Thread by @Noahpinion

Everyone talks about lead as the cause of the great violence decline, and I do think it was a big factor. But I think there was something else, too - changes in the way police interacted with the public.

See this thread about Oakland for an example:

https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1015780655030915074

In the few cities like St. Louis and Baltimore where crime remains historically high, you hear lots of stories like this:
bbc.com/news/world-us-…

And Oakland is not an isolated example. When you hear success stories of cities that saw abrupt rapid drops in violence, you usually hear stories of police reforms: citylab.com/equity/2018/01…

There are some systematic studies of the impacts of this sort of police reform:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation…

Basically, these examples suggest that when a police department shifts from thinking that black people (and poor people) are a menace to be contained, and start thinking of them as citizens to be protected, the result is a far more peaceful society.

(end)