While the true scope of the impact of policy brutality is difficult to know, a new report found that in recent years more than 2,600 Latinos were killed by police or died while in custody.
The report was released last week by UnidosUS in partnership with a group of researchers, scholars, activists, and family members of Latinos killed by the police. It found that deaths of people of color are severely undercounted and much more needs to be done to produce an accurate database that collects ethnicity information.
According to the report, between 2014 and May 9th, 2021, there were 15,085 people who died in the custody of police or were killed by police officers. The number of Latinos increased about 24% from 2,139 to 2,653.
The number of deaths of Asian Americans/ Pacific Islanders and Native Americans also increased significantly. Roberto Rodriguez, the project’s director, said that the report’s estimates are not comprehensive but they offer a more accurate look, especially because of the gaps in government- level data collection.
In recent years, a number of activists and media outlets have taken it upon themselves to collect data of police violence because there is no federal database of information. However, they have found that law enforcement agencies often group individuals into broader racial categories and not ethnicities.
Janet Murguia, President and CEO of UnidosUS stated that, “the group’s findings are a disturbing indication that over-policing in communities of color might be more widespread than previously thought. The numbers we already knew about are unacceptable; these new numbers are unconscionable. This data demands immediate consideration by those in Congress who are working on much-needed law enforcement reform legislation to ensure that their solutions truly reflect the scope of the problem.”
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