U.S. Police Can’t Stop Killing

Map: 1,500 people killed during interactions with police in the 9 months since the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Data from Fatal Encounters. Map by Jordan Engel

Since George Floyd’s murder last May, nearly 1,500 people have been killed during interactions with police according to Fatal Encounters. These deaths are on par with the number of people killed by U.S. police last year, and the year before, and the year before that. The fact that these deaths are routine and predictable is outrageous, even more so now at a time when the whole world is watching and the police still can’t stop killing people.

If ever there was a time for police to stop brutalizing civilians, this was it. Everything changed nine months ago, and yet nothing has changed, indicating that no amount of scrutiny or training or additional resources can fix the institution of policing in this country, because it is, at its roots, inherently violent and racist. It cannot be reformed.

The trial of Derek Chauvin, Floyd’s killer, is set to begin March 8.

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