarding his claim that "the police used more deadly force against white people—both in absolute numbers and in terms of their contribution to crime and violence in our society."

12/10/2020 - UPDATE: This link shows his continuing "blind spot."

1/15/2021 - UPDATE: This link focuses on his whataboutism/false equivalency regarding the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6th.

.

A Good Example Of How To Act During Heated Disagreement

"I can tell you that Smith didn’t pitch this story to me. He worried it might get in the way of the dialogue he wanted to start.

"But no matter what you think, you should also see this: That moment you most want to retreat to safety might be the moment you most need to reach out.

"Because without that, no one will reach back.

"That’s what’s happened to Kenny Smith this week. He’s heard from five people he handed his card to in Monday’s crowd. He’s set up lunch so far with one of them, Adrian Millner, who told me Thursday that he watched Smith 'take a beating' Monday night. Millner, who works in accounting in Charlotte, liked the councilman’s response.

"There’s no set agenda for their lunch. Police shootings will surely come up, and probably more. Maybe those talks lead to more talks. Maybe they get someplace concrete.

"But that’s not why Millner called."

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article105048521.html#storylink=cpy

A white councilman, black protesters, and a moment that Charlotte needed

An Issue Rarely Talked About In The Police Shootings of Blacks

"Charlotte has erupted in anger over another black man being killed by police. But what the media, protesters and community members aren’t discussing is that Keith Lamont Scott is yet another disabled man killed by police and that the intersection of his disability and race likely played a part in his death.

"Over the past few years, Black Lives Matter formed in solidarity against the killing of unarmed black men by police. This organization and many protests fail to recognize that 50 percent of police killings are of people with disabilities, typically those with mental illness or intellectual disabilities, according to the Ruderman Family Foundation. This often happens because people with these types of disabilities lack executive function, meaning they struggle to follow a detailed list of instructions."

Keith Lamont Scott’s disability may have played a role

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article104985181.html#storylink=cpy