Harvard professor published study finding no racial bias in police shootings, then needed police protection as 'all hell broke loose'



A Harvard professor published a study that found no evidence of racial bias in police shootings – then "all hell broke loose," and he needed police protection.

In 2016, Harvard Economics Professor Roland Fryer published a study to explore racial differences in the use of force by police.

The study examined racial differences in non-lethal uses of force, such as "putting hands on civilians (which includes slapping or grabbing) or pushing individuals into a wall or onto the ground." The study found that Hispanics are more than 50% more likely to have an interaction with police that involves any use of force than whites.

The study found that blacks are 21% more likely than whites to be involved in an interaction with police in which at least a weapon is drawn.

However, when it came to police-involved shootings, minorities were found to be less likely to be shot at by an officer.

The research revealed that blacks are 23.5% less likely to be shot at by police than whites. Meanwhile, Hispanics were 8.5% less likely to be shot at by police compared to whites.

The paper stated, "Partitioning the data in myriad ways, we find no evidence of racial discrimination in officer-involved shootings. Investigating the intensive margin – the timing of shootings or how many bullets were discharged in the endeavor – there are no detectable racial differences."

During a recent interview, Fryer revealed that there was tremendous outrage over the findings of the study – to the point he needed police protection for his family.

Fryer – who became the youngest tenured black professor at Harvard at age 30 – noted that the researchers in the study collected millions of observations on non-fatal use of force and thousands of observations on lethal use of force.

Despite the vast research, some people were furious over the findings.

"I realized, people lose their minds when they don't like the result," Fryer said during a sit-down conversation with journalist Bari Weiss.

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Fryer said he was surprised by the results because he "expected" to see racial bias towards blacks in police shootings.

He hired eight fresh researchers to ensure the results were correct, and the results remained the same.

"All hell broke loose" immediately after the 104-page economics paper with a 150-page appendix was published, according to Fryer.

Within four minutes of publishing the paper, Fryer received an email that read: "You're full of s**t."

He explained, "I had colleagues take me to the side and say, 'Don't publish this. You'll ruin your career.'"

The hostilities toward Fryer were so intense that he required police protection for about a month, including his then-7-day-old daughter.

"I was going to the grocery store to get diapers with the armed guard. It was crazy. It was really, truly crazy," Fryer said during a recent episode of "Honestly with Bari Weiss."

Fryer is the author of more than 50 papers.

The Free Press said of the professor, "At 34, he won a MacArthur Genius Fellowship, followed by a John Bates Clark Medal, which is given to an economist in America under 40 who is judged to have made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge."

You can listen to the entire "Honestly" interview with Roland Fryer below.

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Minnesota AG admits there is no evidence that race was a factor in George Floyd killing



Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) acknowledged during an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday that there is no evidence race was a motivating factor in the killing of George Floyd.

The progressive attorney general made the stunning admission when fielding a question from interviewer Scott Pelley on why the prosecution didn't pursue a hate crime charge against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest last May.

"I wouldn't call it that because hate crimes are crimes where there's an explicit motive and of bias," Ellison said. "We don't have any evidence that Derek Chauvin factored in George Floyd's race as he did what he did."

“In our society, there is a social norm that killing certain kinds of people is more tolerable than other kinds of… https://t.co/ZvF5G8oblU
— 60 Minutes (@60 Minutes)1619392579.0

"You could've charged him with a hate crime under Minnesota law, and you chose not to," Pelley reiterated.

"Could have," Ellison responded. "But we only charge those crimes that we had evidence that we could put in front of a jury to prove. If we'd had a witness that told us that Derek Chauvin made a racial reference, we might have charged him with a hate crime. But I would have needed a witness to say that on the stand. We didn't have it. So we didn't do it."

Last week, Chauvin was pronounced guilty by a 12-person jury of murder and manslaughter for his role in Floyd's death. Video of the incident spread like wildfire on social media and quickly became a flashpoint in a national conversation about racial injustice and police brutality. It ignited months of violent protests and riots across the country and around the world.

To anyone following the case and its subsequent coverage in the media, Floyd's killing seemed always to be primarily about racial bias, which is what makes Ellison's admission so shocking.

"The whole world sees this as a white officer killing a black man because he is black, and you're telling me that there's no evidence to support that?" Pelley asked with palpable astonishment.

In response, Ellison argued that while there was no specific evidence of racial bias in this particular case, systemic racism was obviously at work.

"In our society, there is a social norm that killing certain kinds of people is more tolerable than other kinds of people," he said.

"In order for us to stop and pay serious attention to this case and be outraged by it, it's not necessary that Derek Chauvin had a specific racial intent to harm George Floyd," he continued. "The fact is we know that, through housing patterns, through employment, through wealth, through a whole range of other things — so often, people of color, black people, end up with harsh treatment from law enforcement. And other folks doing the exact same thing just don't."

The prosecution team in the Derek Chauvin murder trial speak to 60 Minutes www.youtube.com

Report: Facebook under investigation for 'systemic' racial discrimination practices



The United States government is reportedly investigating Facebook for racially discriminatory hiring and promotion practices.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the government agency tasked with protecting the civil rights of employees, is leading the investigation, Reuters reported.

What are the details?

Lawyers representing Facebook operations manager Oscar Veneszee and three others who were denied jobs at the social media giant revealed the existence of the investigation.

The allegations are that Facebook discriminates against black employees and job candidates "by relying on subjective evaluations and promoting problematic racial stereotypes," Reuters reported.

One such example of discrimination is that Facebook awards employees a $5,000 bonus if they refer a job candidate who is eventually hired. But the allegations claim that "referred candidates tend to reflect the makeup of existing employees," which allegedly disadvantage black employees.

In fact, the EEOC is investigating whether the alleged racial bias is "systemic," which means, according to Reuters, the government "suspects company policies may be contributing to widespread discrimination."

More from Reuters:

The EEOC typically resolves disputes through mediation or allowing complainants to sue employers. But agency officials designate a few cases "systemic," enabling investigators to rope in specialists to analyze company data and potentially bring a broader lawsuit representing entire classes of workers.
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The EEOC brought in systemic investigators by last August and received detailed briefing papers from both sides over the last four months, said Peter Romer-Friedman, an attorney at Gupta Wessler representing Veneszee and the job candidates.

Veneszee, a 23-year Navy veteran, filed a complaint with the EEOC last July.

"We have a black people problem," Veneszee told NPR at the time. "We've set goals to increase diversity at the company, but we've failed to create a culture at the company that finds, grows and keeps black people at the company."

What did Facebook say?

Facebook has not specifically responded to the allegations, but said "it is essential to provide all employees with a respectful and safe working environment."
"We take any allegations of discrimination seriously and investigate every case," Facebook spokesman Andy Stone told Reuters.

Anything else?

Technology giants like Facebook and Google are no stranger to allegations of discrimination.

Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, agreed last month to pay nearly $4 million to settle allegations that it discriminated against women and Asian employees.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Facebook in December over allegations the company had discriminated against American workers.

"The Department of Justice's lawsuit alleges that Facebook engaged in intentional and widespread violations of the law, by setting aside positions for temporary visa holders instead of considering interested and qualified U.S. workers," then-Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband said.