1. Literally everyone who has been talking about “science says there’s no racism in policing” please endeavor to have a permanent seat. After dithering and dissembling, the paper will be retracted. And I am exhausted.
2. Also, it’s dishonest to say the authors were concerned about its “misuse.” It was being used exactly how they wrote and promoted it. They couldn’t answer basic scientific questions about what they concluded and why, and FINALLY chose retraction after months.
3. This pretense that it was good faith science and bad faith coverage is itself bad faith and I am exhausted by it. Every step along the way, from the shoddy reviews that allowed for its publication to the defenses of it, there were off ramps that allowed for face saving.
4. Neither the authors nor the outlet took those off ramps. So now we are here. The public conversation has been damaged along with the legitimacy of science in it.
5. No biggie for folks who study this like a professional hobby where the stakes are ego and status. But for those of us who live the consequences, we get the extra work of cleaning this up for years, for which we will never be compensated.
6. Which is why I’m exhausted. The toxin has been removed, which means responsible scientists can START the work of setting it right.
7. Props to @jonmummolo & @dean_c_knox for doing the hard work of keeping the pressure on while institutional momentum steered towards a quiet erasure of this indefensible project.
