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FBI chief again says Ferguson having chilling effect on law enforcementWesley Lowery
Washington Post
Comey, nonetheless, stayed the course, telling thousands of police officials gathered here for a conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police that a violent crime wave is gripping the nations major cities. And he suggested that police officers themselves are in part to blame, made gun shy by the prospect of getting caught on the next video of alleged police brutality.
His comments have been interpreted as giving credence to the notion of a Ferguson effect the theory that riots and racial unrest in places such as Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore, where police killed civilians, has prompted police officers to become more restrained. That, in turn, has theoretically resulted in an uptick in violent crime as criminals become emboldened.
Comey acknowledged Monday that he has little evidence to support the theory.
The question is, are these kinds of things changing police behavior around the country? The honest answer is: I dont know for sure whether thats the case, he said, but he added that I do have a strong sense its true.
In his speech, Comey also contradicted what has been the administrations stance on the incarceration of thousands of men and women in the 1980s and 1990s related to the national drug war.
Each drug dealer, each mugger, each killer and each felon with a gun had his own lawyer, his own case, his own time before judge and jury, his own sentencing, and, in many cases, an appeal or other post-sentencing review, Comey said. There were thousands and thousands of those individual cases, but to speak of mass incarceration, I believe, is confusing, and it distorts an important reality.
This is all kinds of fucked up, right? Police brutality leads to people protesting about it, so cops back off and crime rises? Is this dog-whistle racism or just racism? Why does this person still work for the FBI?
bullwinkle428
(20,629 posts)that he was being considered for it in 2009.
"Politico reported in May 2009 that White House officials pushed for Comey's inclusion on the short list of names to replace Associate Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court.[34] Politico later reported liberal activists were upset about the possibility of Comey's name being included. John Brittain of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stated, "[Comey] came in with the Bushies. What makes you think he'd be just an inch or two more to the center than Roberts? I'd be greatly disappointed."[35]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Comey
haikugal
(6,476 posts)Is there any data that supports his assertion about the up-tic in violence or that it's related to Ferguson? There has been ample evidence of police running riot all over the country but this guy talks about Ferguson being bad for policing?
The world is fucked up....and Obama had this puke on a short list for the SC?
It just keeps getting worse.
Rex
(65,616 posts)How do dumbfucks like this make it to the top? I understand their reluctance to deal with negative feedback, but this is beyond depressing.
Yes...the fault clearly is with the people rioting and causing unrest...BECAUSE...er...BECAUSE...hmmm...BECAUSE...a fool can't get fooled again! Look! Crime wave!
Stupid stupid stupid...
Hydra
(14,459 posts)And started speaking clearly what we all were pretty sure they were thinking behind the rhetoric.
Interesting times.