Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Why Are Police Killings Normal in the U.S. Yet Rare in Europe & UK? Did Renee Good have to die? - FIVE MINUTE NEWS
Every year, police in the United States kill over a thousand people. In the United Kingdom and much of Europe, the number is often in the single digits — sometimes zero. Drawing on recent data, legal standards, and the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, this essay examines how American policing has come to normalize lethal force, how guns and unregulated training shape officer behavior, and why accountability for police violence is almost nonexistent.
It also confronts the racial reality of policing in the U.S., where Black Americans are killed at far higher rates, often following racial profiling and routine traffic stops. This is not about “a few bad apples.” It’s about policy choices: armed patrols, permissive use-of-force standards, political immunity, and a culture that prioritizes state power over human life. Other democracies have shown that policing without routine killing is possible. The United States has chosen a different path. - 01/12/2026.