[Thread] With the conviction of Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd, we have seen a police officer held to account. Sadly, police killings of unarmed people, particularly the shooting deaths of unarmed Black people, have remained a serious problem for years. (1/9)

The Washington Post has compiled statistics since 2015 that document police shootings resulting in death. In 2020, the police shot and killed 18 unarmed Black people nationwide, out of a total of 55. Of course, any is too much. (2/9)

While the number of unarmed people killed by police shootings nationwide goes up and down each year, the 2020 numbers are better than five years earlier: In 2020 (overall) = 55. In 2015 (overall) = 95. Among African-Americans in 2020 = 18 and in 2015 = 38. Still too many. (3/9)

So, in 2020, 18 unarmed Black people were shot and killed by police nationwide. This is too high. More can and should be done to lower the number. But, there's a much bigger problem facing African-Americans that we must also address. (4/9)

Another serious problem that must be addressed is the number of murders of Black people. In just Philadelphia in 2020, 429 Black people were murdered. If we believe that Black lives matter, we can't just concern ourselves with killings by police, though that is essential. (5/9)

We also need to concern ourselves with the overall murder epidemic, particularly in the Black community. We also need to concern ourselves with the opioid epidemic. In 2019, there were 70,630 overdose deaths (CDC) of which 49,860 were from opioids. (6/9)

Among the 49,860 opioid deaths nationally, 7331 were African-Americans. When it comes to death at the hands of police, general homicides, and opioid deaths, Black people are dying in disproportionately large numbers. (7/9)

Yes, it is correct to concern ourselves with the dozens of unarmed Black lives lost at the hands of police. But, if we really believe that Black lives matter, we must also concern ourselves with the thousands dying from the rising homicide rate and the opioid epidemic. (8/9)

Let's fix policing. But, let's also fix society's other problems. While homicides and opioids affect every community, African-Americans are experiencing these plagues in disproportionate numbers. If we unite to tackle these and other problems, we can build a better world. (9/9)

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