mekka okereke Apr 7, 2023

Question asked on the bad site:
If a big problem in Chicago is "too many illegal guns," then why don't police arrest more people for possession? Why if a cop stops someone with an illegal gun, do they just take the gun away, and not charge the person with a crime?

Answer:
First, read this thread for background.

https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/109786171967593536

Then understand that:
* Arresting folks for this illegal gun possession makes illegal gun possession go up😢
* But there is a proven strategy for reducing guns👍🏿

mekka okereke :verified: (@[email protected])

If you were a cop in Chicago, 5 years away from your pension, and the mayor's office told you to hit your arrest quota or be fired, would you do the right thing and not contribute to systemic racism? Or would you just say,, "This is kinda messed up!" And over-arrest innocent Black folk? Trick question. Because it doesn't matter what you as an individual would do. You're only one person. Most Chicago cops are just making the arrests that the system incentivizes them to. Yes, even the Black cops.

Hachyderm.io
Show threadmekka okereke Apr 7, 2023

Young Black men carry guns when:
* They fear for their safety
* They cannot trust the police

Young Black men carry guns illegally when:
* All of the above
* They cannot afford a legal gun / haven't registered it / have a criminal record, usually for something non-violent like drug possession

If a non-criminal feels unsafe, they will carry a gun. If they cannot carry legally, they will carry illegally. The vast majority do not intend to use it to commit crimes. But they end up victims.😢

Show threadmekka okereke Apr 7, 2023

When people feel safer, and people trust police more*, they just stop carrying guns as often. This has been successfully implemented in city after city. Boston. East Palo Alto. Detroit. LA.

Policing is so violent and unaccountable in the US, that the most reliable and consistent way to increase trust in police, is to decrease the number of contacts, citations, and arrests.🙂🙃

* People aren't foolish to distrust the police, especially Black people. Especially in Chicago.

Show threadrlb
@mekkaokereke ugh, absolutely this. I grew up in Chicago. The two gangs you avoid are the Latin Kings and the CPD.
Apr 7, 2023 at 10:44pmWeb