Thread by @kmele

Is it obvious to you that George Floyd would be alive today if, ceteris paribus (all things being equal), he were not black*? And if your answer is 'yes' -- what facts of this still-developing case can you cite to support your conclusion?

For now, my answer to the above question is, "I don't know."

But even if I'd answered "No," it would imply nothing about the culpability of officers in what appears to be, a deeply regrettable + unacceptable loss of life.

A transparent + through investigation is vital.

I don't need to presume anything about the roll of race/racism in this case to believe that something very wrong seems to have happened here. Or for that matter, to support major policy reforms.

There are disparities in policing and in the criminal justice system more broadly. They're numerous and persistent. They're also complex.

It's fair to ask if this case is part of some pattern. It isn't fair to insist that everyone lurch to a given conclusions uncritically.

There's been a tendency to accept *assumptions as fact*, absent even a superficial curiosity about evidence. And even to castigate people asking reasonable questions.

Perhaps racism explains what happened here, but acknowledging our uncertainty about that matter is important.

Haphazard conclusions about bias have consequences. This is as true when contextualizing all/most conversations RE criminal justice reform in the context of racism (systematic or otherwise).

Undue speculation may limit our ability to identify, evaluate + remedy broader problems.

One Possibility: It could lead someone to conclude, perhaps falsely, that this could never have happened to anyone who wasn't black*.

At this point, that most certainly is not a fact. Getting that wrong is no small defect. dallasnews.com/news/investiga…