[Arles]

First of all, racism is and will always be and underlying factor that needs to be accounted for. I think it's better than it was in 1980, but there's still room for improvement and I think when my 9-year old son is an adult, it will be much better than it is now.

That said, the practical issue that can be looked at is kids in poverty. 12% of white kids under the age of 18 grow up in poverty. 40% of black kids under the age of 18 grow up in poverty. You could have a completely colorblind society and more African American young people are going to be in prison/issues with the law just due to the economic factors. So, the real issue we should be tackling is how to reduce that 40% number. I think part of it is cultural (not a lot of African American parents have college degrees compared to whites so they end up in poorer areas with less focus on going to college), and I think that will improve as more black kids see college (esp academically) as a legit option. Still, I feel like more could be done and there are opportunities here for people legitimately concerned about improving African American crime/police arrest rates. The arrest/police altercation is the cough, the poverty is the underlying disease.